Landscaping Rules in Amarillo, TX: What Residents Actually Need to Know

If you live in Amarillo or are thinking about moving there, landscaping rules are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Amarillo has 6 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of landscaping rules, and some of them might surprise you.

Native Plants

Amarillo's Zoning Ordinance Chapter 4-10 includes a landscaping article with a recommended plant list (§ 4-10-1003) emphasizing drought-tolerant and regionally appropriate species suited to the Texas Panhandle climate.

Key details: Governing section: Zoning Ord. § 4-10-1003. Plant list authority: Planning Director. Climate zone: Texas Panhandle / USDA 6b–7a. Key emphasis: Drought-tolerant, low-water species.

Non-compliant landscaping installations identified during site-plan review or inspections may require corrective replanting. Fines follow standard code enforcement procedures under Amarillo Code of Ordinances.

The rules around native plants in Amarillo lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Tree Trimming

Amarillo requires property owners to keep tree limbs and shrubbery clear of public streets, alleys, and sidewalks. Section 4-6-185 sets a minimum clearance of fourteen and a half feet over streets and alleys and seven feet over sidewalks, and lets the City cut back or remove any vegetation that blocks the required path.

Key details: Governing section: Amarillo Code of Ordinances § 4-6-185. Street/alley clearance: 14.5 feet minimum height. Sidewalk clearance: 7 feet minimum height. Shrub rule: cannot block or hinder street/sidewalk access. City remedy: City may trim or remove violating growth.

A property owner who lets branches or shrubs encroach below the required clearance is subject to the City's general penalty under section 1-1-5, fined up to $500 per offense, with continuing encroachment treated as a new offense each day it persists. The City may also simply trim or remove the obstruction itself under section 4-6-185(4) and pursue any other remedy available under section 1-1-5, so a property owner who ignores a notice can still be billed or cited even after the City clears the growth.

Water Restrictions

Amarillo's Drought Contingency Plan assigns every address an odd or even watering day: odd-numbered addresses may water Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday, even-numbered addresses Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with no outdoor watering allowed on Saturday. The Director of Utilities activates this Watering Schedule at Stage 1, makes it mandatory at Stage 2, and can escalate to nighttime-only or near-total nonessential-use bans as the water supply drops.

Key details: Governing plan: Drought Contingency Plan, Sec. 18-2-85 to 18-2-93. Baseline schedule: Odd addresses Sun/Tue/Thu; even Mon/Wed/Fri; none Saturday. Stage 2 trigger: Reservoir at 50% or demand at 80% of capability. Stage 3 hours: Watering confined to 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.. Stage 4: Prohibits nearly all nonessential watering citywide.

Sec. 18-2-93 makes it an offense to use City water contrary to the Plan, reaching owners, managers, and tenants alike, with each violation a separate offense punishable under Municipal Code Sec. 1-1-5. Any peace officer or a City building safety inspector may cite a violator, and the Utilities Director can also refer a sworn complaint to the municipal court prosecutor. Breaking a Stage 4 or Stage 5 restriction is specifically declared an offense against public health or safety.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Amarillo actively enforces its water restrictions requirements.

Tree Removal & Heritage Trees

Amarillo requires new multifamily and nonresidential developments to plant shade and ornamental trees: one per 40 feet of street frontage and one per 20 parking spaces. Existing healthy trees need not be preserved; keeping them earns points toward mandatory landscape approval.

Key details: Governing code: Zoning Ch. 4-10, Division 6. Street trees: 1 per 40 ft frontage. Parking-lot trees: 1 per 20 spaces. Preservation: Incentive: 5 points per tree. Enforcement: Dept. of Building Safety.

Failure to install the approved landscaping revokes the temporary certificate of occupancy, and the Department of Building Safety withholds final approval until all Division 6 tree and landscape requirements are met.

Artificial Turf

Amarillo's landscaping ordinance (Chapter 4-10, Division 6) sets minimum live-vegetation coverage requirements for new development but does not expressly ban or restrict residential artificial turf. Homeowners may install synthetic grass subject to general maintenance standards.

Key details: City ban on artificial turf: None. Applicable ordinance: Ch. 4-10, Div. 6. Primary limitation: HOA rules may apply. Nuisance standard: Code § 4-3-2.

No city fine specifically targets artificial turf. Violations arise only if synthetic turf contributes to a nuisance condition (standing water, debris) under Code § 4-3-2.

The rules around artificial turf in Amarillo lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Weed Ordinances

Amarillo caps grasses, weeds, and uncultivated brush at eight inches. The Building Official issues written notice; the owner gets ten calendar days to mow before the city cuts it, bills a $75 administrative fee, and files a lien.

Key details: Maximum height: 8 inches. Time to cure: 10 calendar days. Enforcing agency: Building Official. Administrative charge: $75. Unpaid abatement cost: Lien filed with county clerk.

Ignoring the ten-day notice lets the city mow your lot and bill the actual cost plus a $75 administrative charge; an invoice unpaid within thirty days becomes a lien filed with the county clerk against the property.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Amarillo gives residents more room on landscaping rules. 2 of the 6 rules here are rated permissive. But permissive does not mean unregulated. There are still requirements, and the city does enforce them when violations are reported.

Keep in mind that Amarillo can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.