Rancho Palos Verdes — Landscaping and Screening

Last reviewed: July 2, 2026

Overview

This page summarizes what the Rancho Palos Verdes Zoning Code requires about landscaping and screening (including fences, walls, hedges, parking-screening and tree/planting requirements) under Title 17. It synthesizes the code text you need for site plans and discretionary approvals (what must appear on a site plan, what heights and materials are allowed, and where minor exceptions or permits are needed). Always verify parcel‑specific rules with the city; this writeup only covers what the local zoning/planning ordinance text retrieved from the city's Title 17 contains.

Note: the Code defines “landscaping” and ties landscaping for new development to site plan review and to objective water‑efficient landscaping rules referenced elsewhere in the municipal code.

Key County / City Code rules that apply across districts

• A landscape plan is required to be shown on the site plan and is subject to review and approval by the director or planning commission as part of site plan review; required plan elements include the location, height and materials of walls, fences and landscaping. § 17.70.020.
• “Landscaping” is defined to include planting and continued maintenance of ornamental plant material and a permanent irrigation system. § 17.96.1020.
• Fences, walls and hedges are regulated in a single section with specific height limits, front‑yard rules, prohibited materials, exceptions (minor exception permits) and measurement rules. § 17.76.030.
• For parking lots and structured parking, screening from streets and adjacent residences is required (landscape, walls, buildings, green walls or other treatments), and parking lot planting percentages, planter widths, irrigation, curb details, and tree spacing are specified in the development/parking standards. § 17.47.040 and related parking chapters.
• Discretionary permits (CUPs, Minor Exception Permits, Design Review) may impose conditions for setbacks, buffers, fences/walls, screening and landscaping to mitigate incompatibility with adjacent uses. § 17.60.050, § 17.66.020, and applicable design review chapters.

(Throughout this page, the words parking, development standards/setbacks, design review, overlays, ADUs and Title 24 are linked to the City's GoCodebook menu pages for those topics so you can jump to related guidance: parking, development standards, design review, overlay districts, ADUs and California Building Standards Code.)

District-by-district breakdown (where the Code gives district-specific landscaping/screening direction)

Notes on approach: the Rancho Palos Verdes Zoning Code organizes rules by district chapters and by general chapters (e.g., fences and landscaping appear in general development standards). Below are the main districts or topics where the Code places landscaping/screening requirements or where the Code explicitly references landscaping/screening in relation to the district. Each item names the district chapter and the specific local rules that control landscaping/screening.

Single‑Family Residential — RS

• Purpose & application: the Single‑Family Residential (RS) districts are addressed in the lot, setback and open‑space chapter. Required front and street‑side setbacks in the RS districts must be landscaped (except driveways, paved walkways and parking). § 17.48.030.
• Typical permitted uses: single‑family homes and accessory structures per RS rules (see the RS chapter for permitted uses). § 17.02 (district definitions referenced). Not all use lists are repeated here; verify with the residential district chapter. Not found in retrieved materials for a complete, parcel‑level use list.
• Key dimensional / landscaping standards:
  • Required front and street‑side setback areas must be landscaped (driveway/paved surfaces may not cover more than 50% of those setback areas). § 17.48.030(D).
  • Fences/walls in front setback: up to 42 inches permitted without a permit; combined retaining wall + fence also limited to 42 inches in front setbacks (subject to intersection visibility rules). § 17.76.030(C)(1)(a).
  • Hedges that exceed 42 inches in front setbacks are possible under strict criteria and the minor exception permit process; hedges may reach up to 6 feet under specified findings (and must be approved/maintained under permit conditions). § 17.76.030(E).
• Where it applies: every RS parcel; plans for single‑family development must include adequate landscaping on required setbacks. § 17.48.030, § 17.70.020.

