How El Paso Handles Landscaping Rules: A Practical Guide

El Paso maintains 169 local ordinances across all categories, and 7 of those deal specifically with landscaping rules. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where El Paso falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Composting

El Paso allows residents to compost household kitchen scraps and yard waste in their own backyards, but City Code § 9.84.010(C) sets real limits: composting must happen inside an enclosed structure no larger than 50 square feet per household, must be run sanitarily so it doesn't attract vermin or create odors, and can never include meat scraps, dairy products, cooking oils, or pet feces.

Key details: Governing section: City Code § 9.84.010(C). Size limit: 50 sq ft, enclosed structure. Banned inputs: Meat, dairy, cooking oil, pet feces. Enforcement: Dept. of Environmental Services. Default fine: Up to $500/day, § 1.08.010.

Backyard composting that violates § 9.84.010(C), an open pile over 50 square feet, or one containing banned items like meat, dairy, cooking oil, or pet waste, is enforced by the director of the Department of Environmental Services. Because no specific fine is listed in this section, a violation falls under the citywide general penalty in § 1.08.010: a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500, with each day of continuing violation treated as a separate offense.

The rules around composting in El Paso lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Rainwater Harvesting

El Paso doesn't mandate rainwater harvesting, but its Grading Code makes it an explicit, code-recognized design option: § 18.44.200(A)(9) lets any grading plan be engineered to capture and reuse on-site rainwater to cut surface runoff, and the chapter's purpose clause names harvesting as a way to reduce dependence on groundwater and off-site flooding.

Key details: Chapter: El Paso Grading Code, Ch. 18.44. Key section: § 18.44.200(A)(9). Status: Encouraged, not mandatory. Purpose clause: § 18.44.020(G). Adopted: Ord. No. 17516, 3-29-2011.

Grading without following the approved GSP -- including any rainwater-harvesting feature shown on it -- is a misdemeanor under § 18.44.210, punishable by a fine of up to $2,000, with each day of continued violation counted as a separate offense. The permit official can also require additional stabilization or protective measures on-site.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find El Paso gives residents more flexibility on rainwater harvesting.

Tree Trimming

El Paso property owners must keep street trees trimmed to at least eight feet of clearance above the sidewalk and ten feet above the curb at corner-lot sight triangles, under City Code § 12.68.030. If an owner doesn't fix a violation within ten days of notice, the traffic engineer can trim or remove the tree under the city's own authority.

Key details: Sidewalk clearance: 8 ft minimum, § 12.68.030(B). Corner sight-triangle clearance: 10 ft at curb line. Fire hydrant clearance: 5 ft, no trees/plants/objects. Notice-to-correct period: 10 days, § 12.68.040. City trim authority: Traffic engineer, § 12.68.050.

Failing to correct a trimming violation within the ten-day notice period under § 12.68.040 lets the code enforcement division file a complaint in corporation court, and a conviction under § 12.68.070 is a misdemeanor. The traffic engineer can also bypass the notice process entirely and have city crews trim or remove an obstructing tree directly under § 12.68.050 when it blocks a curbline or traffic-control device.

Native Plants

El Paso's commercial landscape ordinance forces new development to draw 75% of plant material from the City's Approved Plant List and make at least half of it low-water, drought-tolerant species, with turf banned in parkways.

Key details: Code: El Paso City Code Ch. 18.46. Approved plants: 75% from Approved Plant List. Drought-tolerant: 50% low-water species minimum. Turf: Banned in parkways, slopes over 20%. Penalty: Up to $2,000, per-day offense.

Violations are a Class C misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $2,000, and each day is a separate offense. The City may also pursue injunctive relief and civil penalties up to $500 per day.

Weed Ordinances

El Paso City Code caps weeds and vegetation at an average height of twelve inches on lots under three acres. Anything taller is declared a public nuisance, and the city's Code Enforcement Bureau can mow it and lien the property for the cost.

Key details: Height limit: 12 inches average. Governing section: City Code § 9.04.860. Enforcement agency: Code Enforcement Bureau. Cure period: 7 calendar days. Unpaid cost: Lien, 10% yearly interest.

After a seven-day notice, the city mows the property and bills the owner for labor, equipment, and administrative costs. Unpaid charges become a lien accruing ten percent yearly interest and are added to the property's tax bill until paid in full.

Water Restrictions

El Paso City Code § 15.13.020 sets a mandatory odd-even lawn and landscape watering schedule for every customer of El Paso Water: even-numbered addresses irrigate Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday; odd-numbered addresses irrigate Wednesday, Friday, Sunday. Industrial sites, parks, golf courses and schools water Monday, Wednesday, Friday. From April 1 through September 30, watering between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. is banned outright, citywide.

Key details: Even addresses: Water only Tue, Thu, Sat. Odd addresses: Water only Wed, Fri, Sun. Industrial/parks/golf/schools: Mon, Wed, Fri only. Daytime ban: No irrigation 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Apr 1-Sep 30. Penalty: $50-$500 fine per violation, per day.

Violating any provision of Chapter 15.13, including the odd-even schedule, is a misdemeanor under Section 15.13.080 punishable by a fine of not less than $50 and not more than $500, with each day of a continuing violation charged as a separate offense. The water conservation manager or any officer authorized to issue Class C misdemeanor citations enforces the chapter under Section 15.13.110, and the public service board's attorney may also pursue injunctive relief under Section 15.13.090.

Tree Removal & Heritage Trees

Chapter 9.11 of El Paso's City Code makes it a misdemeanor to damage, cut, carve, poison or otherwise injure any tree on public property, and declares dead or diseased trees on private land a public nuisance the city can order removed. A city arborist administers the whole chapter under the Arboricultural Specifications Manual.

Key details: Public tree damage: Unlawful to cut, carve, poison, injure. Utility clearance: No tall species within 10 ft of wires. Topping: Banned on public trees, limited exceptions. Private trees: Only dead/diseased trees regulated as nuisance. Appeal window: 10 days to City Manager, then board.

Damaging, cutting, carving, poisoning or otherwise injuring a public tree, or keeping a dead/diseased tree as a public nuisance after a city order, is a misdemeanor under § 9.11.010(H), fined as set out in §§ 1.08.010-1.08.030, up to $500, with each day the violation continues counted as a separate offense.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, El Paso gives residents more room on landscaping rules. 2 of the 7 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 El Paso 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.