Santa Barbara — Landscaping and Screening

Last reviewed: July 2, 2026

Overview

This page summarizes what the City of Santa Barbara's zoning ordinance requires for landscaping, screening, fences/walls, and trees. It pulls requirements from the City's zoning and development chapters (commonly titled Title 28 in the provided code excerpts) and explains how they apply in the most common zones and project types. For questions about land-use classification or base zone rules, see the city's main Santa Barbara Zoning page.

Important cross‑topics you may need concurrently: parking, design review, Development Standards, special overlay districts, and ADU rules for small secondary units ADUs. Where the Building Code is invoked (e.g., guardrails), follow the California Building Standards Code.

How the ordinance frames landscaping & screening (quick synthesis)

• The City treats landscaping and screening as site-design tools to reduce visual impacts of parking, preserve open space, and protect public safety (sightlines). The Planning Commission, Architectural Board of Review, and Historic Landmarks Commission have authority to require specific landscape treatments for many projects (§ 28.36.195, § 28.94.020) .
• There are both general, citywide rules for fences, screens, walls and hedges and specific requirements for parking areas, PUDs and Special Plan zones; the ordinance sets numeric maxima for fence/hedge heights in setbacks and for sight-triangle controls (§ 28.87.170) .
• Parking-area landscaping, planter widths, tree ratios, irrigation, and the option to use berming/mounding instead of walls are explicitly regulated in the parking/landscaping chapters (§ 28.36.100; § 28.90.060) .

District-by-district breakdown (purpose, typical uses, landscaping/screening implications)

R-1 (Single Family Residence)

• Purpose/typical uses: single-family dwellings and related accessory structures. Where ADUs are proposed, consult the City's ADU rules and state ADU law ADUs.
• Landscaping & screening rules that commonly apply: residential parcels in R-1 are explicitly covered by the Fences, Screens, Walls and Hedges rules: maximum fence/wall/hedge height in required setbacks is 8 ft, and within 10 ft of a front lot line a fence/hedge may not exceed 3.5 ft in front-sight areas (with sight‑triangle exceptions) (§ 28.87.170.C.1–3) .
• Review/approvals: many alterations that affect neighborhood character (retaining walls, ornamental walls) may trigger design review if in a historic district or subject to the Architectural Board of Review; check design review and Historic Preservation rules (§ 28.90.070) .

R-2 / R-3 / R-4 (Multi-Family Residential)

• Purpose/typical uses: low‑ to medium‑density multi‑family housing. Landscaping expectations are stricter for multi‑unit developments (open space, interior landscaping).
• Key standards: Planned/clustered residential developments and multi‑unit projects must provide substantial open landscaped areas; for planned developments the ordinance requires at least 50% of the net area as open space devoted to planting, patios and recreational areas (§ 28.36.195) .
• Parking lot interface: uncovered parking must be separated from the property line by a landscaped area of at least 10 ft and parking lots must be broken with interior planters and trees (§ 28.36.195; § 28.36.100) .

C-1, C-P, C-L, C-O (Commercial / Office Zones)

• Purpose/typical uses: neighborhood and community commercial or office uses. Larger commercial sites often trigger Development Plan Approval and ABR review.
• Landscape/parking standards: commercial parking lots must provide perimeter planters (at least 5 ft deep) when abutting a street, interior planters at least 4 ft wide, trees at a specified ratio (one tree per 10 parking spaces in some standards, or 1 tree per 5 in certain parking sections) and irrigation plans are required (§ 28.90.060; § 28.36.100; § 28.90.070) .
• Walls/fences and ornament: ornamental walls or fences for commercial sites are subject to approval by the Architectural Board of Review and must be of compatible materials (§ 28.90.070) .

PUD (Planned Unit Development; Chapter referencing PUD standards)

• Purpose: encourage flexible residential layouts with integrated open space and landscaping.
• Key landscaping standards: PUDs must dedicate significant open space — not less than 50% of net area devoted to planting, patios, walks and recreation — and landscaping/open space design is controlled by the Planning Commission (§ 28.36.195) .
• Submission requirements: PUD proposals require a formal landscaping plan showing mature trees to be retained/removed and a maintenance instrument for open spaces (§ 28.36.030; § 28.36.135) .

SP Zones (e.g., SP-5, SP-9 Specific Plans)

• Purpose: site-specific standards. Many SP zones explicitly require that “open space and landscaped areas shall dominate site development.”
• Landscaping note: SP-5 and SP-9 both require open-space dominance and allow Architectural/Planning review to ensure parking/buildings do not dominate (§ 28.46.080; § 28.50.005) .
• Applicability: check the specific SP chapter map and the SP chapter text for parcel-by-parcel standards.

PR (Park & Recreation)

• Purpose: protect and preserve publicly owned park/beach lands; landscaping is central to allowed uses (§ 28.37.001) .
• Special rules: projects within PR and along creeks have their own development limits and screening/structure controls (see Mission Creek rules § 28.87.250) .

