Madera County, CA Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)
Key Facts
- Natural areas
- landscaping not required if left natural
- HOA covenants
- cannot ban low-water/native plants
- Applies to
- new construction, rehabilitated landscape projects
- Native vegetation
- excluded from landscaped-area calculation
Summary
Madera County's landscape ordinance does not force common areas or open space meant to stay natural to be landscaped, and it bars HOA covenants from prohibiting low-water or native plantings.
This chapter shall not be construed as requiring landscaping of common areas or open space that is intended to remain natural. Covenants, conditions and restrictions shall not prohibit use of low-water use plants or the replacement of turf with less water intensive plant species.D.Recognizing the special landscape needs of cemeteries, new and rehabilitated landscapes within a cemetery are subject only to the provisions set forth in Sections 13.56.050(A) and (B) of this chapter. (Ord. No. 647, § 1, 1-5-10).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 52).
Full Breakdown
Under the county's Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (Chapter 13.56), which applies to new construction and rehabilitated landscapes on qualifying public, commercial, and residential projects in unincorporated Madera County, common area or open space intended to remain in its natural, unlandscaped state is not required to be landscaped at all. The same provision bars covenants, conditions, and restrictions from prohibiting the use of low-water-use or native plants. The ordinance's own definitions separately exclude 'existing native vegetation' areas designated for nondevelopment from the landscaped area calculated for the water budget.
Violations & Fines
This is a protective allowance, not a prohibition: there is no penalty for leaving land natural. An HOA covenant that improperly bars low-water or native plants can be challenged as noncompliant with § 13.56.030(C).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my HOA in unincorporated Madera County require a fully landscaped lawn instead of native plants?
Does the county require landscaping every part of a new development?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Madera County
California rules heatmap·Compare Madera County to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
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