San Bernardino County encourages native and drought-tolerant landscaping under MWELO. Joshua trees and many desert natives are protected, requiring a CDFW permit for removal in most cases.
San Bernardino County strongly encourages native and drought-tolerant plants under the California Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO), which applies to new landscape installations over 500 square feet. MWELO limits turf to 25 percent of landscape area and requires use of low-water-use native plants, efficient irrigation, mulch, and soil amendments. The California Desert Native Plants Act (Food and Agricultural Code Division 23, Chapter 1) protects many native desert plants including yuccas, native cacti, ocotillo, palo verde, ironwood, smoke trees, and all Joshua trees. The 2023 Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act (AB 122) provides specific protection for both species of Joshua tree, requiring a California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) permit before removal or transplanting. The High Desert (Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree, Lucerne Valley, Apple Valley, Hesperia, Victorville) and Colorado Desert areas have active CDFW enforcement for desert native plants. Property owners should have native plants identified before any land-clearing work begins.
Unpermitted removal of protected native desert plants can trigger CDFW fines up to 4,500 dollars per Joshua tree and additional penalties for other protected species. MWELO non-compliance for new landscapes over 500 square feet can result in denied permits or required redesigns.
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See how San Bernardino County's native plants rules stack up against other locations.
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