Arcata — Landscaping and Screening

Last reviewed: July 3, 2026

Overview

This page summarizes what the Arcata Land Use Code requires for landscaping and screening (fences, walls, buffers, and trees) under the local zoning ordinance (Title 9 of the Land Use Code, often referenced as the zoning code). It strictly summarizes Arcata's rules for design, placement, measurement, and maintenance of landscaping and screening — including when a solid wall is required, parking-area planting ratios, and the minimum site-level landscaping percentage — and tells you where to verify parcel‑specific rules. Key controlling provisions are § 9.30.030 (Fences, Walls and Screening) and § 9.34.010–.070 (Landscaping), which are cited below.

(This page references related topics in Arcata's guidance: zoning, land use, development standards, parking, design review, overlay districts, ADUs, and the California Building Standards Code.)

Controlling rules — quick legal pointers

• Screening between dissimilar uses (commercial/industrial adjacent to residential), screening of outdoor storage/equipment, and some parking-area screening are required; the specific standards are in § 9.30.030.F.
• Where landscaping is required, new projects must generally provide 10% of the site as landscaped area (exceptions: AE, AR, NR resource districts and possible Director modifications), per § 9.34.020.A.
• Parking lots (non‑single‑family) have perimeter planting and interior‑lot landscaping requirements (minimum 10% of gross parking area; 1 tree per 5 spaces; perimeter strip minimum 6 ft) in § 9.34.050.
• Fences and walls follow the measurement and maximums in § 9.30.030.B–C and Table 3‑1; screening walls that separate nonresidential uses from residential uses must be a combination of plant materials and a decorative solid wall, minimum 6 ft high, per § 9.30.030.F.2.

District-by-district breakdown

Below are Arcata zoning districts where landscaping/screening standards or district context materially affect design. Each subsection lists the district purpose/typical uses, the landscaping/screening hooks you must know, and the primary code references. For parcel-specific application of a district, verify on the city zoning map or with Planning staff.

Note: the Land Use Code consistently redirects district landscaping details to Chapter 9.34 (Landscaping) and fences/screening to § 9.30.030, so the district entries point to those city‑wide rules plus the district development table for dimensional standards.

RL (Low Density Residential)

• Purpose / typical uses: single‑family homes, small duplexes; neighborhood character emphasis. See Table 2‑? for RL standards.
• Landscaping & screening impact: Projects must meet the 10% site landscaping requirement for new residential subdivisions or multi‑family projects (unless in AE/AR/NR). Street trees and front yard plantings are commonly required through the Landscape Plan under § 9.34.040.
• Key dimensional standards (examples): front setback 10 ft, side 5 ft, maximum height 35 ft (see district table). Landscaping and fence setbacks are measured per § 9.30.090 and fence height per § 9.30.030.

RM / RH (Medium / High Density Residential)

• Purpose / typical uses: multi‑family apartments, townhouses. See Tables 2‑8 / 2‑? for RM/RH standards.
• Landscaping & screening impact: Multi‑family projects must provide landscape plans with tree, shrub, and groundcover species declared; parking lot interior landscaping at 10% of lot area and 1 tree per 5 spaces applies to these districts. § 9.34 applies.

RVL (Very Low Density Residential)

• Purpose / typical uses: larger‑lot residential and rural lots; special subdivision rules apply.
• Landscaping & screening impact: RVL is exempt from the 10% requirement for some parcels (see § 9.34.020 exceptions); however, street tree requirements for major subdivisions still apply (one tree per 30 ft of frontage).

CC (Campus/Commercial Center) and CG / CM / CV / CM (Commercial zones)

• Purpose / typical uses: commercial and mixed‑use centers (higher FAR allowed in CC). See Table 2‑12 and 2‑14/2‑15.
• Landscaping & screening impact: Many commercial districts have reduced front setback requirements (sometimes none); nonetheless, perimeter and parking landscaping requirements of § 9.34.050 apply and are enforced at design review. Street‑facing parking must have a 6 ft planting strip and screen cars to 36 in.

