Livermore, CA Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

The estimated total water use of selected plants may not exceed the maximum applied water allowance, and the code lists protection and preservation of native species and natural vegetation first among the accepted methods, followed by selecting water-conserving plant and turf species "especially local native plants," choosing plants suited to local climate, disease and pest resistance, selecting trees consistent with applicable tree ordinances or shading guidelines, drawing from local and regional landscape program plant lists, and selecting plants consistent with the City's wildfire management plan.

This design criterion is one piece of the landscape design plan, which LMC § 13.25.050(A)(4) makes a mandatory element of the landscape documentation package submitted with any required planning permit. The water budget behind it is numeric: LMC § 13.25.060 caps the evapotranspiration adjustment factor at 0.55 for residential landscapes and 0.45 for nonresidential ones, measured against a City of Livermore reference ETo of 47.2, and the plant factor tables it references run from 0-0.1 for very low water use plants (where most true natives sit) up to 0.7-1.0 for high water use species.

Choosing native and low water use plants is therefore the most direct way to hit that budget without complex hydrozone math. An architect or landscape architect licensed in California must sign a certification statement under LMC § 13.25.050(A)(1)(j) attesting the plan complies with Chapter 13.25 before the package is accepted.