Brentwood, CA Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

California Civil Code Section 4735 prohibits homeowners associations from enforcing any provision that prohibits or restricts drought-tolerant landscape, and HOAs may not fine owners for reducing or eliminating irrigated turf during any declared drought. The Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO), adopted in Title 23 CCR Sections 490-495, applies to all new residential landscapes over 500 square feet installed with a building permit and to rehabilitated landscapes over 2,500 square feet. MWELO requires a landscape documentation package including a soil management report, hydrozone plan, irrigation design with dedicated landscape meter where required, and a maximum applied water allowance calculation.

Design requirements include drip or micro-spray irrigation for all non-turf plantings, smart irrigation controllers with weather or soil moisture sensors, turf limited to functional areas and not permitted on slopes over 25 percent, and a minimum 3-inch layer of mulch on exposed soil. Brentwood actively promotes xeriscape through partnerships with the Contra Costa Water District, which offers turf replacement rebates (often $1 to $2 per square foot) and free landscape consultations. Native plant choices that thrive in the Brentwood climate include California fuchsia, manzanita, ceanothus, deer grass, and toyon. Food gardens and edible landscaping are explicitly allowed under state law.