IL / IG (Industrial Limited / General)

• Purpose / typical uses: industrial, manufacturing, warehousing. See Tables for IL and IG.
• Landscaping & screening impact: Chain‑link or wire fencing is generally prohibited in front and street‑side yards except in IL, IG, and PF where such materials may be allowed; screening of industrial uses from public rights‑of‑way may be required under § 9.30.030.F. The director/review authority may require additional landscape buffers (see special site plans).

PF (Public Facilities)

• Purpose / typical uses: schools, public buildings, utilities.
• Landscaping & screening impact: PF areas are permitted to use certain fencing/materials (chain link allowed in some yards); landscaping generally follows Chapter 9.34 and the site’s district table.

AE / AR / NR (Agricultural & Resource / Natural Resource)

• Purpose / typical uses: farms, timberlands, rural parcels. See Table 2‑2 / 2‑3.
• Landscaping & screening impact: The 10% minimum landscape requirement for new projects does NOT apply in the AE, AR, and NR districts (§ 9.34.020.A). Fencing materials have different allowances (e.g., barbed/electrified wire is allowed in AE/AR/NR) per § 9.30.030.E.

Overlays (example: :MP mobilehome park overlay)

• Purpose / typical uses: overlay modifies base district standards for specific areas (e.g., :MP affects mobilehome park conversion and may require additional buffering/landscaping conditions). Overlay rules refer back to the primary district plus overlay-specific standards. Verify overlay requirements where mapped.

Key standards table (decision‑relevant)

Practical guidance and interpretation (plain-English synthesis)

• If your project is nonresidential and it sits next to homes, expect to provide both a vegetated buffer and a decorative solid screen wall at about 6 ft tall, plus a planting strip where the wall faces a street (§ 9.30.030.F.2). The Zoning Administrator or Design Review authority can require higher walls or different treatments if needed.
• For any development other than small single‑family work, plan on preparing a Landscape and Irrigation Plan that shows species, sizes, locations, irrigation, and a maintenance plan; installation typically must be completed before final inspection per § 9.34.040 and § 9.34.020.C.
• Parking lots trigger a separate set of landscaping obligations (perimeter planting strip min 6 ft, interior landscaping = 10% of parking lot area, trees at 1 per 5 spaces) and these count toward the site’s 10% landscaping requirement. Expect protective curbing around planting areas.
• If your site is in an agricultural or resource district (AE, AR, NR), the 10% site landscaping minimum does not apply, and some fencing materials (barbed wire/electrified) are permitted under § 9.30.030.E — but other local or state rules (e.g., fire/fuel safety, Williamson Act contracts, environmental overlays) can still constrain landscape choices.
• Any proposed deviation (higher fence, alternative screening, reduced landscaping) can be reviewed and potentially approved through design review or a Minor Use Permit; consult the city’s design review procedures early.

(When the Code says "review authority" it generally means the Zoning Administrator, Planning Commission, or Design Review body per the project type — see development standards and zoning.)

Checklist

• Determine zoning district from city zoning map and overlay layers; confirm whether parcel is in AE/AR/NR or an overlay (e.g., :MP). Verify with Planning. (See district tables and overlay rules.)
• For new projects, calculate the 10% site landscaping requirement (unless AE/AR/NR). Count parking-lot landscaping toward this total. § 9.34.020.A.
• Prepare a Landscape & Irrigation Plan showing botanical/common names, sizes, quantities, mature sizes, irrigation method, and a maintenance plan per § 9.34.040.
• For nonresidential next to residential, show screening: vegetation plus 6 ft decorative wall and 5 ft street landscaping where a wall faces a street § 9.30.030.F.2.a–d.
• For parking areas (≥3 spaces, non‑single‑family), include perimeter 6 ft planting strip, interior 10% landscaping, and tree spacing 1 per 5 spaces per § 9.34.050.
• Confirm fence/wall heights measured from lowest adjacent natural grade; show height calculations on plans § 9.30.030.C.
• Verify prohibited fence materials and request Director approval if a special material (e.g., chain link in limited front yards, barbed wire in AE/AR/NR) is proposed § 9.30.030.E.
• If requesting an alternative (waiver or higher wall), prepare findings and apply for a Minor Use Permit or design review per § 9.30.030.F.2.e and § 9.72.080.