Mixed‑Use Overlay District — MUOD

• Purpose & application: the MUOD chapter contains its own development/parking and screening standards for mixed‑use projects. See Table 17.47.040(6) for parking minima. § 17.47.040.
• Typical permitted uses: residential and nonresidential uses permitted by the MUOD with parking linked to Table 17.47.040(6). § 17.47.040.
• Key dimensional / screening standards:
  • All parking areas facing a street or abutting a residential use must be screened by landscaping, building massing or other treatments (fencing, green walls) so the parking is not visible from the street or other on‑site uses, with certain access points exempt. § 17.47.040(5)(a) (Screening).
  • Interior parking‑lot landscaping: minimum planter widths, a requirement that at least 5% of paved parking area be interior planting (and perimeter planter bed widths), tree spacing guidelines, and full‑coverage irrigation systems are required under the parking/landscaping development standards referenced in the Code. See parking chapter references and development standards. § 17.47.040 and parking/landscaping development sections.
• Where it applies: parcels governed by the MUOD overlay; screening and parking land‑use treatments are enforced at site plan/review. § 17.47.040, § 17.70.020.

Commercial Limited — CL

• Purpose & typical uses: CL is intended for neighborhood‑serving commercial uses (groceries, pharmacy, small retail). See § 17.14.010 (purpose) and § 17.14.020 (uses). Landscaping requirements for commercial sites are included in the CL chapter and the general development chapters that apply to nonresidential uses. § 17.14.010–020.
• Key landscaping direction:
  • The CL chapter (and related nonresidential development standards) requires landscaped setbacks along street frontages (e.g., a planted street setback), a percentage of the site to be landscaped beyond street setback landscaping for certain commercial standards, permanent irrigation and six‑inch concrete curb edges for planting areas. (See local site‑specific provisions in the CL or commercial district chapter). (CL chapter landscaping provisions).
• Where it applies: properties zoned CL or developed under CL rules; refer to the CL chapter and the general development chapters for combined requirements. § 17.14.010–020, and related development sections.

Fences, Walls, Hedges (City‑wide rules)

• The Code collects fence/wall/hedge rules in one place: § 17.76.030 governs permitted heights, front yard limits, measurement rules (combined fence + retaining wall), temporary construction fencing, prohibited materials in certain front/setback areas (e.g., chain link, chicken wire), a process for a minor exception permit to exceed certain heights, and criteria the director will use for exceptions (safety, views, intersection visibility). § 17.76.030.
• Highlights:
  • Front/street‑side setback fences: up to 42 inches without a permit. § 17.76.030(C)(1)(a).
  • Fences/walls behind front setbacks: up to 7 feet without a permit; combined total of fence + retaining wall generally limited to 8 feet measured from the lower side. § 17.76.030(C)(1)(b).
  • Minor exception permits allow greater heights (for example, fences in front yards up to 7 feet where landscaping is provided between the fence and the street and the director approves). § 17.76.030(D).
  • Prohibited/frowned‑upon materials: chain link, chicken wire and fiberglass fences are prohibited in front yards and some street‑facing rear setbacks on specified arterial streets. § 17.76.030(F)(5).
  • Pools and standing water of 18 inches or deeper must be enclosed by a fence or wall not less than 5 feet high; gates self‑closing and self‑latching per the code/building standards. § 17.76.030(F)(3).

Decision‑relevant standards table

Practical guidance & interpretation (plain‑English synthesis)

• If you submit any building or site plan, the city expects a landscape plan that shows planting beds, trees, irrigation and the location/height/materials of any walls or fences. Put those items on your initial site plan—the director will use § 17.70.020 to deem plans complete.
• For a typical single‑family yard: you can put a decorative fence in the front yard up to 42 inches tall without a special permit, but if you want a taller fence (or a dense hedge taller than 42 inches) you will need a minor exception permit and you should be prepared to show how the fence will not block intersection sight lines or city‑designated views. § 17.76.030 and § 17.66.020 apply.
• For commercial or mixed‑use parking areas: plan on a minimum planted perimeter bed, interior planting that reaches roughly 5% of the paved parking area, tree wells with prescribed spacing and a full irrigation system to meet code expectations; parking that faces the street or a residence must be screened adequately so cars are not a visual edge. § 17.47.040 and related parking/landscaping rules control.
• The Code prohibits certain low‑aesthetic materials in front yards (e.g., chain link), and limits total combined heights for retaining wall + fence; if your project requires greater heights or atypical materials, expect to use the Minor Exception Permit or other discretionary review. § 17.76.030(D).
• If your lot is inside an overlay (coastal, equestrian or other overlay), the planning commission may impose additional landscaping, buffer or wall/fence conditions; check overlay‑specific rules in chapter 17.40 or the applicable overlay chapter and be ready to show compliance during discretionary review. § 17.40 and overlay references.

