Upland, CA Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

The City of Upland encourages — but does not strictly require — native or drought-tolerant plants. Its Landscaping chapter (UMC Chapter 17.12) sets minimum standards for landscape and irrigation in public and private development to promote efficient water use, and it is stated to be at least as effective at conserving water as the State Department of Water Resources' Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) adopted under Government Code Section 65595. Within the zoning landscape standards, the use of turf must be minimized — turf areas are to be used wisely in response to functional needs and may not exceed the maximum annual applied water allowance — which steers qualifying projects toward low-water, climate-appropriate (including California-friendly and native) plantings. For most existing single-family yards, plant choice is voluntary, but the City participates in regional turf-replacement and landscape programs (with Metropolitan Water District and Inland Empire Utilities Agency) that reward water-saving plant palettes. There is no City rule forbidding traditional lawns on existing homes; the requirements bite mainly on new construction and larger rehabilitated landscapes subject to Chapter 17.12. Note that California's AB 1572 separately phases out potable-water irrigation of nonfunctional turf at non-residential and HOA common-area sites statewide.