Mono County, CA Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

Unincorporated Mono County treats native plants as a development and revegetation standard, not a blanket homeowner rule. The County's Conservation/Open Space Element provides that landscape plans are required to incorporate the use of native vegetation when feasible, and native vegetation is strongly encouraged for landscaping, erosion control, and similar purposes. Use of non-native vegetation requires an assessment and mitigation of the effects of the introduced species, and 'in no case shall invasive non-native species be approved.' Landscaping and revegetation plans must include measures to control invasive non-native plants, including weeds and annual grasses, and mechanical controls should be favored over chemical controls where possible. For restoration and roadside revegetation, plans 'should utilize plantings from local native stock,' including adjacent riparian and wetland plants and locally collected seed when feasible. These provisions bind projects subject to County design review and CEQA. The high-desert, sagebrush-steppe, and Eastern Sierra forest setting makes native and drought-tolerant species the practical default, which also supports the County's water-efficiency objectives (Objective 3.C). Ordinary residential gardens are not required to be native-only, but invasive species are discouraged countywide.