Checklist (what an applicant must satisfy before and during application)

• Show a complete landscape plan on the site plan per § 17.70.020 (locations, dimensions, irrigation, planting, walls/fences).
• For any front/street‑side fence show height ≤ 42 in. or a Minor Exception application if you need higher (see § 17.76.030 and § 17.66.020).
• For parking lots show perimeter planter beds, interior plant area (≥ 5% where applicable), tree wells and irrigation details per § 17.47.040 and parking standards.
• If hedges will exceed 42 in. in the front setback, prepare findings and a minor exception permit package demonstrating safety (intersection visibility), view impacts and maintenance plan (§ 17.76.030(E)).
• Avoid prohibited fence materials in street‑facing front yards (chain link, chicken wire, fiberglass) per § 17.76.030(F)(5); show alternate materials.
• If in an overlay or coastal area, include overlay compliance and any additional buffers or screening measures the planning commission may require; cite overlay chapter 17.40 and coastal permit chapter if applicable.

Risks & Ambiguities

Plain‑English summary

Rancho Palos Verdes requires you to show and maintain a landscape plan with irrigation and to screen parking and uses that face streets or residential neighbors; front‑yard fences are limited to 42 inches without a permit (higher fences or tall hedges require a minor exception), parking lots must include planter areas and trees, and certain fence materials are banned in front yards — see the relevant Code sections before you submit your site plan. § 17.70.020, § 17.76.030, § 17.47.040.

Source References

• Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code — Site plan and site plan requirements: § 17.70.020.
• Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code — Fences, Walls and Hedges: § 17.76.030 (permitted heights, exceptions, prohibited materials, measurement).
• Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code — Mixed‑Use Overlay District (parking, screening): § 17.47.040 (Table 17.47.040(6) and screening standards).
• Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code — Landscaping definition: § 17.96.1020.
• Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code — Single‑Family Residential development standards (setbacks, landscaping): § 17.48.030.
• Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code — Conditional Use Permit findings (buffers, landscaping, fences): § 17.60.050.
• Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code — Minor Exception Permit scope (fences/walls): § 17.66.020 (minor exception permit authorization).

(For items referenced but not reproduced in the Title 17 excerpt you provided — e.g., the full text of Chapter 15.34 (water‑efficient landscaping) — the specific chapter is named by the Code but the full chapter text was Not found in retrieved materials. Verify Chapter 15.34 separately with the City.)

Retrieved passages

• Rancho Palos Verdes Zoning Code (title and) High relevance show source text
• Rancho Palos Verdes Zoning Code (section and) High relevance show source text
• Rancho Palos Verdes Zoning Code (Chapter 15.34) High relevance show source text
• CBC § 17.48.070 (section and) High relevance show source text
• Rancho Palos Verdes Zoning Code (section 17.76.030) High relevance show source text
• Rancho Palos Verdes Zoning Code (section 17.48.070) High relevance show source text
• Rancho Palos Verdes Zoning Code (section 17.76.030) High relevance show source text
• Rancho Palos Verdes Zoning Code (chapter 17.40) High relevance show source text

Cited sections

• Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code — Site plan and site plan requirements: **§ 17.70.020**. (§ 17.70.020)
• Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code — Fences, Walls and Hedges: **§ 17.76.030** (permitted heights, exceptions, prohibited materials, measurement). (§ 17.76.030)
• Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code — Mixed‑Use Overlay District (parking, screening): **§ 17.47.040** (Table 17.47.040(6) and screening standards). (§ 17.47.040)
• Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code — Landscaping definition: **§ 17.96.1020**. (§ 17.96.1020)
• Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code — Single‑Family Residential development standards (setbacks, landscaping): **§ 17.48.030**. (§ 17.48.030)
• Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code — Conditional Use Permit findings (buffers, landscaping, fences): **§ 17.60.050**. (§ 17.60.050)
• Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code — Minor Exception Permit scope (fences/walls): **§ 17.66.020** (minor exception permit authorization). (§ 17.66.020)
• RanchoPalosVerdes_ZoningCode.md

• Official Rancho Palos Verdes code library