Drought-Tolerant Landscaping in Montecito, CA

Paso Robles Landscaping designs and installs drought-tolerant and native gardens for homes in Montecito: turf removal, planting, drip irrigation, mulch, rain gardens and gravel or stone hardscape. Montecito gardens have to look established and generous while running on a limited local water supply, and the first five feet around every house have to resist embers. The Montecito Water District sets the watering rules and pays for lawn conversions, the Groundwater Sustainability Agency pays for rain gardens and permeable surfaces, and Montecito Fire sets the defensible space zones. We plan a water-wise garden around all three. Talk to us at 805-712-4440, or send a note through our contact page.

Montecito Water Programs at a Glance

Ordinance 99 and Your Garden

The District's Water Use Efficiency Ordinance, Ordinance No. 99, was adopted June 25, 2024. Its waste rules that matter for a landscape:

• No irrigation during measurable rain of a quarter inch or more, or for 48 hours afterward
• No watering that runs off onto a neighbor's lot, walks, parking areas or structures
• No irrigating in the warmest part of the day; the District points to 6 p.m. to 10 a.m. as the efficient window
• No washing driveways, walks or patios with water except for health and safety
• Fountains and decorative water features must recirculate
• New ponds need an alternate water source, and unlined ponds can't be topped up with drinking water
• Identified leaks are repaired right away, or the water is shut off until they are

The ordinance also lists measures the District encourages: redesigning some or all of a landscape with native or drought-tolerant plants, a soil moisture sensor, three to four inches of mulch around trees and plants, rain gutters, rain barrels and rain gardens, and a laundry-to-landscape greywater system on properties with septic. A first violation brings a written warning, with fines after that. We set controllers to the District's schedule on the day of installation.

The District's Landscape Conversion Rebate

The District raised its landscape conversion amounts on March 24, 2026. The rebate program is run by the California Water Efficiency Partnership (CalWEP), and the key terms are:

• It replaces existing turf grass with low- or no-water landscape: native or drought-tolerant planting and permeable hardscape such as gravel
• The District visits the site to verify the turf area and eligibility
• The rebate is paid per square foot, with separate caps for single-family homes and for multi-family, commercial and institutional sites, one rebate per property (check the program page for current amounts)
• Greywater projects on properties with septic systems may also be eligible
• Rebates reimburse proof of qualified purchases, aren't retroactive, can't exceed project cost, and depend on available funding

CalWEP customer service is 1-877-231-3625. Because the program pays only for work done after you enroll, we hold off on any turf removal until the District has seen the lawn, and we keep receipts and photos organized for the claim.

Groundwater Basin Rebates for Rain Gardens and Paving

The Montecito Groundwater Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency adopted its plan in May 2023 and offers a separate infiltration rebate paid per square foot, with a cap per property; check the program page for current amounts. It covers two kinds of projects: rain gardens built to capture runoff and let it soak into the basin, and converting impervious surfaces such as driveways to permeable pavers or landscape. The property has to sit over the Montecito Groundwater Basin, there are inspections before and after, and the program isn't retroactive from its December 1, 2023 start date. Questions go to (805) 324-4207. We route downspouts and patio runoff into a planted basin wherever the slope and soil allow.

Native Plants That Suit Montecito

The District shares a Water Wise Native Plants for Santa Barbara County booklet. Its advice is practical:

• Plant natives in fall, when winter rain helps them build roots
• Give new plantings deep water every one to two weeks through their first summer
• After that, water deeply and infrequently; the booklet groups plants as very drought tough (no summer water), drought tolerant, occasional water (every three to six weeks) or moderate water (every one to two weeks)
• Spread two to four inches of mulch, kept off woody stems
• Skip regular fertilizer; compost and a half-strength organic feed in late winter or spring is enough

Plants from that list we often place in Montecito gardens include California buckeye, western redbud, island oak, sugar bush, coffeeberry, Catalina currant, deer grass and beach strawberry, grouped so each drip zone serves plants with the same needs.

