Stanislaus County, CA Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

Stanislaus County encourages low-water, climate-appropriate planting through its Landscape and Irrigation Standards (Zoning Ordinance Chapter 21.102, Ord. CS 509, 1992), but it does not mandate California-native species. The ordinance defines a water-conserving plant as any plant exhibiting drought-tolerant characteristics that will survive in its designed location with limited supplemental water, expressly including hybrid dwarf fescues and warm-season grasses; the Planning Department maintains a suggested plant list that may be expanded by certified nurserymen and landscape architects (Section 21.102.030(C)). For projects where landscaping is required, Section 21.102.040(B) requires that at least ninety percent of the plants selected in non-turf areas be well-suited to the region's climate and need minimal water once established, allowing up to ten percent non-drought-tolerant plants only if they are grouped together and irrigated separately. Plant selection must consider height, spread, growth rate, moisture needs, root damage, pest susceptibility, soil and slope (21.102.040(B)). These standards apply to discretionary and new-construction landscaping, not to a homeowner replanting an existing single-family yard, which the ordinance does not require to be landscaped at all. So while the County strongly favors drought-tolerant and climate-adapted plants for required landscapes, it imposes no native-plant mandate or restriction on what species a homeowner plants in a private garden, subject to the weed-nuisance rules and any HOA covenants.