Key numeric standards (decision-relevant table)

Information Gaps (what was NOT available in retrieved materials)

• Detailed plant species lists, drought-tolerant plant lists, or any native-plant palette: Not found in retrieved materials.
• Exact current adopted Fences, Screens, Walls and Hedges Guidelines (the ordinance references them but the guideline resolution text is not in the retrieved files): Not found in retrieved materials.
• Whether the City requires tree‑protection plans for all tree removals (beyond PUD/large projects): Not found in retrieved materials — verify with the City.
• Specific numeric differences between references that say “1 tree per 10 parking spaces” and other places that say “1 tree per 5 parking spaces” for different zones — the ordinance excerpts show both provisions in different contexts; parcel‑specific applicability should be verified with staff (§ 28.36.100; § 28.90.060) .

Checklist — what an applicant must satisfy (typical)

• Provide a scaled landscaping plan showing all existing mature trees (retained, removed, relocated) and all proposed landscaping, hardscape, and irrigation (§ 28.36.030; § 28.36.195) .
• Show parking lot landscape details: perimeter planters (min 5 ft), interior planters (min 4 ft), tree locations and sizes, and irrigation coverage (§ 28.90.060.C–D, K) .
• If proposing fences/walls/hedges, dimension and locate them relative to setbacks, front lot line and driveways; confirm heights meet 3.5 ft / 8 ft rules or request an exception and provide neighbor consent if required (§ 28.87.170.C) .
• If located in a Special Plan, Historic, or SP zone, prepare materials compatible with the Architectural Board of Review/Historic Landmarks Commission standards and expect design review (§ 28.90.070; § 28.46.060) .
• For PUDs or large multi‑unit projects, provide open‑space calculations demonstrating 50% net open space (or the specific SP requirement) and a maintenance plan or deed restrictions as required (§ 28.36.195) .
• Provide an irrigation plan (drip or sprinkler) and specify plant sizes; show protection measures for planters adjacent to vehicles (curbs or equivalent) (§ 28.90.060.K, H) .
• If work is near Mission Creek or within restricted creek areas, get prior approvals and show compliance with § 28.87.250 standards .
• If proposing fence/wall heights that exceed standards, prepare a request for a minor exception or variance and include adjacent neighbor consent when required (§ 28.87.170.E) .

Risks & Ambiguities

Plain-English Summary

Santa Barbara treats landscaping and screening as mandatory pieces of site design: expect parking lots to be broken up with planters and trees, fences and hedges in front yards to be kept low for sightlines (generally 3.5 ft near front lines, 8 ft elsewhere in setbacks), and larger developments or PUDs to provide large amounts of open landscaping (often 50% net open space). Plan for irrigation and design‑review involvement for most non‑trivial sites; confirm zone‑specific standards before final design (§ 28.87.170; § 28.90.060; § 28.36.195) .

Source References

• § 28.36.195 — Open Space and Landscaping Requirements (PUD / planned-unit references)
• § 28.36.100 — Parking/trees and open space language referencing trees per spaces and separation requirements
• § 28.46.080 — SP‑5 open space and landscape dominance language (Special Plan)
• § 28.50.005 — SP‑9 legislative intent on landscaping/open space (§ 28.50)
• § 28.87.170 — Fences, Screens, Walls and Hedges (definitions, height/sightline rules, exceptions)
• § 28.90.060 / § 28.90.070 — Parking lot landscaping, interior planters, irrigation, Architectural Board of Review involvement
• § 28.87.250 — Development Along Creeks (Mission Creek controls)
• Planning approvals & conditional‑use/PUD findings: § 28.94.020 and related procedural provisions (design review / findings)

(Where the ordinance text references Council‑adopted guidelines — the "Fences, Screens, Walls and Hedges Guidelines" — the guideline document itself was not included in the retrieved materials; see Information Gaps above.)

Retrieved passages

• Santa Barbara Zoning Code (§ 28.36.195.) High relevance show source text
• Santa Barbara Zoning Code (chapter that) High relevance show source text
• Santa Barbara Zoning Code (§ 28.33.010.) High relevance show source text
• Santa Barbara Zoning Code (title report) High relevance show source text
• Santa Barbara Zoning Code High relevance show source text
• CWUIC § 65850.6 (Title 24) High relevance show source text
• Santa Barbara Zoning Code High relevance show source text
• Santa Barbara Zoning Code (§ 28.46.040.) High relevance show source text

Cited sections

• **§ 28.36.195** — Open Space and Landscaping Requirements (PUD / planned-unit references) (§ 28.36.195)
• **§ 28.36.100** — Parking/trees and open space language referencing trees per spaces and separation requirements (§ 28.36.100)
• **§ 28.46.080** — SP‑5 open space and landscape dominance language (Special Plan) (§ 28.46.080)
• **§ 28.50.005** — SP‑9 legislative intent on landscaping/open space (§ 28.50) (§ 28.50.005)
• **§ 28.87.170** — Fences, Screens, Walls and Hedges (definitions, height/sightline rules, exceptions) (§ 28.87.170)
• **§ 28.90.060** / **§ 28.90.070** — Parking lot landscaping, interior planters, irrigation, Architectural Board of Review involvement (§ 28.90.060)
• **§ 28.87.250** — Development Along Creeks (Mission Creek controls) (§ 28.87.250)
• Planning approvals & conditional‑use/PUD findings: **§ 28.94.020** and related procedural provisions (design review / findings) (§ 28.94.020)
• SantaBarbara_ZoningCode.md

• Official Santa Barbara code library