Chapter 14.17 — WATER-EFFICIENT LANDSCAPING5

The purpose of this chapter and the related design standards is to establish an alternative model acceptable under Governor Brown’s April 1, 2015, Drought Executive Order (B-29-15) and subsequently revised to implement the requirements of Senate Bill 1383, the Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Act of 2016, in the context of conditions in the City to:

A. Promote the benefits of consistent landscape ordinances with neighboring local and
regional agencies;

B. Promote the values and benefits of landscapes while recognizing the need to invest water
and other resources as efficiently as possible;

C. Establish a structure for planning, designing, installing, and maintaining and managing
water-efficient landscapes in new construction and rehabilitated projects;

D. Establish provisions for water management practices and water waste prevention for
existing landscapes;

E. Use water efficiently without waste by setting a maximum applied water allowance as an
upper limit for water use and reduce water use to the lowest practical amount;

F. Encourage the use of economic incentives that promote the efficient use of water, such as
providing rebate incentives and offering educational programs; and

G. Implement the State mandates set forth in Senate Bill 1383, the Short-Lived Climate
Pollutant Reduction Act of 2016.
(Ord. 2010-1 § 1 (part), 2010; Ord. 2015-34 § 1 (part), 2016; Ord. 2021-25 § 3 (Exh. C), 2021)

For the purposes of this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings set forth in this section:

A. “Aggregate landscape areas” pertains to the areas undergoing development as one project
or for production home neighborhoods or other situations where multiple parcels are
undergoing development as one project, but will eventually be individually owned.

B. “Applied water” means the portion of water supplied by the irrigation system to the
landscape.

C. “Budget-based tiered-rate structure” means tiered or block rates for irrigation accounts
charged by the retail water agency in which the block definition for each customer is
derived from lot size or irrigated area and the evapotranspiration requirements of
landscaping.

D. “Design standards” refers to the Design Standards for Implementation of the Water
Efficient Landscape Ordinance, which are hereby adopted by reference and may be

5. Prior history: Ords. 92-54, 92-55 and 96-22.

Downloaded from https://ecode360.com/NE4559 on 2026-09-25

City of Newport Beach, CA § 14.17.010 NEWPORT BEACH CODE § 14.17.010

amended from time to time, which describe procedures, calculations, and requirements for
landscape projects subject to this chapter.

E. “Ecological restoration project” means a project where the site is intentionally altered to
establish a defined, indigenous, historic ecosystem.

F. “Estimated applied water use” or “EAWU” means the average annual total amount of water
estimated to be necessary to keep plants in a healthy state. EAWU is based on the reference
evapotranspiration rate, the size of the landscape area, plant water use factors, and the
irrigation efficiency within each hydrozone.

G. “ET adjustment factor” or “ETAF” of 0.55 (fifty-five (55) percent) for residential areas and

A. Beginning February 1, 2016, and consistent with Executive Order No. B-29-15 and Senate Bill, the Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Act of 2016, this chapter shall apply to the following landscape projects:

1. New landscape projects (including new single-family, multifamily, public,
institutional or commercial projects) with an aggregate landscape area equal to or
greater than five hundred (500) square feet which require discretionary or ministerial
permits (including building or planning permit, plan check, or landscape design
review permit) from the City.

2. Rehabilitated landscape projects with an aggregate landscape area equal to or greater
than two thousand five hundred (2,500) square feet which require discretionary or
ministerial permits (including building or planning permit, plan check or landscape
design review permit) from the City.

3. Rehabilitated landscape projects with an aggregate landscape area of two thousand
five hundred (2,500) square feet or less may comply with the performance
requirements of this chapter or conform to the prescriptive measures contained in
Appendix H of the design standards (Prescriptive Compliance Option).

Downloaded from https://ecode360.com/NE4559 on 2026-09-25

City of Newport Beach, CA § 14.17.020 WATER AND SEWERS § 14.17.030

4. Rehabilitated projects using treated or untreated graywater or rainwater captured on
site, any lot or parcels within the project that has less than two thousand five hundred
(2,500) square feet of landscape area and meets the lot or parcel’s landscape water
requirement (estimated total water use) entirely with the treated or untreated
graywater or through stored rainwater capture on site is subject only to Appendix H
of the design standards (Prescriptive Compliance Option).

5. New landscape installation projects or landscape rehabilitation projects installed at
cemeteries shall be subject to the following sections of the design standards: Sections
2.2, Water Efficient Landscape Calculations and Alternatives; 2.8, Post-Installation
Irrigation Scheduling; and 2.9, Post-Installation Landscape and Irrigation
Maintenance, but shall not require a landscape documentation package (design
standards Section 2.1).

