Landscape Architect Inland Empire, CA
Commercial landscape architecture, land planning, and irrigation design for Inland Empire industrial, logistics, warehousing, distribution, multifamily, planned community, and large-scale site development projects.
Commercial Landscape Architect in the Inland Empire
Evergreen Design Group is a commercial landscape architect serving the Inland Empire with a fully remote team and California Landscape Architect License 7158. We work for land developers, civil engineering firms, architects, and design-build contractors. We do not take homeowner work.
The Inland Empire spans Riverside and San Bernardino counties, with more than 50 cities. Each has its own code, and fire authorities and water providers add their own rules. Logistics and industrial buildings set the pace, with housing, retail, and master-planned communities filling in around them. Schedules run tight and rules keep changing, so your landscape plans need to anticipate review comments. This page covers the Inland Empire as one market, from the West End to the High Desert, so you get one standard of work across city lines.
Our licensed staff prepares land planning studies, planting plans, irrigation designs, tree disposition plans, amenity plans, and hardscape plans in-house. You work with one team and receive one coordinated set, ready to sit beside your civil and architectural plans. Read more on our California landscape architect page, our Los Angeles landscape architect page, or our Orange County landscape architect page.
Who We Work With and What You Build in the Inland Empire
Land developers bring us in during feasibility and entitlement, when buffers, open space, and street frontage still move. Civil engineering firms share base files with us so grading, drainage, and utility conflicts get settled before plan check. Architects need planting and hardscape sheets matched to the building footprint, fire access, and ADA routes. Design-build contractors want construction documents with clear quantities for accurate pricing. Cities, school districts, and special districts expect sheets built to agency standards and procurement rules.
Industrial, logistics, warehousing, distribution, and cold storage projects in Ontario, Fontana, Rialto, Moreno Valley, Perris, and Redlands need truck court screening, perimeter buffers, employee parking shade, and irrigation built for low maintenance cost. Business parks and flex industrial add monument entries, bioretention areas, and courtyards for tenants.
Large-scale site development, from multi-building logistics campuses to phased master plans, needs a landscape architect at the land plan stage. We prepare phasing exhibits, shared buffer and open space networks, and design standards your later builders follow. Early decisions on buffers, stormwater areas, and tree protection then carry through every phase.
Multifamily, build-to-rent, and mixed-use projects in Rancho Cucamonga, Corona, Riverside, and Temecula need courtyards, pool decks, and pocket parks matched to the building plan. Planned communities in Eastvale, Menifee, and Jurupa Valley layer master developer criteria and HOA standards on top of city code. We design entries, parkways, trails, and neighborhood parks as one system across phases. Retail, medical office, and school campuses follow the same discipline with plans built for heavy foot traffic.
Local Development Conditions Behind Your Scope
These conditions drive scope, fee, and schedule on Inland Empire projects. We address them at the site plan stage, before your civil engineer locks the layout.
Warehouse and logistics rules under AB 98
California AB 98 sets design standards for new and expanded logistics uses, and Riverside and San Bernardino counties sit in the law's warehouse concentration region. Design requirements took effect January 1, 2026, with an exemption for projects whose entitlement began before September 30, 2024 (Rutan). The law calls for at least 50 feet of landscape buffer next to sensitive receptors on industrial sites and at least 100 feet on non-industrial or rezoned sites. Truck bays sit 300 feet from a sensitive use on industrial sites and 500 feet on others. Standards step up at 250,000 square feet.
Jurisdictions in the region also had to adopt truck routes by January 1, 2026, and San Bernardino County Land Use Services proposed its routes in late 2025 (San Bernardino County). Buffer planting, screening, and truck circulation share the same sheets, so we coordinate them with your civil engineer and architect at site plan. Confirm your project's status with the city before you set the layout.
City water ordinances and state water budgets
Cities and counties across the region adopt their own water efficient landscape ordinances based on the state MWELO. The state rule applies to new construction with 500 square feet or more of landscape area and to rehabilitated landscapes of 2,500 square feet or more (DWR). Your permit set needs a water budget, a hydrozone plan, and plant factor documentation the reviewer accepts on the first pass. We prepare those with the irrigation design, so the numbers match the sheets.
