Pleasanton, CA Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

Pleasanton promotes native and drought-tolerant landscaping rather than restricting it. Through the city's Eco-Friendly Lawn Conversion Rebate (in partnership with Zone 7's Lawn Conversion Rebate), homeowners who replace front-yard or sidewalk-visible lawn (minimum 100 square feet) using sheet mulching earn rebates - $0.50 per square foot for residential/mixed-use-meter customers (up to $575) and $0.75 per square foot for dedicated irrigation-meter customers (up to $4,000). The program requires the converted area to include multiple plants of at least two varieties of California native species, with plants drawn from the City's Qualifying Plant list, WUCOLS, UC Davis Arboretum All-Stars, or Tri-Valley Water-Wise lists; plants must be low or very low water use, installed between September and February, and cover at least 50% of the converted area at maturity. The conversion must use a 1-inch compost layer and a 3-inch mulch layer, eliminate overhead spray (cap or convert to drip), and remain in place at least two years. Statewide, California Civil Code section 4735 (Davis-Stirling Act) protects homeowners: an HOA cannot prohibit low water-using plants as a group or as a turf replacement, cannot bar synthetic/artificial turf, and cannot fine members for reducing watering during a Governor-declared drought emergency. So while the city has no ordinance forcing native plants, it strongly incentivizes them, and HOAs may not block water-wise conversions.