Beaumont — Landscaping and Screening

Last reviewed: July 1, 2026

Overview

Beaumont’s Title 17 Zoning sets out citywide rules for landscaping, buffering, fences, walls, and screening that apply across zones and specific land uses. The backbone is Chapter 17.06 Landscaping Standards, with additional direction in § 17.11.080 Walls and Fences and use-specific screening (such as storage facilities and mobilehome parks). Many base zones adopt Chapter 17.06 by reference, so your site’s zone controls the baseline and then Chapter 17.06 adds the planting, irrigation, tree, and screening details you must meet under the Beaumont Zoning framework.

Citywide standards you will almost always touch

• Single-family front setbacks: No more than 50% of the front and street-side yard may be non-pervious; unpaved areas must be landscaped and irrigated, with at least one‑third of the landscaped area in trees/shrubs/plant material and a minimum of two 24-inch box shade trees in the front setback. Design irrigation to avoid overspray; keep landscaping maintained and free of junk/debris.
• Commercial sites: Landscape all non-paved areas; where an off-street parking area faces a residential zone across a street, provide a 3‑ft masonry wall or berm within the required landscape area (outside the right‑of‑way) to screen homes; install automatic irrigation and a clear edge between paving and landscape.
• Industrial sites: Landscape required street-adjacent setbacks with trees and plant materials; at least one‑third of the site’s landscaped area must be trees/shrubs/plant material; automatic irrigation is required; no storage within required landscape areas.
• Buffers for industrial edges: Where industrially zoned property abuts residential or commercial zones, provide a landscaped buffer; if a berm is provided, a 3–6‑ft masonry wall may be placed at the setback line and combined with the berm height.
• Parking lot landscaping and screening:
  • Landscape at least 15% of the total open parking area; distribute at least one‑third interior and two‑thirds perimeter, with 6‑inch curbs around planters, and submit a landscape plan that uses water‑conserving plant materials/irrigation.
  • Screen parking from public view and minimize visual impacts; keep parking at least 6 ft from the street property line/back of sidewalk; screen loading/parking facing residential with 6‑ft screening (not less than 4‑ft across a street).
  • Tree standards aim for 30% shade coverage in 10 years; plant at least 1 medium/large tree per 6 stalls, minimum 24‑inch box size; diversify species and avoid invasive/problem trees; emphasize low‑water natives.
  • These requirements apply in tandem with Beaumont Parking.
• Slopes: Cut/fill slopes ≥ 3 ft high must be planted and irrigated; slopes > 10 ft high must also include approved trees/shrubs for erosion control.
• Maintenance: Property owners must maintain planting strips, remove overhanging hazards on notice, and keep private trees trimmed to prescribed clearances over sidewalks/curbs/streets. Front and side yards may not be used for parking/loading.
• Street trees: Use only City‑approved species; adjacent owners water/replace; City permit needed to plant/trim/remove in the right‑of‑way; non-tree vegetation/structures in parkways limited to 18 inches high.
• Artificial turf: Allowed if it resembles natural turf and meets maintenance, UV, and flammability performance criteria.
• Fences and walls:
  • Materials: Multiple-family, commercial, and manufacturing zones must use masonry or other permanent materials for solid fences; certain open-work fences must be masonry or metal (e.g., wrought iron). Barbed wire is restricted to approved agricultural/manufacturing sites and cannot be visible from public streets.
  • Heights/location: Max 6‑ft generally; in the required front yard of residential lots, max 42 inches; corner-lot vision areas limited to 42 inches; in manufacturing zones up to 8‑ft fences are allowed, but any yard abutting a public street is limited to 6‑ft within the first 5 ft from the street. Nonconforming fences must be abated per Table 17.11‑1.
• Mobilehome park perimeters: Provide 6‑ft masonry walls along all boundaries; place the wall 5 ft off street rights‑of‑way with groundcover in between; inside, plant a 10‑ft strip with trees/shrubs that reach at least 15 ft at maturity to create full screening.
• Storage facilities and outdoor storage (citywide use standard): Screen stored goods from public view with buildings and/or solid decorative masonry or tilt‑up walls; keep screen walls out of required front/street‑side yards; limit screen walls to 8‑ft high; where the site is at/above street grade, add a berm/slope so no more than 8‑ft of wall is visible. In areas not visible to the public, a combination of fencing plus mature landscaping may substitute for solid walls; use mature landscaping along street frontages when an 8‑ft wall cannot fully screen. Apply anti‑graffiti measures.