Recycled water from IEUA and EMWD
Inland Empire Utilities Agency serves about 935,000 people across 242 square miles of western San Bernardino County, including Ontario, Fontana, Chino, Rancho Cucamonga, Rialto, and Upland (IEUA). Its recycled water suits all human contact except drinking, runs through purple pipe, and serves landscape irrigation (IEUA FAQ). Eastern Municipal Water District offers new development recycled water for common areas and public landscaping (EMWD).
Confirm availability with the water provider at the start of design. The answer changes mainline routing, controller selection, and plant palette, and recycled systems need separate mainlines and signage.
AB 1572 and nonfunctional turf
Starting January 1, 2028, California bars potable water irrigation of nonfunctional turf on commercial, industrial, and institutional properties. HOA common areas follow on January 1, 2029. Turf irrigated with recycled water falls outside the ban, and turf used for recreation or gathering stays allowed (MWDOC). Design new sites without decorative turf on potable water, and expect owners of existing properties to ask for retrofit plans. Our guides cover AB 1572 for developers and design teams and for existing commercial properties.
Western Joshua trees in the high desert
The Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act took effect in July 2023. The law prohibits removing, relocating, or disturbing a western Joshua tree without state authorization. If trees stand within 50 feet of any land disturbance, the project needs approval from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Development projects need an Incidental Take Permit, which requires a tree census, and fees depend on location, tree count, and tree size (San Bernardino County).
Plan the census and the permit before you lock the site layout. Our tree disposition plans document each tree for the permit file and show preservation and replacement against your grading.
Fire, foothills, and the wildland interface
Foothill and mountain sites in places such as Corona, Murrieta, and Redlands face wildfire review, and each fire authority sets its own guideline. Murrieta Fire & Rescue, for example, requires fuel modification plans for new commercial and multifamily structures in wildfire areas, prepared by a licensed landscape architect or equivalent design professional (Murrieta). Zone A runs 30 feet and is irrigated, with the first 5 feet free of combustible mulch. Zone B runs to 100 feet and Zone C to 200 feet. Plants come from an approved list.
Review runs in stages. A conceptual plan goes in with environmental review and before the tract map. A precise plan goes in before grading or building permits. Confirm the sequence with the fire marshal who covers your site.
Entitlement, plan check, and agency coordination
With more than 50 cities and two counties, plan check rules differ from one jurisdiction to the next. Planning, building, public works, and fire each review different sheets. Specific plans and master developer criteria add standards for streetscape, entries, and planting. Conceptual landscape plans support discretionary review, and construction documents go to plan check. We format each set for the reviewing agency.
Grading, stormwater, and civil coordination
Priority projects in the Santa Ana Region need a Water Quality Management Plan. Triggers include new development with 10,000 square feet or more of impervious surface and parking lots of 5,000 square feet or more. The plan sizes treatment to the 85th percentile 24-hour storm and ranks infiltration first, then harvest and use, then evapotranspiration, with biotreatment when the others prove infeasible (Riverside County Flood Control). Parking lot landscape provides treatment and infiltration. Your civil engineer sets grades, and we set plants, soil, and irrigation for them.
Landscape Architecture, Land Planning, and Irrigation Services in the Inland Empire
Our land planning in the Inland Empire starts at feasibility. We test site layouts against zoning, buffer, open space, and amenity requirements. Then we prepare conceptual landscape plans, exhibits, and open space calculations for planning review. When staff comments arrive, we answer with your civil engineer and architect, so the city receives one coordinated response.
As a commercial landscape architect in the Inland Empire, we design entries, streetscapes, truck court screening, parking field planting, buffers, and open space. We design to city code and to the maintenance budget your owner will carry. Industrial developers will find more in our guide to landscape architects for industrial projects.
Planting plans in the Inland Empire balance MWELO plant factors, city tree and parking lot requirements, AB 98 buffer planting, and fire-resistant palettes in foothill zones. We select plants for the water source on your site, potable or recycled, and for the crew who will maintain them.
Tree disposition plans in the Inland Empire document species, size, and condition for each regulated tree, including western Joshua trees. They then show removals, preservation, protection, and replacement. Sequence matters, so read our guide on who should conduct your tree survey before you order one.
