San Ramon Municipal Code Art. 2 Landscape Requirements

• Review—Applicability—Plant selection—Turf limitation and type—Soil conditioning and

mulching—Irrigation—Additional requirements.

A. Review. Landscaping plans shall be submitted for review as to conformance with the following requirements: 1. The applicant shall allow a minimum of thirty days for each review of landscaping plans and each re-review in the case or nonconformance with these requirements. City of San Ramon, CA | Municipal Code 421

a. EBMUD will provide free landscape plan review and landscape site check services for cities and counties in its service areas; b. If the timing of EBMUD's plan check service is not suitable to an applicant, the applicant shall have the option to request that a landscape water conservation specialist, on contract with city, provide these services. All costs associated with this service shall be borne by the applicant. 2. Landscaping shall not be installed until the applicant receives approval of the landscape plans. 3. Changes to the approved landscape that affect the character of the plant material or the irrigation system design are required to be submitted for review and approval. 4. All ornamental uses of water in the common areas of a development project, such as ponds, lakes, and fountains, shall be supplied, operated and maintained with alternative sources of water if they are available. 5. Exceptions to the specific requirements may be granted on a case-by-case basis due to either unusual site conditions, physical site constraints or as determined by the zoning administrator. 6. The applicant shall refer to the "Water Conserving Plants and Landscapes for the Bay Area" manual, provided by the planning services division, for landscaping materials. 7. Dual water systems shall be installed, in new developments, where feasible. B. Applicability. The requirements are applicable to: 1. All new landscaping for new construction, including residential (single-family subdivisions and multifamily dwelling units); model homes or temporary development; commercial development; industrial development and public authorities; 2. All rehabilitated landscaping for commercial, industrial and multifamily dwelling units; 3. These requirements shall not apply to individual single-family residential lots or sites using reclaimed water. C. Plant Selection. 1. At least ninety percent of the plants selected in non-turf areas exposed to full sun shall be well-suited to the climate of the region and require minimal water once established. Up to ten percent of the plants may be non-drought tolerant variety as long as they are irrigated separately. 2. At least eighty percent of the plants in non-turf areas exposed to full shade or partial sun shall be well-suited to the climate of the region and require minimal water once established. Up to twenty percent of the plants may be of non-drought tolerant variety as long as they are irrigated separately. D. Turf Limitations and Type. 1. The combined turf and/or water (i.e., pools, ponds and fountains) shall be limited to twenty- five percent of the irrigated areas. Turf area limitation is excluded for public parks, golf courses, cemeteries, greenbelts and school recreation areas. 2. Turf shall be used that has a water requirement less than or equal to tall fescue. Exceptions may be granted where the functional use requires another turfgrass species. E. Soil Conditioning and Mulching. 1. A minimum of six cubic yards of nitrified soil conditioner per one thousand square feet shall be incorporated into the top six inches of soil.

City of San Ramon, CA | Municipal Code 422

2. A minimum of two inches of mulch shall be added in non-turf areas to the soil surface after planting. Non-porous material shall not be placed under the mulch. 3. Grading shall be minimized to avoid disturbance. Top soil shall be stockpiled and shall be reapplied during final grading.

F. Irrigation. These irrigation requirements apply to all non-single family residential landscapes and to those single family residences (subdivisions) where automatic and semi-automatic irrigation systems will be installed. 1. Sprinkler heads with a precipitation of .85 inches per hour or less shall be used on slopes exceeding fifteen percent or on slopes exceeding ten percent within ten feet hardscapes to minimize runoff. 2. Valves and circuits shall be separated based on water use. 3. Drip or bubbler irrigation systems are required for trees. Bubblers shall be used that do not exceed one and one half gallons per minute per device. 4. Sprinkler heads must have matched precipitation rates within each control valve circuit. 5. Pop-up sprinklers in lawn area shall have at least a three and one-half inch pop up height. 6. Check valves are required where elevation differences may cause low head drainage as determined by East Bay municipal district. 7. Sprinkler head spacing shall be designed for head to head coverage. The system should be designed for minimum runoff and overspray onto non-irrigated areas. 8. All automatic irrigation systems shall be equipped with a controller capable of dual or multiple programming. Controllers must have multiple cycle start capacity and a flexible calendar program. 9. All irrigation systems shall be equipped with rain shut-off or moisture sensing devices. G. Additional Requirements. These additional requirements apply to all landscaping for new construction (commercial or residential) or as determined by the zoning administrator: 1. No turf shall be allowed in median strips and in areas less than four feet wide; 2. Sprinklers and sprays shall not be used in areas less than four feet wide; 3. Soil tests showing soil type, soil depth, uniformity and pH shall be required and submitted with landscape plans. Soil will be amended according to report recommendations. 4. Irrigation plans shall include a water budget that includes: a. Estimated annual water use in gallons; b. Irrigated area in square feet; c. A monthly irrigation schedule for the plant establishment period and the following year. This irrigation schedule will include the following information for each valve: i. Plant type and precipitation rate, ii. Flow rate in gallons per minute, iii. Run times in minutes per day, iv. Number of water days per week (turfgrasses should be irrigated a maximum of once every three days), v. Number of cycle starts per day. (Ord. 218 § 2 (part), 1992)

City of San Ramon, CA | Municipal Code 423

TABLE C4-122-A Turfgrass monthly water needs, based upon climate date for inland areas. Month Inches Month Inches Jan. 0.5 July 7.0 Feb. 0.75 Aug. 6.5 Mar. 2.0 Sept. 4.0 Apr. 3.0 Oct. 2.0 May 5.5 Nov. 1.0 June 6.5 Dec. 0.5

(Ord. 218 § 2 (part), 1992)