Landscaping District

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About the Landscape Maintenance Districts

The City of Lancaster is dedicated to maintaining attractive and well-kept public landscapes that enhance our community’s appearance and quality of life. To fund the upkeep of medians, parkways, and other public green spaces, the City established several dedicated service areas.

The primary district, Lancaster Landscape Maintenance District No. 1 (LMD 1), was formed in June 1983. Over the years, other specialized districts have been established to meet specific needs, including the Fox Field Industrial Corridor Landscape Maintenance District and the Lancaster Business Park, which receive landscape services tailored to their unique commercial and industrial environments.

These districts enhance neighborhood appeal, offer environmental benefits such as shade and erosion control, and help maintain property values for both residents and businesses.

The Challenge

Maintaining high-quality landscaping is becoming more expensive due to the rising costs of water, labor, and materials. The primary challenge for our landscape districts is that the majority of properties, over 85% of those in LMD 1, pay a fixed assessment rate from decades ago that does not cover the modern cost of service.

This structural imbalance between rising costs and fixed revenue creates an ongoing funding gap. Without a sustainable financial model, the City faces significant difficulty in maintaining the high-quality, beautiful public spaces for residents

FAQ's

How can I determine which Landscaping Maintenance District my property is part of?

What are the Landscape Maintenance Districts?

How are the districts funded?

Property owners within a district pay an annual assessment, which is used exclusively for landscape maintenance services like mowing, tree care, irrigation, and graffiti removal. The assessment amount is based on the benefit each property receives. A key detail for Landscape Maintenance District No. 1 (LMD 1) 1 is its two-tier rate structure, which depends on when a property joined the district:

Pre-Prop 218 Rate: 18,611 properties that have been in the district since before 1997 are assessed at a fixed rate of $80.00 per unit. Under state law, this rate cannot be adjusted for inflation.
Post-Prop 218 Rate: 3,246 properties annexed since 2005 are assessed at a rate of $139.50 per unit for the 2024-25 fiscal year. This rate includes an annual adjustment for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to help keep pace with rising costs.

What is my annual assessment for landscape maintenance?

Your annual assessment depends on when your property was included in Landscape Maintenance District No. 1 (LMD 1). There is a two-tier rate system:

$80.00 per unit: This is a fixed rate for 18,611 properties that were in the district before Proposition 218 was adopted in 1997. This rate does not adjust for inflation.
$139.50 per unit: This is the rate for Fiscal Year 2024-25 for 3,246 properties annexed into the district since Fiscal Year 2005-06. This rate is subject to an annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) adjustment to keep pace with rising costs.

How is my assessment calculated?

Why is there a funding problem for the landscape districts?

The primary challenge is that over 85% of the properties in LMD 1 pay the fixed $80.00 rate established decades ago, which cannot be adjusted for inflation. As the costs for water, labor, and materials continue to rise, the revenue from this fixed rate is not enough to cover the actual cost of maintenance, creating a long-term funding problem. Currently, the Landscape Maintenance District operates in a $1M deficit every year.

What do my assessment fees pay for?

Who is responsible for maintaining the public landscaping?

How do I pay my landscape maintenance assessment?