Desert Hot Springs — Landscaping and Screening

Last reviewed: July 2, 2026

Overview

This page summarizes what Desert Hot Springs Title 17 requires for landscaping, screening, buffers, walls, fences, and trees. It sticks to the local zoning ordinance rules (Title 17) — what to show on a landscape plan, minimum planting/parking-lot requirements, screening heights for storage and equipment, and allowed fence/wall types and heights. For related topics see the city's zoning & planning overview and specific rules on parking, Development Standards, Design Review, Overlay Districts, ADUs, and the California Building Standards Code (Title 24) where equipment/safety overlap.

All citations below point to the Desert Hot Springs zoning code uploaded for review. Where the code does not specify a required detail, the text notes that it is "Not found in retrieved materials" and recommends verification with the City.

How Title 17 treats Landscaping & Screening (key chapters)

• General landscape program requirements, plan contents, and timing: § 17.56.030 .
• Setback and parkway planting standards (street trees, mounding, planting next to walls): § 17.56.070 .
• Corner-lot special landscape requirements: § 17.56.080 .
• Minimum landscape area by zoning district (Table 17.56.01): Table 17.56.01 / § 17.56 .
• Nonresidential & multifamily (5+ units) planting mix, parking-lot landscape, and screening: § 17.56.060 .
• Water-efficient landscaping adoption (Mission Springs Water District guidelines incorporated): § 17.56.100 .
• Commercial and industrial area guidance on landscaping, walls/fences and screening heights: § 17.12.100–120, § 17.16.200–220 .
• Fences, walls, hedges height/type limits and measurement rules (Table 17.40.01): § 17.40.110 and Table 17.40.01 .
• Project- or use-specific screening (e.g., refuse, outdoor storage, loading): scattered standards in chapters for use types (examples: recycling facilities, refuse enclosures) — see § 17.08, § 17.16, § 17.12 .

District-by-district breakdown

Note: bolded district codes below are used in the City’s Title 17. Where the zoning code prescribes district-level landscape minimums or screening standards, the controlling § is stated.

R-RD (Residential Rural Desert)

• Purpose / typical uses: Very low-density residential; rural character. (See residential design guidance at § 17.08.)
• Landscaping expectations: Minimal formal percentage specified in Table 17.56.01 is N/A for R-RD, but design guidelines recommend drought-tolerant, desert-compatible planting and defensible-space/security integration. See § 17.56.030 and Table 17.56.01.
• Fences/walls: Front/street-facing yard fences limited to 4 ft, rear/side 6 ft (see Table 17.40.01) — measurement rules apply. § 17.40.110, Table 17.40.01.
• Where it applies: Outlying residential parcels and rural lots. Verify parcel-specific requirements with the City.

R-L (Residential Low) and R-M (Residential Medium — small multi)

• Purpose / typical uses: Single-family and low-rise multifamily; neighborhood character to be preserved. § 17.08 design guidelines apply.
• Minimum landscaped area: R-L / R-M front-yard and site percentages as shown in Table 17.56.01 (e.g., 25% of front yard area for R-L / small R-M; 15% for larger R-M / R-H where specified). See Table 17.56.01.
• Trees & planting: Trees should be long-lived, low-maintenance, and not interfere with service lines or solar access per § 17.56.030. Street trees should be 24-inch box size when required in parkways per § 17.56.070.
• Fences/walls: Front/street facing limited to 4 ft, rear/side 6 ft; traffic sight triangles limited to 30 in. See § 17.40.110 and Table 17.40.01.

R-H (Residential High / Multifamily)

• Purpose / typical uses: Multifamily complexes, higher density residential. § 17.08 and multifamily architecture rules apply.
• Minimum landscaped area: See Table 17.56.01 (R-M/R-H entries). Multifamily projects of 5 units or more must meet the nonresidential/multifamily landscape standards in § 17.56.060 (plant mix, parking lot distribution, planter curbs).
• Screening/refuse: Trash enclosures and recycling facilities must be screened and softened with landscaping; refuse enclosures set to masonry standards in multifamily guidance. See § 17.56.060 and multifamily accessory rules.

