Chino Hills, CA Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies to
- New landscape ≥500 sq ft, rehab ≥2,500 sq ft
- Governing chapter
- CHMC Chapter 16.07, Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance
- Design plan preparer
- Licensed landscape architect required
- Review authority
- Community Development Director or designee
- Standard
- ETWU must not exceed the MAWA
Summary
Chino Hills requires landscape design plans for qualifying projects to protect native species and favor water-conserving, often native, plants. New construction adding 500 square feet or more of landscape, and rehabilitated landscapes of 2,500 square feet or more, must submit a Landscape Documentation Package meeting these design criteria under Chino Hills Municipal Code Chapter 16.07, the Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance.
Any plant may be selected for the landscape, providing the Estimated Total Water Use (ETWU) in the landscape area does not exceed the Maximum Applied Water Allowance (MAWA). Methods to achieve water efficiency shall include one or more of the following:1.Protection and preservation of native species and natural vegetation;2.Selection of water-conserving plant, tree and turf species, especially local native plants;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 61).
Full Breakdown
030). 050). 060(A)(2)(a) lists the methods a designer may use to keep water use within the calculated Maximum Applied Water Allowance, and the first two on the list single out native planting: protecting and preserving native species and natural vegetation, and choosing water-conserving plant, tree and turf species, especially local native plants. 22) and fire-resistant, properly spaced planting near structures is separately required within five feet of a home's exterior wall. A project may satisfy the native-plant criterion together with, or instead of, the other listed methods, but every landscape design plan still has to keep Estimated Total Water Use at or below the Maximum Applied Water Allowance regardless of which methods it uses to get there.
Violations & Fines
Chino Hills Municipal Code § 1.36.010 makes any code violation, including a landscape installed without required city approval, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and six months in county jail under § 1.36.020, unless the city designates the offense an infraction, carrying fines of $100, $200 or $500 for repeat violations within a year. The Community Development Director may instead pursue an administrative citation under Chapter 1.18, with fines set by council resolution and appeal rights through an administrative hearing and Superior Court review.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Chino Hills require me to plant only native species?
Which projects have to submit a landscape design plan?
Who reviews and enforces the landscape design requirements?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chino Hills
California rules heatmap·Compare Chino Hills to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
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