Rancho Cordova, CA Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

RCMC § 23.716.050(B) requires landscape planting on covered development to emphasize drought-tolerant and native species, particularly along natural open-space areas, and to suit the soil and climate of the specific site. The section also pushes for informal, varied planting rather than uniform symmetrical rows: plant selection must vary in type and pattern, groupings of shrubs must mix multiple plant types with varying heights and bloom seasons, and flowering trees are specifically encouraged alongside evergreen species.

For street and parking lot trees, RCMC § 23.716.050(B)(2) requires selection from the city's adopted master list of street trees and parking lot trees, and at least 30 percent of those trees must be an evergreen species. The chapter's planting-size standards in § 23.716.050(C) set the baseline for how those native and drought-tolerant selections are installed: trees must be planted at a minimum 15-gallon size, with a quarter of all trees on a project at a minimum 24-inch box size, and shrubs at a minimum five-gallon size. This landscape design duty applies citywide to new nonresidential, mixed-use, and multifamily development, and to existing projects that expand building square footage by 10 percent or more, per RCMC § 23.716.020. It also works alongside the separate water-efficient landscape standards in Chapter 22.180 RCMC, which independently govern irrigation design and turf limits for the same project.