Sonoma, CA Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- SMC 14.32.030, Water-Efficient Landscaping ordinance
- Applies to
- New landscapes 500+ sq ft, rehabs 2,500+ sq ft
- Favored categories
- Native/Mediterranean plants rated low or very low water use
- Invasive species
- Cal-IPC listed plants prohibited (SMC 14.32.040(B)(2)(h))
- Administered by
- City planning director or designee
- Exemptions
- Historic sites, cemeteries, residential backyards
Summary
The City of Sonoma's water-efficient landscaping ordinance credits native and Mediterranean-climate plants as the preferred way to meet its water budget for new and rehabilitated landscapes. SMC 14.32.030 classifies native trees, shrubs, and groundcovers as 'low water use' or 'very low water use' plant material, and Chapter 14.32 requires landscape plans to be built around those water-use categories.
27. “Low water use plants” means Mediterranean region and native trees, shrubs and groundcovers (such as rosemary), juniper, most native oaks, and other plants recognized as low water use by the Water Use Classification of Landscape Species document as it currently exists or may be amended in the future. ... 63. ... “Very low water use plants” means Mediterranean region and native trees, shrubs and groundcovers such as manzanita, ceanothus, some native oaks, California poppies and other plants recognized as very low water use by the Water Use Classification of Landscape Species document (http://ucanr.edu/sites/wucols/), as it currently exists or may be amended in the future.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 13-2025, passed December 3, 2025).
Full Breakdown
32, the City of Sonoma's Water-Efficient Landscaping ordinance adopted by Ordinance 02-2017, applies to new landscape projects of 500 square feet or more and rehabilitated landscape projects of 2,500 square feet or more that need a building or grading permit, plan check, or design review. 040 penalizes high-water-use plant selections, landscape designers lean on these native categories to keep a project's estimated water use under the cap. 040(B)(2)(h) prohibits any plant listed by the California Invasive Plant Council, regardless of its water-use classification, so a native designation does not override the invasive-species ban.
Turf is restricted in several situations, including front yards of single-family subdivisions where the developer did not also install the backyard landscape, which further pushes new residential projects toward native, low-water plantings. The ordinance exempts historic sites on the California or National Register, ecological restoration projects without a permanent irrigation system, botanical gardens, cemeteries, and residential backyards, so those areas are not bound by the native/low-water plant classification at all.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 14.32 is a permit-and-plan-review requirement rather than a standalone infraction scheme: a landscape design plan, irrigation design plan, and certificate of completion must each be submitted and approved by the planning director's designee before, during, and after installation. A plan that fails to meet the water budget or that includes a California Invasive Plant Council species can be rejected at design review or building permit plan check, and noncompliant work discovered after installation is enforced the same way as any other Sonoma Municipal Code violation, through Chapter 1.12.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use native plants to meet the City of Sonoma's landscaping requirements?
Which Sonoma landscape projects have to follow the native/low-water plant rules?
Are there plants the City of Sonoma bans even if they are drought-tolerant?
Does the City of Sonoma restrict turf/lawn in new landscaping?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sonoma
California rules heatmap·Compare Sonoma to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
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Native Plants in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Sonoma County handle native plants.