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

For everyday residential and rural landscaping, Trinity County imposes no requirement to use California-native plants and no ban on non-natives. The county's only detailed native-plant provisions appear in its commercial cannabis rules. Code Chapter 17.43G (Mitigation Measures for All Cannabis Land Uses) requires, before approval, a biological reconnaissance survey by a qualified biologist, protocol-level surveys for special-status plants following CDFW protocols, a vegetation map using the National Vegetation Classification System ('A Manual of California Vegetation'), and review against the California Native Plant Society Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants and the CNDDB (§ 17.43G.030). It also requires applicants to identify on-site invasive plant species—including noxious weeds prioritized by the county—and to remove them using appropriate measures. Outside cannabis projects, native and drought-tolerant planting is encouraged but not required. Statewide, California's Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) promotes climate-appropriate, low-water and native plant palettes and applies to new landscapes of 500 square feet or more (and rehabilitated landscapes of 2,500 square feet or more) requiring a permit. Trinity County's forested, fire-prone setting also makes fire-resistant, well-spaced native plantings advisable near structures under the Fire Safe Ordinance.