Tip: Many submittals that include façade or site upgrades also trigger landscape review through Beaumont Design Review. Verify early.

District-by-district application

Below are the Beaumont districts and use categories for which the ordinance explicitly ties landscaping/screening to Title 17. If a district is not listed here, apply Chapter 17.06 and then confirm zone-specific standards in the zone chapter.

Downtown Residential Multifamily (DMF)

• Purpose: Not found in retrieved materials.
• Typical permitted uses: Not found in retrieved materials.
• Key dimensional standards: Not found in retrieved materials.
• Where it applies: Downtown-focused multifamily. Verify with the jurisdiction.
• Landscaping/screening controls:
  • DMF defers to Chapter 17.06 for landscaping.
  • Provide street trees at a minimum of one tree per 40 ft of frontage, consistent with § 17.06.110 Street Trees.

Local Commercial Zone (LC)

• Purpose: Allows neighborhood‑scale commercial and service uses consistent with the General Plan.
• Typical permitted uses: See Table 17.19‑1. Not found in retrieved materials.
• Key dimensional standards:
  • Lot area: ≥ 10,000 sq ft; min average depth 100 ft; min average width 100 ft.
  • Setbacks: Front 5 ft; Sides 0 ft (but 15 ft when adjacent to single‑family); Rear 0 ft (but 20 ft when adjacent to single‑family).
  • Coverage/FAR: Max building coverage 50%; max FAR 0.7. Height: ≤ 60 ft.
• Landscaping/screening controls:
  • LC adopts Chapter 17.06 Landscaping.
  • If above‑ground parking is within 40 ft of a street, landscape the street edge with a hedge/trellis/landscaping consistent with Chapter 17.06.
  • Parking supply and layout are governed by Chapter 17.05, with landscape obligations summarized under Beaumont Parking.

Manufacturing/Industrial Zones

• Purpose: Not found in retrieved materials.
• Typical permitted uses: Not found in retrieved materials.
• Key dimensional standards: Not found in retrieved materials.
• Landscaping/screening controls:
  • Landscape required street‑adjacent setbacks; at least one‑third of landscaped area must be trees/shrubs; provide automatic irrigation and keep required landscaped areas free of storage.
  • Provide a landscaped buffer where an industrial zone abuts residential or commercial zones; berms may be paired with a 3–6‑ft masonry wall at the setback.
  • Fences may reach 8 ft except that any yard along a public street is limited to 6 ft within the first 5 ft of the street setback.

Single‑Family Residential Zones (citywide single‑family properties)

• Purpose: Not found in retrieved materials.
• Typical permitted uses: Single‑family dwellings.
• Key dimensional standards: Not found in retrieved materials.
• Landscaping/screening controls:
  • Keep no more than 50% of front/street‑side yards as non‑pervious; landscape and irrigate the remainder; install at least two 24‑inch box front‑yard shade trees and design irrigation to avoid overspray; ongoing maintenance is required.
  • Residential front‑yard fencing is limited to 42 inches; corner-lot visibility areas also limited to 42 inches.
  • Follow § 17.06.110 for street tree species/permits and maintenance responsibilities.

Mobilehome Park Developments (citywide use standard)

• Where it applies: Mobilehome parks, regardless of base zone. Verify with the jurisdiction.
• Landscaping/screening controls:
  • Build 6‑ft masonry walls along all boundaries; set walls 5 ft off street rights‑of‑way with the intervening strip planted in groundcover; plant trees/shrubs inside a 10‑ft strip to achieve 15‑ft minimum mature height for full screening.