B. This chapter does not apply to:

1. Landscape rehabilitation projects that consist of replacement plantings with equal or
lower water needs and the irrigation system is designed, operable and programmed to
comply with the City’s water conservation regulations;

2. Registered local, State, or Federal historical sites;

   3. Ecological restoration projects that do not require a permanent irrigation system;

   4. Plant collections, as part of botanical gardens and arboretums open to the public; or

   5. Landscape in hazard reduction and fuel modification zones, where applicable.

   C. Section 14.17.030(B) (requiring compliance with the City’s water conservation ordinance)
   shall apply to all landscape areas, whether installed prior to (existing landscapes) or after
   adoption of the ordinance codified in this chapter.
   (Ord. 2010-1 § 1 (part), 2010; Ord. 2015-34 § 1 (part), 2016; Ord. 2021-25 § 3 (Exh. C), 2021)

A. Property owners or their building or landscape designers that meet the threshold set forth in Section 14.17.020(A)(1) shall:

1. Comply with Sections 492.6(a)(3)(B)(C), (D) and (G) of the MWELO, which requires
the submittal of a landscape design plan with a soil preparation, mulch, and
amendments section to include the following:

a. For landscape installations, compost at a rate of a minimum of four cubic yards
per one thousand (1,000) square feet of permeable area shall be incorporated to
a depth of six inches into the soil. Soils with greater than six percent organic
matter in the top six inches of soil are exempt from adding compost and tilling.

b. For landscape installations, a minimum three-inch layer of mulch shall be
applied on all exposed soil surfaces of planting areas except in turf areas,
creeping or rooting groundcovers, or direct seeding applications where mulch is
contraindicated. To provide habitat for beneficial insects and other wildlife up
to five percent of the landscape area may be left without mulch. Designated
insect habitat must be included in the landscape design plan as such.

Downloaded from https://ecode360.com/NE4559 on 2026-09-25

City of Newport Beach, CA § 14.17.030 NEWPORT BEACH CODE § 14.17.040

c. Organic mulch materials made from recycled or post-consumer materials shall
take precedence over inorganic materials or virgin forest products unless the
recycled post-consumer organic products are not locally available. Organic
mulches are not required where prohibited by local fuel modification plan
guidelines or other applicable local ordinances.

2. The MWELO compliance items listed in this section are not an inclusive list of
MWELO requirements; therefore, property owners or their building or designers that
meet the threshold for MWELO compliance outlined in Section 14.17.020(A)(1) shall
consult the full MWELO for all requirements.

B. For new landscape installation or rehabilitation projects subject to Section 14.17.020, the estimated applied water use allowed for the landscape area shall not exceed the MAWA calculated using an ET adjustment factor of 0.55 (fifty-five (55) percent) for residential areas and 0.45 (forty-five (45) percent) for nonresidential areas, except for special landscape areas where the MAWA is calculated using an ET adjustment factor of 1.0 (one hundred (100) percent); or the design of the landscape area shall otherwise be shown to be equivalently water efficient in a manner acceptable to the City, as provided in the design standards.

C. Irrigation of all landscape areas shall be conducted in a manner conforming to the rules and
requirements, and shall be subject to penalties and incentives for water conservation and
water waste prevention, as determined and implemented by the City’s water conservation
ordinance.
(Ord. 2010-1 § 1 (part), 2010; Ord. 2015-34 § 1 (part), 2016; Ord. 2021-25 § 3 (Exh. C), 2021)

A. A landscape documentation package shall be submitted to the City for review and approval of all landscape projects subject to the provisions of this chapter. Any landscape documentation package submitted to the City shall comply with the provisions of the design standards.

B. The landscape documentation package shall include a certification of design by a
professional appropriately licensed in the State of California stating that the landscape
design and water use calculations have been prepared by or under the supervision of a
licensed professional and are certified to be in compliance with the provisions of this
chapter and the design standards.

1. Landscape and irrigation plans shall be submitted to the City for review and approval
with appropriate water use calculations. Water use calculations shall be consistent
with the procedures and calculations provided in the design standards document.

2. Verification of compliance of the landscape installation with the approved plans shall
be obtained through a certification of completion, which shall be submitted to the City
prior to final of the permit, per the procedures provided in the design standards
document.
(Ord. 2010-1 § 1 (part), 2010; Ord. 2015-34 § 1 (part), 2016; Ord. 2021-25 § 3 (Exh. C), 2021)

Downloaded from https://ecode360.com/NE4559 on 2026-09-25

City of Newport Beach, CA § 14.20.010 WATER AND SEWERS § 14.20.060