Controller Settings Through the Year

The District's outdoor tips note that more than 75 percent of the water its customers use goes outdoors. Its seasonal advice, which we build into every controller program:

• Cut the seasonal adjustment by 50 to 60 percent until late March, and keep the controller off between storms from mid-November through March when you can
• After a storm of more than 0.2 inch, leave the system off for 7 to 14 days
• On foggy summer stretches, reduce watering days and times by as much as 30 percent
• Put shrub and flower zones on separate programs from any grass; they need a third to half as much water
• Leave native oaks dry in summer; extra water can harm them

Every District bill now shows a monthly Water Budget for the property, an efficiency guide that isn't tied to rates or charges. The District's conservation specialist also offers free on-site conservation visits at 805-969-2271, a good first step before a redesign.

Keeping Zone 0 Ember-Safe

A drought-tolerant garden can still carry fire if the wrong materials touch the house. Montecito Fire asks for an ember-resistant first five feet: hardscape such as gravel, pavers or concrete, and no combustible bark or mulch. Zone 1 out to 30 feet stays lean, clean and green, and state law requires defensible space out to 100 feet or the property line. The District's rebate page makes the same point about mulch near structures. In our layouts, gravel or stone wraps the house and wood mulch starts beyond five feet. Montecito Fire's Wildland Specialists offer complimentary Defensible Space Surveys if you want the property checked before planting.

Laundry-to-Landscape on Septic Properties

Some Montecito homes are on septic, and the County's simple greywater handbook (June 2016, written with County Environmental Health, Planning and the Water Agency) lists Montecito Water District among the participating areas where a simple system can go in without a permit. The conditions include a single-family home with four bedrooms or fewer, under 250 gallons a day, no pump other than the washing machine's own, mulch basins with at least two inches of cover, seasonal groundwater at least three feet down, and use on trees and shrubs rather than vegetables or lawn. Check WaterWiseSB for the current list of participating districts. We size the mulch basins and plant around them.

County Approvals

Montecito is unincorporated, so building, grading and design approvals run through the County of Santa Barbara, and some projects go to the Montecito Board of Architectural Review with a landscape plan (see our Montecito landscaping page). Planting, mulch and gravel work on its own rarely needs a permit; walls, structures and larger grading may. We confirm per lot.

Drought-Tolerant Work We Do in Montecito

A conversion can be a single front lawn or a whole property:

• Turf removal sequenced to the rebate inspection
• Native and summer-dry planting grouped by water need
• Drip and inline emitters on a weather-based controller
• Rain gardens, swales and dry creek beds that keep storm water on site
• Gravel courts and rock borders that stay where they are put
• Stepping-stone and paver walks kept narrow
• Low stone walls, steps and drainage
• Shielded, low-glare lighting aimed down

Related Pages

These pages cover the rest of the South Coast and related services:

• Landscaping in Santa Barbara
• Lawn replacement in Santa Barbara (City of Santa Barbara water customers)
• Carpinteria
• Goleta and Hope Ranch
• Sustainable landscapes and irrigation

The Santa Barbara County landscaping page lists every community we cover in that county, and areas we serve starts with our home ground in San Luis Obispo County.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the watering hours in Montecito?

The Montecito Water District allows landscape irrigation only between 6 p.m. and 10 a.m., and no more often than every other day, under its Ordinance 99 rules. No watering during or for 48 hours after a quarter inch of rain.

How does the Montecito Water District lawn rebate work?

The District pays per square foot of turf replaced with native or drought-tolerant planting and permeable hardscape, with a cap for a single-family home; check the program page for current amounts. A District site visit comes first, and the program is not retroactive.

Can I use bark mulch next to my house in Montecito?

Not in the first five feet. Montecito Fire asks for an ember-resistant Zone 0 with gravel, pavers or concrete and no combustible bark or mulch. Wood mulch can go in beds farther out.

Is there a rebate for a rain garden or permeable driveway in Montecito?

The Montecito Groundwater Basin GSA offers a per-square-foot rebate, with a cap per property, for rain gardens and for converting impervious surfaces to permeable pavers or landscape on properties over the basin. Inspections are required before and after.

When should I plant native plants in Montecito?

Fall is the time to plant, so winter rain can establish roots. New plantings need deep water every one to two weeks through the first summer, then much less.