Hemet, CA Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

Hemet sits in a hot, dry inland Riverside County climate and depends entirely on local groundwater, so the City's posture favors low-water, drought-tolerant, and native plantings. The City itself plants drought-tolerant shade species in parks and parkways (recent Arbor Day plantings used Modesto Ash chosen for shade and drought tolerance), and its zoning landscaping standards call for automatic irrigation with adequate coverage and ongoing maintenance of plant material. For larger projects, California's Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) applies as the statewide floor: new development and rehabilitated landscapes above the regulatory thresholds must meet a calculated water budget, use efficient irrigation, amend soil, and select plants by water need (WUCOLS classification), which strongly favors California-native and Mediterranean-climate species over thirsty turf. Hemet has no ordinance mandating lawn or prohibiting native/xeriscape gardens; to the contrary, state law (Government Code 53087.7) bars cities from prohibiting drought-tolerant landscaping on residential property. Homeowners replacing lawn with native sages, buckwheat, deergrass, manzanita, and similar species are generally free to do so, subject only to keeping the yard maintained (not weedy/overgrown) and following any HOA rules, which themselves cannot ban water-efficient landscaping under state law.