Chino Hills, CA Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

Chino Hills promotes drought-tolerant and water-efficient planting through CHMC Chapter 16.07 (Landscape and Water Conservation Requirements), the City's implementation of California's Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO). The City adopted Ordinance No. 316 in 2017 (updated by Ordinance No. 386 in 2022) and applies the standards to landscape projects equal to or greater than 500 square feet that need a building or landscape permit, plan check, or design review. The ordinance increases water efficiency by promoting efficient irrigation, greywater, onsite stormwater capture, and by limiting the portion of a landscape that can be turf - turf is not allowed on slopes greater than 25 percent where the toe of the slope meets an impermeable hardscape. On the preservation side, the City protects four native tree species - California Sycamore, California Live Oak, California Black Walnut, and Coastal Scrub Oak - under CHMC Chapter 16.90, so native oaks and walnuts already on a lot can carry protections. The City actively encourages converting grass to climate-appropriate landscaping and reports turf-removal projects saving millions of gallons. There is no ordinance forcing homeowners to install native plants; rather, the rules limit turf and incentivize low-water and native-friendly design.