10-23-3: LANDSCAPING COMPLETION AND MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL ZONES, RESIDENTIAL ESTATE ZONES, AND SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCES:
A. Applicability: The requirements of this section shall apply to all new development, and to the remodeling of existing dwelling units when a dwelling unit’s footprint increases for single-family residential zones, residential estate zones, and all other single-family residences. Completion and maintenance of landscaping shall apply to all residential properties.
B. Landscaping Requirements:
1. A minimum of thirty percent (30%) of the overall front yard area shall be landscaped. At least one-half (1/2) of the landscaped area shall contain live vegetation.
2. The total lawn area for any residential lot shall not exceed eight percent (8%) of the total lot size, regardless of zoning, up to a maximum of one thousand five hundred (1,500) square feet for lots up to twenty thousand (20,000) square feet. Lots which are greater than twenty thousand (20,000) square feet may have a lawn area of up to two thousand (2,000) square feet. Lots which are less than seven thousand five hundred (7,500) square feet may have a lawn area of up to six hundred (600) square feet even if that amount exceeds eight percent (8%) of the lot size. All lots must comply with subsection B3 of this section.
3. Lawn shall be prohibited in park strips, all landscape areas less than eight feet (8') wide, and on any slope that exceeds fifteen percent (15%).
4. Each single-family dwelling shall have a minimum of two (2) water-conserving trees with a minimum one-and-one-half-inch (1-1/2") caliper trunk.
C. Completion Requirements: Landscaping shall be completed within one (1) year of the issuance of a certificate of occupancy, or the final inspection of a remodeled dwelling unit.
D. A minimum of one (1) water-conserving tree with at least a one-and-one-half-inch (1-1/2") caliper shall be planted in the front yard. The tree may be a desert tree variety.
E. The use of native plants and other water-conserving plants is required to promote water conservation.
F. Requests for Modification of Landscaping Requirement: The community development director or designee may approve “landscaping,” as defined in this section, that covers less than thirty percent (30%) of the front yard area in landscape where the shape of the lot imposes a hardship in meeting the thirty percent (30%) requirement. If such a modification is granted, all other landscaping requirements outlined in this section shall still apply and may not be waived or modified.
G. Maintenance of Owners’ Association Property: A property owners’ association shall own and diligently maintain all common areas, including park strips between the street and any privacy walls. If a property owners’ association is dissolved, maintenance of the common area becomes the joint and several responsibility of the individual owners of property that once formed the dissolved property owners’ association.
H. It shall be unlawful for any person owning a single-family residence to:
1. Fail to provide landscaping and irrigation in all areas where landscaping is required or exists, regardless of the age of the development, zone, or status.
2. Fail to install, maintain, replace, or repair landscaping and irrigation systems in all areas where it is required to exist or does exist.
3. Modify an approved landscape and irrigation plan, landscape documentation package, or approved site plan without prior written permission from the city. “Modifying an approved landscape and irrigation plan or approved site plan” means changing the type of large plant (greater than six feet (6') tall at maturity), decreasing the plant quantities, or decreasing the size of the landscape area. Minor adjustments required to suit field conditions are permitted. Replacing a plant with the same type of plant is considered maintenance and not modification. (Ord. 2019-10-002, 10-10-2019; amd. Ord. 2022-07-009, 7-28-2022; Ord. 2024-016, 3-21-2024)