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

Section 17.188.070(A) requires a landscaping plan, landscaping grading plan, irrigation plan and shading plan for every plot plan, conditional use permit, public use permit, surface mining permit or subdivision, and for any other permit the planning director decides needs one. Within the design standards for those plans, subsection F.3.d states the native-plant preference directly: drought tolerant and native species come first, with the required quantity tied to the project's climatic zone, while natural features like rock, stone and nondrought-tolerant accent plants remain allowed as part of the design. The plan must also list every plant by botanical and common name, drawn from the Riverside County Guide to Trees, Shrubs and Ground Covers, and existing mature trees are to be preserved whenever practical rather than cleared and replanted.

Compliance isn't just a paperwork step. Before a final certificate of occupancy, the planning director must confirm the approved landscaping and irrigation were actually installed and that plants are healthy and pest-free, and for parking areas over 3,600 square feet the developer must post a performance security, bond, cash deposit, or letter of credit, guaranteeing installation and a year of maintenance before the security is released. Larger residential, commercial and industrial projects also fall under the separate water-efficient landscape ordinance in Chapter 17.276, which layers additional water-budget and native/invasive-species rules on top of this general design standard.