Risks & Ambiguities

Plain-English Summary

Arcata requires most new developments to include a Landscape & Irrigation Plan and usually to dedicate about 10% of the site to landscaping; parking lots must provide a 6‑ft perimeter planting strip, interior planting equal to 10% of the lot and one tree per five spaces; where nonresidential uses back to homes, expect a vegetated buffer plus a decorative 6‑ft screen wall (higher only by approval). Always show fencing/wall height calculations from natural grade and follow the prohibited materials list. Key rules live in § 9.30.030 (Fences/Walls/Screening) and Chapter 9.34 (Landscaping).

Source References

• Arcata Land Use Code — Fences, Walls and Screening: § 9.30.030.
• Arcata Land Use Code — Landscaping Chapter: Chapter 9.34 (notably § 9.34.010 – § 9.34.070, and § 9.34.040 on plan contents).
• Arcata Site Planning / Parking landscaping details: § 9.34.050 (Parking and planting strip dimensions) and § 9.36 (Parking & Loading references).
• District development tables cited above (examples): Table 2‑? entries for RL, RM, RVL, CC, IL/IG/PF, etc.; see the district tables in Article 2 (e.g., RVL, RL, RM tables).
• Design review / permit cross‑references: Minor Use Permit and review authorities are in § 9.72.080 and Design Review rules in the code.

Information Gaps

• The City maps showing precise district boundaries and overlays for a given parcel are not part of the retrieved text. Verify parcel zoning/overlays with the Planning Department or city zoning map. Not found in retrieved materials.
• Specific “allowed plant species” lists and any up‑to‑date fire‑resistant plant lists (Fire Department) are not included in the retrieved code excerpts. Not found in retrieved materials.
• Any local design‑guideline graphics, typical wall details, or approved materials list used by Design Review panels are not present in the retrieved files. Not found in retrieved materials.

Retrieved passages

• CBC § 181 High relevance show source text
• Arcata Zoning Code High relevance show source text
• Arcata Zoning Code (Section 9.42.150) High relevance show source text
• CBC § 9.72.040 (Chapter 9.42) High relevance show source text
• Arcata Zoning Code (Chapter expands) High relevance show source text
• Arcata Zoning Code High relevance show source text
• CBC § 9.42.150 (Section 9.42.150) High relevance show source text
• Arcata Zoning Code High relevance show source text
• Arcata Zoning Code (Chapter 9.34) High relevance show source text
• Arcata Zoning Code (Section 9.42.120) High relevance show source text
• Arcata Zoning Code (Article 10) Medium relevance show source text
• Arcata Zoning Code (Section 9.34.060.A.4) Medium relevance show source text

Cited sections

• Arcata Land Use Code — Fences, Walls and Screening: **§ 9.30.030**. (§ 9.30.030)
• Arcata Land Use Code — Landscaping Chapter: **Chapter 9.34** (notably **§ 9.34.010 – § 9.34.070**, and **§ 9.34.040** on plan contents). (Chapter 9.34)
• Arcata Site Planning / Parking landscaping details: **§ 9.34.050** (Parking and planting strip dimensions) and **§ 9.36** (Parking & Loading references). (§ 9.34.050)
• District development tables cited above (examples): **Table 2‑?** entries for **RL**, **RM**, **RVL**, **CC**, **IL/IG/PF**, etc.; see the district tables in Article 2 (e.g., RVL, RL, RM tables). (Article 2)
• Design review / permit cross‑references: Minor Use Permit and review authorities are in **§ 9.72.080** and Design Review rules in the code. (§ 9.72.080)
• Arcata_ZoningCode.md