C-D (Downtown Commercial) and other Commercial / Visitor-Serving / Mixed-Use

• Purpose / typical uses: Retail, visitor-serving businesses, hotels, restaurants, and mixed-use development. Design and landscape elements emphasize pedestrian entries and identity. § 17.12 and use-specific design criteria reference Chapter 17.56 for landscaping.
• Nonresidential requirements: For all Commercial, Visitor-Serving, Industrial, Mixed-Use, Public/Institutional Zones, and Multifamily (5+ units), planting mixes, parking-lot landscape distribution, and screening are mandatory under § 17.56.060 (e.g., tree size mix, 1/3 interior planting distribution, planter curbs).
• Screening of outdoor storage/equipment: Outdoor storage screening minimums are 6–10 ft (commercial guidance) and 8–12 ft (industrial guidance), or as needed to screen the equipment height. See § 17.12.120 and § 17.16.220.
• Walls and decorative screening: Where walls are used at frontages or for screens, both sides should be treated and combined with landscaping where possible; long walls should be offset/relieved with landscape pockets per § 17.12.110 and § 17.16.210.

Industrial

• Purpose / typical uses: Manufacturing, warehousing, heavy/service industry. Special emphasis on screening to reduce visual and noise impacts. § 17.16.200–220.
• Screening heights: Minimum 8 ft and maximum 12 ft for screening outdoor storage in industrial zones; chain-link with slatting acceptable only where not visible from public streets. § 17.16.220.
• Landscaping and bufferyard: Landscaping used to define entrances, soften parking and building bases; recommend vines on large blank walls; planters and curbs required in parking. § 17.16.200–210.

Specific Plans & Special Areas (e.g., Coachillin’, Desert Land Ventures)

• Specific plans can override or augment Title 17; they set their own landscape and perimeter wall rules (e.g., Coachillin’ Specific Plan lists 10 ft maximum perimeter wall height measured from adjacent curb and references parking landscape standards in § 17.40.250 and Chapter 17.48). Verify specific-plan maps/standards when a parcel falls inside one. See Coachillin’ SP references § 17.200.040 and the development-standards table.

Key decision table (quick reference)

Practical guidance / plain-English synthesis

• Show a concept landscaping plan with your entitlement package and a fully dimensioned landscape + irrigation plan before final approvals: § 17.56.030(A–C) requires concept and final submittals with plant lists, irrigation, and hardscape shown.
• If your project is commercial, visitor-serving, industrial, mixed-use or a multifamily complex of 5+ units, expect mandatory planting mixes, parking-lot distribution, planter curbs, and screening heights per § 17.56.060.
• For screening outdoor storage or equipment, the allowable height ranges and preferred materials differ by district: use § 17.12.120 for commercial and § 17.16.220 for industrial as the starting rules.
• Walls and fences must be architecturally integrated and both faces treated when visible from the public realm; long blank walls should be relieved with offsets and planting pockets per § 17.12.110 / § 17.16.210.
• Use drought-tolerant, desert-appropriate species and an automatic irrigation system; the City adopts Mission Springs Water District water-efficient guidelines as controlling where they apply: § 17.56.030(2) and § 17.56.100.

