Newport Beach — Landscaping and Screening

Last reviewed: July 3, 2026

Overview

This page summarizes what the Newport Beach Zoning Code (Title 20) requires for landscaping and screening (fences, walls, hedges, berms, trees, irrigation, and buffer walls) on private property. It sticks to rules in the local zoning ordinance (site planning, district standards, and the landscaping chapter), explains where the rules differ between districts, and points to the controlling code sections. For broader context see the city's Newport Beach Zoning page and the Newport Beach Development Standards overview.

Important: this document interprets the Zoning Code text in Title 20; for building-safety matters see the California Building Standards Code and for permitting and design-review process see Newport Beach Design Review.

Key city-wide rules (what the code actually requires)

• Landscape plans are required for most discretionary applications and for many non-residential projects; plans must be prepared by an authorized professional and approved by the Director (§ 20.36.070) — .
• Landscape materials must include trees, shrubs and groundcover, meet minimum container sizes, and conform to nursery quality standards; required tree size at planting is typically 24‑inch box and shrubs a 5‑gallon minimum (§ 20.36.070, Exhibit design lists) — .
• Irrigation: permanent underground automatic irrigation is required for planting areas (§ 20.36.070) — .
• Screening between zoning districts: where nonresidential zoning abuts residential, the code requires a solid masonry wall minimum 6 feet high; where industrial abuts residential, minimum 8 feet high (§ 20.30.030(D)) — .
• Fences, hedges, and walls: maximum heights depend on location — front setback 42 inches, rear/interior side 6 ft (8 ft for industrial adjacent to residential), with special front-area exceptions for Balboa Peninsula/Balboa Island/Corona del Mar (§ 20.30.040, Table 3‑1) — .
• Parking-area landscaping and buffers: parking adjacent to residential uses must have a minimum 5‑foot landscaped buffer and interior parking landscaping/tree rates are required by the parking chapter (§ 20.40.070 and related district standards) — .
• For many specific plan or special districts (for example SP‑7: PA and SP‑7: BP), district chapters add or modify landscaping/screening requirements (boundary planting depths, perimeter walls, percent of site landscaped, buffering specifics) — see the district sections below (e.g., § 20.90.130, § 20.90.120) — .

(See the district breakdowns below for where and how these apply; for parking-specific landscape relationships see the city's Newport Beach Parking guidance.)

District-by-district breakdown

Note: each district subsection below states the district name exactly as used in Title 20 and cites the zoning-code provisions that control landscaping/screening for that district.

R-1 — Single-Unit Residential (Table 2-2 / Part 2)

• Purpose & where it applies: R-1 is the city's single-unit residential district; standards are listed in Table 2‑2 and apply citywide to single-family parcels (§ 20.18.030, Table 2‑2) — .
• Typical permitted uses: single-family dwellings and accessory uses listed in the R-1 table (§ 20.18.030) — .
• Key dimensional/landscape/screening standards: refer to Chapter 20.36 for landscaping requirements and § 20.30.040 for fences/walls limits (front 42 in., rear/interior side 6 ft) — .
• Notes: special area rules (Balboa Peninsula, Balboa Island, Corona del Mar etc.) allow up to 5 ft in the front setback but require the upper portion above 2 ft to be at least 40% open (grillwork/lattice/picket) to preserve views; see § 20.30.040(B) — .

RM — Multiple Residential (Table 2-3)

• Purpose & where it applies: RM (and RM variants) governs multi‑unit residential development; development standards (setbacks, lot sizes, height) are in Table 2‑3 (§ 20.18.030, Table 2‑3) — .
• Typical permitted uses: multi-unit housing, accessory uses to residential (§ 20.18.030).
• Key landscaping/screening measures: landscaping is required per Chapter 20.36; fences/walls governed by § 20.30.040 (interior/rear 6 ft) and parking‑adjacent buffers (minimum 5 ft) per the parking/landscape rules (§ 20.40.070) — .

PA — Professional & Administrative (Specific Plan SP‑7: PA, § 20.90.130)

• Purpose & where it applies: PA (SP‑7) is used in the SP‑7 specific-plan area to encourage office and related uses along heavy streets; it emphasizes large landscaped open spaces (§ 20.90.130) — .
• Typical uses: professional/admin offices, civic, limited commercial; accessory uses are allowed when consistent with the district intent (§ 20.90.130) — .
• Key standards: building setbacks, minimum landscaped boundary depth equal to required setback or 10 ft (whichever is less), permanent watering, and requirement to separate parking by a curb at least 6 in. from landscaping (§ 20.90.130; references to Chapter 20.36) — .

BP — Business Park (Specific Plan SP‑7: BP, § 20.90.120)

• Purpose & where it applies: BP (SP‑7) supports professional/administrative offices, light industrial‑type uses with specific attention to protecting adjacent residential uses through landscape buffers and building mass controls (§ 20.90.120) — .
• Typical uses: offices, limited retail, light industrial support uses (subject to minor use permit or use permit in some cases) (§ 20.90.120) — .
• Key standards: the BP district text explicitly requires opaque screening along district boundaries abutting residential/agricultural uses and lists acceptable screen types (walls, berms, solid fences, combination of open fences with plantings, compact evergreen planting standards and minimum 6 ft screen height) (§ 20.90.120, item 11) — .

OS — Open Space (Chapter 20.26)

• Purpose & where it applies: OS preserves natural open space resources and landscaped open-space areas; where OS applies, no further development is allowed and landscaping is intended to maintain natural character (§ 20.26.010) — .
• Landscaping/screening effect: OS focuses on preservation; where OS borders developed properties, project-specific landscape plans must respect OS intent (see Chapter 20.36) — .

