Download - Public and Private Policies
Your Local Community
Local Regulations or Policies Land Use Food Safety Water Use
Are your edible gardens restricted by Covenants Codes andRestrictions (CCRs)?
1. Yes2. No3. I am not sure
1 2 3
17%
38%
45%
Land Use
Private policies/restrictions
Home Owner Association Restrictive Covenants Covenants, Conditions, Restrictions (CCR)
Fort Bend Texas – “no vegetable gardens shall be permitted except in fully screened areas in the backyard only so as not to be visible from the street or objectionable to an adjacent property”
Maintenance and aesthetics are key! (?)
AB 1061, Lieu 2009 This act provides that the architectural guidelines of a common interest
development shall not prohibit or include conditions that have the effect of prohibiting the use of low water-using plants as a group.
Land Use
Public and private policies may differentiate based on edible versus ornamental landscapes e.g. Sacramento City ordinance required turf or low growing
groundcover in front yards Section 17.68.010 of Title 17 Sacramento City Code (April 3, 2007)
“…the remaining unpaved portion of the setback areas shall be landscaped, irrigated, and maintained.”
“The landscape may include grass, annuals, perennials, ground cover, shrubs, trees… “
Land Use
Public policies or restrictions Focus on community gardens Edible landscape policies might relate to
Setbacks Height of vegetation in front and back yards Maintenance Restrictions on restrictive covenants
May require specific plant materials (trees) for new development
Food Safety Policy
Donating produce (e.g., to food banks) Organization or Institution policy
Check with target organization Clean containers, sound product with minimum 3-day shelf life (typical)
Government policy May be local guidance
Department of Environmental Health Non-food safety policy may apply to preventing spread of pests (e.g., Light
Brown Apple Moth, Asian Citrus Psyllid) Donations may be restricted to county in which product was grown and
may need to be defect free (caterpillar damage)
If I am not sure how a policy applies to edible landscapes or food harvested from these landscapes, I should:
A. Eat the foodB. Don’t eat the foodC. Ask a UC Master
GardenerD. Ask a UC CE AdvisorE. Seek information
from an appropriate agency
A. B. C. D. E.
6%
80%
2%
11%
2%
Water Use Policies related to water use may address:
Budget Allocation and Pricing Water Capture and Conservation Rainwater collection systems Greywater systems
Local jurisdictions must have landscape water conservation ordinance
Must adopt: Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance, OR Equally effective ordinance
MWELO
Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO)
Requires a permit for new or rehabilitated landscapes larger than 5,000 sq.ft. for homeowner-installed projects 2,500 sq.ft. for developer-installed projects
Permit requires calculating an estimation of annual landscape water use
“SLA” is short for(Choose BEST Answer)
A. Special Libraries Association
B. Symbionese Liberation Army
C. Science Leadership Academy
D. Special Landscape AreaE. Singapore Land
Authority
A. B. C. D. E.
4% 4%
89%
0%4%
MWELO
The estimated landscape water use must be less than or equal to 0.7 times ETo (reference ET).
Areas of edible plants are classified as “Special Landscape Areas (SLAs)”
SLAs are assigned an ETAF (ET Adjustment Factor) of 1.0
MWELO
Local ordinances may differ considerably from MWELO
MAWA= Maximum Applied Water Allowance (gallons/year)
Water budgets may not exceed MAWA
Budgets calculated using plant water use information in WUCOLS
SLAs allowed 1.0 ETo
MWELO
Budgets calculated using plant water use information in WUCOLS or other accepted reference
Department of Water Resources website http://www.water.ca.gov/ http://www.water.ca.gov/
wateruseefficiency/docs/wucols00.pdf
Local ordinances may vary considerably
MWELO
Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO)
Local Ordinances in place of MWELO
I can find more information about landscape water use policies from:
1. Department of Water Resources
2. My water provider3. County CE office4. California Center for
Urban Horticulture5. All of the above
1 2 3 4 5
5%
84%
0%0%
11%