Santee, CA Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies to
- Hillside Overlay District projects only
- Native vegetation rule
- Preserved and planted wherever possible
- Vegetation removal
- Must be replanted with compatible material
- Graded slopes
- Landscaped with ground cover, shrubs, trees
- Related citywide rule
- Ch. 13.36 WELO favors local native plants
- Enforcing department
- Development Services hillside design review
Summary
In the City of Santee's Hillside Overlay District, Santee Municipal Code § 13.22.050(D) requires developers to maintain natural vegetation wherever possible, replant compatible species if removal is necessary, landscape graded slopes with ground cover, shrubs and trees, and preserve or plant drought-tolerant, fire-resistant native vegetation wherever feasible.
D. Animal and Plant Life. ... 1. Areas of site which are identified in an environmental study as having biological significance shall be preserved; 2. Natural vegetation shall be maintained wherever possible. If removal is required, reestablishment of a compatible plant material shall be required. ... ... 5. Water and energy conservation techniques shall be utilized, such as special irrigation techniques (e.g., drip irrigation), drought tolerant plant species, alluvial rockscape, etc.; 6. Wherever possible, well adapted (drought tolerant) fire resistant native vegetation shall be preserved and planted;
Full Breakdown
Santee Municipal Code § 13.22.050, "Hillside overlay district: Development performance standards," applies to development within the City's hillside overlay district established under § 13.22.040 for land with steep natural slopes. Subsection D, "Animal and Plant Life," sets several vegetation rules a project must satisfy during Development Services' hillside design review. Item 1 requires preserving any area identified in an environmental study as biologically significant. Item 2 requires that natural vegetation "be maintained wherever possible," and if removal is unavoidable, the developer must reestablish a compatible plant material, an affirmative replanting duty rather than a mere goal.
Item 3 requires all exposed slopes and graded areas to be landscaped with ground cover, shrubs and trees, and item 4 requires incorporating existing mature trees into the project wherever possible. Item 5 calls for water and energy conservation techniques such as drip irrigation, drought-tolerant plant species and alluvial rockscape, and item 6, the rule most directly on point, requires that "well adapted (drought tolerant) fire resistant native vegetation shall be preserved and planted" wherever possible. These hillside standards sit alongside the citywide Landscape and Irrigation Regulations in Chapter 13.36, which the City adopted under state Assembly Bill 1881 and which recites, in § 13.36.010(D)(5), a purpose of protecting habitat by choosing local native plants for every new or rehabilitated landscape 500 square feet or larger.
Development Services reviews hillside and landscape plans together at the building permit and design review stage; a hillside project that clears native vegetation without required replanting, or fails to landscape graded slopes as required, is out of compliance with its approval and subject to code enforcement, including misdemeanor, infraction, or administrative-fine remedies of up to $5,000.00 per violation under §§ 1.04.050-1.04.080 and § 1.08.020.
Violations & Fines
A hillside overlay project that removes natural or native vegetation without required replanting, or fails to landscape exposed slopes with ground cover, shrubs and trees, violates § 13.22.050(D). Development Services can require corrective landscaping, and the City can pursue a misdemeanor, infraction, or administrative fine of up to $5,000.00 per violation under §§ 1.04.050-1.04.080 and § 1.08.020.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Santee require native plants in every yard?
Can I clear native vegetation on a hillside lot in Santee?
Which department reviews hillside landscaping plans?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santee
California rules heatmap·Compare Santee to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
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