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

There is no Lake County ordinance requiring residents to use California-native plants. Plant choice is shaped instead by encouragement and by water-efficiency rules. For new and rehabilitated landscapes that need a permit, the State Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO, 23 CCR 490 et seq.), administered through County Community Development, sets a Maximum Applied Water Allowance and rewards low-water-use species using the WUCOLS plant classification - so California natives and Mediterranean-climate plants make compliance easier without being strictly required. UC Cooperative Extension's Lake County Master Gardeners publish guides such as 'Gardening with Native and Naturalized Plants in Lake County,' a pollinator-garden guide, and a 2023 'Lake County Firewise Landscaping Guide,' all recommending water-wise, native, and fire-smart plant selection. The County's Hazardous Vegetation Abatement Ordinance (Chapter 13, Article VIII) and PRC 4291 indirectly steer planting choices near structures by requiring low-fuel, well-spaced vegetation within defensible-space zones. Planting state-listed noxious or invasive weeds is discouraged and may be addressed by the County Agricultural Commissioner under the California Food and Agricultural Code, but ordinary ornamental and native gardens face no county species mandate.