Livermore — Landscaping and Screening

Last reviewed: July 2, 2026

Overview

This page summarizes what the Livermore Planning and Zoning Code requires for landscaping, screening, buffers, fences, and trees. It restricts where fences/walls can go and how tall they can be, requires irrigation and tree/planter counts in many contexts, and folds landscaping into site plan and design review for Planned Developments and other discretionary permits. Verify parcel‑specific rules with the city; text and citations below are taken directly from the local zoning code (LPZC) excerpts. § citations and the ordinance extracts are cited inline.

Key citywide provisions (general rules that apply across districts)

• Fences and walls are regulated across the city: generally limited to six feet in height; exceptions and placement rules apply (including corner lot/ street frontage conditions). See § 3-05-190.
• Landscaping materials are defined and limited: living ground cover (grass, trees, shrubs, flowers) is standard; gravel, synthetic covers, or other non‑living materials require city approval; paved/walkway area is limited as a percent of required landscaped areas. See § 3-05-220.
• Mechanical equipment and similar exposed utilities must be screened per city standards (see design review requirements). See design review provisions at § 5-05-160.
• Design review and site plan approvals routinely include landscaping, screening, fencing, and maintenance requirements; applicants should expect landscape plans and water‑efficient landscaping calculations with many applications. See § 5-05-180 and § 5-05-160.

First time relevant related topics in the text are linked to the GoCodebook Livermore menu: parking, development standards, design review, overlay districts, historic preservation, signage, nonconforming uses, ADUs, and the state building code are linked inline as they arise.

Citywide fences & walls — what to expect (General provisions)

• Maximum typical fence height: 6 ft; fences or walls exceeding six feet must comply with standards regulating principal or accessory buildings. § 3-05-190 .
• Exception for truck‑route abutting lots: up to 8 ft with a conditional use permit; but must remain 6 ft within 20 ft of an intersection of street right‑of‑way tangents. § 3-05-190 .
• Street‑frontage fences: where allowed, the area between fence and sidewalk must be irrigated and maintained as a landscaped strip; nonporous surface in that strip may not exceed 25%. § 3-05-190(B)(3)(a) .
• Structural requirements: fence posts/piers must be redwood, concrete, or steel no more than 8 ft apart and set in concrete/foundation; very tall fences (>8 ft) must be open wire. § 3-05-190(B)(3)(b), (G) .
• Design review may be required for fences in street frontage situations. § 3-05-190(B)(3)(c) .

Note: general fencing rules are intended to balance safety and neighborhood appearance—be prepared for design review on visible fences.

District-by-district breakdown (where the landscaping/screening rules live and how they are applied)

The code distributes landscaping and screening requirements across several district rules and overlay/permit processes. Below are the Livermore districts and combining districts that explicitly mention landscaping/screening in the retrieved code.

SLV‑AG (South Livermore Valley Agricultural) — § 2-85-050 / § 2-85-060

• Purpose: retain agricultural uses and protect open agricultural character while allowing conditioned development. § 2-85-050 .
• Typical permitted uses: agriculture and limited supporting structures; large minimum lot sizes (e.g., 100 acres) and minimum street frontage (100 ft). § 2-85-040 / § 2-85-050 .
• Landscaping/screening: site plan and design review are required before building permits; design review authority can impose conditions on landscaping, fencing, screening, and maintenance. § 2-85-060 .
• Where it applies: parcels identified in the South Livermore Valley Specific Plan and on zoning maps. Verify map designation. .

Practical note: projects in SLV‑AG typically get custom landscaping/fence requirements as permit conditions—expect site‑specific buffers.

PD‑R, PD‑C, PD‑I (Planned Development – Residential/Commercial/Industrial) — § 2-76-080 / § 2-76-100 / § 2-82-060

• Purpose: allow flexibility in form and standards when offset by design and open‑space features. § 2-76-080(D) .
• Typical uses: depend on PD ordinance; PD‑R focuses on residential, PD‑C/PD‑I on commercial/industrial. § 2-76-080 / § 2-76-100 .
• Landscaping/screening: the PD ordinance must include clear development standards such as site coverage, yards, off‑street parking, open space, and can include special walls/fencing and landscaping; site plan and design review required and landscaping is a common condition. § 2-76-080(B)(3) / § 2-76-080(C) .
• Where it applies: properties rezoned or conditioned under a PD ordinance; the PD permit serves as the zoning regulation for that property. § 2-82-060 .

Practical note: PDs are bespoke — if your site is PD‑zoned, the PD ordinance text governs exact landscaping and screening standards rather than default district rules.

DR — Design Review Combining District — § 2-73-060

• Purpose: allow the city to evaluate site, building, and landscaping design; development standards (including landscaping) can be modified by discretionary review provided protections are met. § 2-73-060(A–C) .
• Landscaping is explicitly a standard subject to discretionary modification and is evaluated for compatibility and visual resource goals. § 2-73-060(C)(7) .
• Where it applies: properties mapped with the DR combining district; design review findings are required before development. § 2-73-060(D) .

Practical note: Properties in DR often require fuller landscape plans, species lists, and preservation of specimen trees as part of design review. See design review rules at § 5-05-180 for required submittals.

Mobile Home Parks — § 3-15-060

• Purpose: establish special landscaping, screening, and recreation standards for mobile home parks. § 3-15-060 .
• Screening: street frontages require a 6 ft ornamental solid board fence or masonry wall set back 10 ft from property line with landscaping in the strip; non‑street frontages require either the same fence/wall or a 10‑ft wide landscaped screen. § 3-15-060(A)(1–2) .
• Landscaping: all lots and common open areas must be landscaped and maintained in dust‑free, fire‑safe condition; minimum 16 shade trees per acre with at least one tree per lot; irrigation required. § 3-15-060(B)(1–7) .
• Where it applies: any development classified or permitted as a mobile home park under the code. § 3-15-060 .