Screening and Landscaping Quick Reference

Note: Overlays or special districts may add conditions; check Beaumont Overlay Districts. Not found in retrieved materials.

Checklist

• Confirm your base zone and any overlays in the Beaumont zoning & planning overview.
• If in LC or DMF, note that Chapter 17.06 applies; in DMF add one street tree per 40 ft of frontage.
• For any new or rehabilitated parking: provide a landscape plan; meet 15% landscaped area, interior/perimeter distribution, curbing, and tree/30% shade targets.
• If industrial next to residential/commercial: design a landscaped buffer; consider berm + 3–6‑ft wall.
• On commercial sites across from residential: include a 3‑ft wall/berm within the required landscape area to screen.
• For single‑family homes: cap non‑pervious front/street‑side yard at 50%; add at least two 24‑in box front yard trees; install/maintain irrigation.
• Place/maintain street trees per § 17.06.110; obtain permits for work in the right‑of‑way.
• Design fences/walls to meet materials and height/location limits (e.g., 42‑in in front yards; 6‑ft street‑facing in manufacturing within 5 ft of ROW).
• For storage facilities/outdoor storage: use decorative solid walls or building massing; observe 8‑ft cap and berming; add mature landscaping to close gaps.
• If your project goes through design review, include your landscape/screening plan early.

Risks & Ambiguities

Plain-English Summary

Beaumont generally expects landscaped, irrigated setbacks; shaded, planted parking lots; and solid, attractive screening where sensitive adjacencies occur. Homes have front‑yard green space limits and tree minimums; commercial and industrial sites add buffers and parking‑lot landscaping; storage and mobilehome parks have tougher wall/landscape rules. Fences/walls must meet height/location limits, and street trees are regulated. When in doubt, plan early and verify edge cases with the City.

Source References

• Chapter 17.06 Landscaping Standards: commercial/industrial provisions; screening buffers; parking lot landscaping; tree requirements; landscape plans and maintenance; residential landscaping; slopes; street trees; artificial turf.
• § 17.11.080 Walls and Fences: materials, heights, front‑yard and corner‑lot limits; manufacturing fence exceptions; nonconforming fences abatement.
• § 17.11.150 Storage Facilities: screening standards (walls, berms, mature landscaping, anti‑graffiti).
• DMF and LC zone cross‑references to Chapter 17.06; DMF street tree cadence; LC dimensional standards and supplemental landscape treatment when parking is near the street.
• Mobilehome park screening/wall and planting strip requirements.

Retrieved passages

• Beaumont Zoning Code (section indicates) High relevance show source text
• Beaumont Zoning Code (Chapter 17.05) High relevance show source text
• Beaumont Zoning Code (Section 17.11.030.D) High relevance show source text
• Beaumont Zoning Code (Chapter 17.07) High relevance show source text
• Beaumont Zoning Code (section indicates) High relevance show source text
• Beaumont Zoning Code (Chapter 17.06) High relevance show source text
• Beaumont Zoning Code (Chapter 8.50) High relevance show source text
• Beaumont Zoning Code (Chapter 9.02) High relevance show source text

Cited sections

• Chapter 17.06 Landscaping Standards: commercial/industrial provisions; screening buffers; parking lot landscaping; tree requirements; landscape plans and maintenance; residential landscaping; slopes; street trees; artificial turf. (Chapter 17.06)
• § 17.11.080 Walls and Fences: materials, heights, front‑yard and corner‑lot limits; manufacturing fence exceptions; nonconforming fences abatement. (§ 17.11.080)
• § 17.11.150 Storage Facilities: screening standards (walls, berms, mature landscaping, anti‑graffiti). (§ 17.11.150)
• DMF and LC zone cross‑references to Chapter 17.06; DMF street tree cadence; LC dimensional standards and supplemental landscape treatment when parking is near the street. (Chapter 17.06)
• Mobilehome park screening/wall and planting strip requirements.
• Beaumont_ZoningCode.md

• Official Beaumont code library