PI — Public Institutional (Table 2-15 / § 20.26.030)

• Purpose & where it applies: PI governs public institutional uses; development standards are set in Table 2‑15 and many site features (fencing, landscaping) refer back to Part 3 (site planning) and Chapter 20.36 (§ 20.26.030) — .
• Landscaping/screening effect: PI projects are required to meet Chapter 20.36 landscaping standards and § 20.30.040 fencing rules (explicit cross‑refs in Table 2‑15) — .

Quick reference table — most decision-relevant standards

Checklist (what an applicant must provide / satisfy)

• Submit a landscape and irrigation plan when required by the Director or for discretionary approvals (§ 20.36.070) — .
• Use qualified preparer: licensed landscape architect, licensed landscape contractor, certified nurseryman, or other qualified professional (§ 20.36.070(C)) — .
• Show plant palette, sizes and spacing meeting minimums (trees 24‑inch box, shrubs 5‑gallon; parking trees per parking standards) (§ 20.36.070, § 20.40.070) — .
• Provide permanent underground automatic irrigation details and maintenance responsibilities (§ 20.36.070) — .
• For projects where nonresidential or industrial uses abut residential zones show required masonry walls or alternative approved screening and heights (§ 20.30.030(D) and § 20.30.040) — .
• Confirm fence/wall heights in front, side, rear areas and any special-area exceptions (Balboa Island/Peninsula/Corona del Mar) (§ 20.30.040(B)) — .
• For parking lots show landscaped islands, tree counts, curb protection, and 5‑ft buffers adjacent to residential uses (§ 20.40.070 / district standards) — .
• Ensure landscaping does not block sightlines per traffic‑safety visibility rules (§ 20.30.130) — .
• If within a Specific Plan / Overlay District, follow district-level design exhibits and special standards (e.g., SP‑7 exhibits, Exhibit 20.90‑7) and reference the Newport Beach Overlay Districts guidance — .
• Maintain required screening and landscaping in good condition per code; be prepared for enforcement/requirements to replace dead material (§ 20.30.030 and project-specific screening clauses) — .

Risks & Ambiguities

Plain-English Summary

Newport Beach’s Zoning Code requires approved landscape plans for most projects, sets minimum sizes and irrigation for planted material, limits fence and wall heights by location (front vs side/rear) and forces solid masonry screening where nonresidential or industrial borders residential uses; specific plans and overlay areas can add or change these rules, so always check the district chapter that applies to your parcel (verify with the City). Key rules live in Chapter 20.36 (landscape plans), § 20.30.040 (fences/walls), and § 20.30.030 (screening/buffers) — .

Source References

• § 20.36.070 — Landscape and Irrigation Plan Standards (Title 20, Chapter 20.36) —
• § 20.30.040 — Fences, Hedges, Walls, and Retaining Walls (Table 3‑1, front/rear/interior side heights; special-area provisions) —
• § 20.30.030(D) — Screening and Buffering Between Different Zoning Districts (masonry wall minimums) —
• § 20.40.070 and related parking standards — interior parking landscaping, tree rate, buffer yard requirements (parking chapter references) —
• § 20.90.120 — Business Park District: SP‑7 (screening types, planting fallback, buffer wall references) —
• § 20.90.130 / § 20.90.140 — PA and PACC specific‑plan district site development and landscaping references —
• § 20.18.030 / Table 2‑2 & Table 2‑3 — R‑1 and RM development tables (setbacks, references to landscaping and fencing rules) —
• Exhibit and plant palette references (Exhibit 20.90‑7, plant lists and planting spacing guidelines) —

If you need the exact municipal code web page URL copies, or a parcel-specific check (to confirm which specific plan/overlay or “REQ” adjacency applies), verify with the City of Newport Beach Planning Division — Verify with the jurisdiction.

Retrieved passages

• Newport Beach Zoning Code (Section 20.90.030) High relevance show source text
• Newport Beach Zoning Code (Section 20.30.130) High relevance show source text
• Newport Beach Zoning Code (Title 13) High relevance show source text
• Newport Beach Zoning Code (section establishes) High relevance show source text
• Newport Beach Zoning Code (Title 15.) High relevance show source text
• Newport Beach Zoning Code (Section 20.30.110) High relevance show source text
• Newport Beach Zoning Code (Section 20.30.110) High relevance show source text
• Newport Beach Zoning Code (§ 1) High relevance show source text
• Newport Beach Zoning Code High relevance show source text
• Newport Beach Zoning Code (section shall) High relevance show source text
• Newport Beach Zoning Code (Chapter 20.42.) High relevance show source text
• Newport Beach Zoning Code (Section 20.28.040) Medium relevance show source text

Cited sections

• § **20.36.070** — Landscape and Irrigation Plan Standards (Title 20, Chapter 20.36) — (Title 20)
• § **20.30.040** — Fences, Hedges, Walls, and Retaining Walls (Table 3‑1, front/rear/interior side heights; special-area provisions) —
• § **20.30.030(D)** — Screening and Buffering Between Different Zoning Districts (masonry wall minimums) —
• § **20.40.070** and related parking standards — interior parking landscaping, tree rate, buffer yard requirements (parking chapter references) — (chapter references)
• § **20.90.120** — Business Park District: SP‑7 (screening types, planting fallback, buffer wall references) —
• § **20.90.130** / § **20.90.140** — PA and PACC specific‑plan district site development and landscaping references —
• § **20.18.030** / Table 2‑2 & Table 2‑3 — R‑1 and RM development tables (setbacks, references to landscaping and fencing rules) —
• Exhibit and plant palette references (Exhibit **20.90‑7**, plant lists and planting spacing guidelines) —
• NewportBeach_ZoningCode.md