Amenity plans in the Inland Empire cover pool courts, fitness areas, courtyards, tot lots, dog parks, employee break areas, and gathering spaces for multifamily, mixed-use, business park, and senior living projects. We coordinate pool equipment, ADA routes, and drainage with your architect and civil engineer before permit submittal.
Hardscape plans in the Inland Empire detail paving, walls, plazas, seat walls, and site furnishings on the same grading base as the rest of the site. Joint layouts and material choices account for seismic movement, desert heat, and drainage.
Licensed in-house staff prepare our irrigation design services in the Inland Empire. Scope covers zoned layouts, controller and equipment specifications, flow and pressure calculations, backflow documentation, water budgets, and recycled water systems built to provider standards.
Construction documents and consultant coordination
We issue stamped construction documents formatted for each agency’s plan check. Sets include planting, irrigation, tree, and hardscape sheets, specifications, and water calculations. We share CAD files with your civil engineer, architect, and fire consultant, review their submittals for conflicts, and answer plan check comments. For multi-site programs, our program management team keeps standards consistent across projects.
Inland Empire Cities and Submarkets We Serve
Our team works remotely and serves the West End and Chino Valley, including Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Fontana, Upland, Chino, and Chino Hills, where logistics, business parks, and infill housing drive demand. The San Bernardino Valley, including Rialto, Colton, San Bernardino, Redlands, and Highland, brings distribution, institutional, and mixed-use projects.
In Riverside County, we work in Riverside, Corona, Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Moreno Valley, and Perris. Southwest Riverside County, including Temecula, Murrieta, Menifee, and Lake Elsinore, adds master-planned communities and foothill fire review. The High Desert, including Victorville, Hesperia, and Apple Valley, puts Joshua tree protection and desert plant palettes first. The Coachella Valley adds resort, hospitality, and mixed-use work.
Our team also serves Irvine, San Diego, and Northern California. See the full list of areas we serve.
Our team also serves the rest of the state. See the full list of areas we serve.
Inland Empire Landscape Architect FAQs
Do Inland Empire commercial permits require a licensed landscape architect?
Requirements vary by city and county, so confirm with the planning or building department. Commercial permit sets typically carry a licensed professional’s stamp, and fire authorities such as Murrieta Fire & Rescue expect fuel modification plans from a licensed landscape architect or equivalent. Evergreen holds California Landscape Architect License 7158.
When should you bring in a landscape architect?
Bring us in at site planning, before the civil plan set is far along. Buffers, stormwater areas, fire zones, tree protection, and open space all shape the layout. Settling them early cuts revision cycles during review.
How does AB 98 affect landscape plans for warehouse projects?
New and expanded logistics uses near sensitive receptors need landscape buffers of at least 50 feet on industrial sites and at least 100 feet on non-industrial or rezoned sites. Design requirements took effect January 1, 2026. We design the buffer planting, screening, and irrigation, and we coordinate with your civil engineer and architect on truck bays and circulation. Confirm grandfathered status with the city.
Do you prepare plans for sites with Joshua trees?
Yes. We prepare tree disposition plans and planting plans for sites with western Joshua trees, and we coordinate with your biologist on the tree census and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife permit. Start the census early, because the permit fee and schedule depend on the tree count.
Do you design recycled water irrigation systems?
Yes, where recycled water is available. We design on-site systems to the provider’s requirements, including separation from potable lines, signage, and backflow documentation. Confirm availability with IEUA, EMWD, or your water provider at the start of design.
Do you work as a subconsultant to civil engineers and architects?
Yes. Subconsultant work for civil engineering and architecture firms is one of our most common structures. We contract with your firm, share CAD files, attend coordination meetings, and deliver sheets formatted for your set.
Discuss Your Inland Empire Project
Discuss landscape, irrigation, or entitlement support for your Inland Empire commercial project. Developers, civil engineers, architects, and design-build firms: send us your site location, project type, available base drawings, and your next submittal date. A licensed professional reviews them and replies directly.
Request a proposal or contact our team. Review our credentials in our statement of qualifications.