Checklist

• Submit a concept landscaping plan with permit/entitlement per § 17.56.030(A–C) showing plant palette, size, and irrigation.
• Provide a fully dimensioned landscape & irrigation plan with plant list (common & botanical names), sizes, turf areas, hardscape, and irrigation details. § 17.56.030(C).
• Meet minimum landscape area percentages in Table 17.56.01 for your zoning district (verify R‑L, R‑M, etc.).
• For commercial/multifamily/industrial projects, meet the planting mix and parking-lot distribution in § 17.56.060 (tree sizes, interior vs. peripheral landscaping, 6‑inch curbs).
• Show screening for rooftop and ground equipment; integrate screening with building architecture (§ 17.16.220, § 17.12.100–120).
• Dimension any perimeter wall/fence and show material; ensure front fences meet 4 ft limit and rear side 6 ft unless otherwise allowed (§ 17.40.110, Table 17.40.01).
• For projects in a Specific Plan area, check that the Specific Plan standards (which can supersede Title 17) are met (e.g., Coachillin’ perimeter wall rules). § 17.200.040 / specific-plan tables.

Risks & Ambiguities

Plain-English Summary

Desert Hot Springs requires a submitted landscape and irrigation plan that uses desert‑appropriate, water‑efficient plants, meets zoning‑district minimums (or specific‑plan rules), provides parking‑lot and perimeter screening, and respects fence/wall height and material limits; commercial and industrial sites face stricter screening and planting-mix rules. Main rules live in Chapter 17.56 (landscaping) and 17.40/17.12/17.16 (development standards and fences), so design your plans to those § references and verify parcel-specific special-plan rules.

Source References

• Title 17 — Landscaping Standards & Guidelines: § 17.56.030 (General regs / plan submittal)
• Setback and parkway treatment standards: § 17.56.070
• Corner treatment & maintenance: § 17.56.080–090
• Nonresidential / multifamily landscape standards: § 17.56.060
• Table 17.56.01 — Minimum Landscaped Area by Zoning District: Table content and district percentages Table 17.56.01
• Commercial landscaping and screening: § 17.12.100–120
• Industrial landscaping/screening: § 17.16.200–220
• Fences, walls, hedges; Table 17.40.01: § 17.40.110 and Table 17.40.01
• Water‑efficient landscaping incorporation (Mission Springs Water District guidelines): § 17.56.100
• Specific Plan rules (Coachillin’ example): Coachillin’ Specific Plan development standards; review/approval notes § 17.200.040

Retrieved passages

• Desert Hot Springs Zoning Code (§ 17.56.070.) High relevance show source text
• Desert Hot Springs Zoning Code (Section 17.56.120) High relevance show source text
• Desert Hot Springs Zoning Code (§ 17.200.040.) High relevance show source text
• CBC § 159.06.060 (§ 159.06.060) High relevance show source text
• Desert Hot Springs Zoning Code (§ 17.16.200.) High relevance show source text
• Desert Hot Springs Zoning Code High relevance show source text
• Desert Hot Springs Zoning Code High relevance show source text
• Desert Hot Springs Zoning Code (chapter by) High relevance show source text

Cited sections

• **Title 17 — Landscaping Standards & Guidelines**: **§ 17.56.030** (General regs / plan submittal) (Title 17)
• **Setback and parkway treatment standards**: **§ 17.56.070** (§ 17.56.070)
• **Corner treatment & maintenance**: **§ 17.56.080–090** (§ 17.56.080)
• **Nonresidential / multifamily landscape standards**: **§ 17.56.060** (§ 17.56.060)
• **Table 17.56.01 — Minimum Landscaped Area by Zoning District**: Table content and district percentages **Table 17.56.01**
• **Commercial landscaping and screening**: **§ 17.12.100–120** (§ 17.12.100)
• **Industrial landscaping/screening**: **§ 17.16.200–220** (§ 17.16.200)
• **Fences, walls, hedges; Table 17.40.01**: **§ 17.40.110** and **Table 17.40.01** (§ 17.40.110)
• **Water‑efficient landscaping incorporation** (Mission Springs Water District guidelines): **§ 17.56.100** (§ 17.56.100)
• **Specific Plan rules (Coachillin’ example)**: Coachillin’ Specific Plan development standards; review/approval notes **§ 17.200.040** (§ 17.200.040)
• DesertHotSprings_ZoningCode.md

• Official Desert Hot Springs code library