Practical note: mobile home parks have one of the most prescriptive tree and screening standards—count trees against the 16/acre rule when designing lots.

Outdoor Sales / Outdoor Storage (Commercial) — § 3-40-030

• Screening: retail outdoor sales/display areas abutting an R district (or PD/OS planned for residential) must be screened by a masonry wall; walls/fences may not exceed 8 ft. § 3-40-030(B) .
• Landscaping perimeter: a 5‑ft wide landscaped area is required at perimeters with shrubs/trees at average spacing of 40 ft on center. § 3-40-030(D) .
• Where it applies: outdoor sales displays in most commercial/industrial districts (with some district exceptions noted in the code). § 3-40-030(A) .

Compact table — Most decision‑relevant standards

(Where a specific LPZC § for parking/lot landscaping was not presented verbatim in the retrieved extracts, verify with the city; see Information Gaps below.)

Checklist — what an applicant must supply or satisfy (typical)

• Submit a landscape plan showing plant list, sizes, and irrigation design (water‑efficient calculations where requested). See design review submittal requirements § 5-05-180(A).
• Demonstrate conformance with fence/wall rules: height, setback, structure (posts/piers in concrete), and corner/corner‑lot conditions per § 3-05-190.
• If in a mobile home park, show 16 shade trees/acre (or proportional) and one tree per lot; locate irrigation and plantings per § 3-15-060(B).
• For parking lots, include 5‑ft minimum landscaped planters where abutting ROW/property lines, planter details, and tree spacing (per city planter/parking requirements). § (parking/planter standards)
• If project is in DR or PD, include landscaping and screening measures in the site plan and show how they meet design findings; expect conditions. § 2-73-060 / § 2-76-080
• If requesting fence heights >6 ft or other deviations, prepare a CUP/variance submittal and supporting findings. § 3-05-190 / § 4-20-095—4-20-100

Tip: include planting notes that show long‑term maintenance and irrigation; the code repeatedly requires permanent irrigation systems for landscaped areas. § 3-05-220 and § 3-15-060(B)(5).

Risks & Ambiguities

Plain-English Summary

Livermore’s zoning code requires living landscaping with permanent irrigation in most required landscape areas, generally limits fences to six feet (with narrow exceptions), and folds screening and planting requirements into design review and Planned Development approvals; mobile home parks and outdoor sales areas have the most prescriptive numeric rules (e.g., 16 trees per acre, 5‑ft perimeter planting). Always submit a landscape plan and be prepared for city review and conditions. § 3-05-190, § 3-05-220, § 3-15-060.

Source References

• Livermore Planning and Zoning Code — Fences (LPZC § 3-05-190)
• Livermore Planning and Zoning Code — Landscaping materials (LPZC § 3-05-220)
• Livermore Planning and Zoning Code — Mobile home parks: Landscaping & screening (LPZC § 3-15-060)
• Livermore Planning and Zoning Code — Outdoor sales display (LPZC § 3-40-030)
• Livermore Planning and Zoning Code — Design Review Combining District (LPZC § 2-73-060)
• Livermore Planning and Zoning Code — PD requirements and site review references (LPZC § 2-76-080, § 2-76-100, § 2-82-060)
• Livermore Planning and Zoning Code — Design review application submittals and findings (LPZC § 5-05-160, § 5-05-180)

Practical internal resources (first mentions in the page above are linked): Livermore parking, Livermore Development Standards, Livermore Design Review, Livermore Overlay Districts, Livermore Historic Preservation, Livermore Signage, Livermore Nonconforming Uses, Livermore ADUs, and the California Building Standards Code.

Information Gaps

• The retrieved excerpts show parking/planter standards and tree spacing but do not always display the exact LPZC section number for every parking lot landscaping subsection; verify the precise parking‑landscape § that applies to non‑mobile‑home contexts. Not found in retrieved materials — verify with the city.
• Any district‑level numeric landscaping standards outside the mobile home park text (e.g., fixed tree counts for standard residential zoning like R‑1) were not present in the retrieved extracts. Not found in retrieved materials — verify with jurisdiction.

Retrieved passages

• Livermore Zoning Code (§ 1) High relevance show source text
• Livermore Zoning Code (§ 20.61) High relevance show source text
• Livermore Zoning Code (§ 1) High relevance show source text
• Livermore Zoning Code High relevance show source text
• Livermore Zoning Code High relevance show source text
• Livermore Zoning Code (§ 4) High relevance show source text
• Livermore Zoning Code (§ 1) High relevance show source text
• Livermore Zoning Code (Chapter 1-10) High relevance show source text

Cited sections

• Livermore Planning and Zoning Code — Fences (LPZC **§ 3-05-190**) (§ 3-05-190)
• Livermore Planning and Zoning Code — Landscaping materials (LPZC **§ 3-05-220**) (§ 3-05-220)
• Livermore Planning and Zoning Code — Mobile home parks: Landscaping & screening (LPZC **§ 3-15-060**) (§ 3-15-060)
• Livermore Planning and Zoning Code — Outdoor sales display (LPZC **§ 3-40-030**) (§ 3-40-030)
• Livermore Planning and Zoning Code — Design Review Combining District (LPZC **§ 2-73-060**) (§ 2-73-060)
• Livermore Planning and Zoning Code — PD requirements and site review references (LPZC **§ 2-76-080**, **§ 2-76-100**, **§ 2-82-060**) (§ 2-76-080)
• Livermore Planning and Zoning Code — Design review application submittals and findings (LPZC **§ 5-05-160**, **§ 5-05-180**) (§ 5-05-160)
• Livermore_ZoningCode.md
• 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code.md

• Official Livermore code library