Landscaping Rules in Goodyear, AZ: What Residents Actually Need to Know

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

Weed Ordinances

Goodyear property owners must keep weeds and plant growth under six inches under the city's adopted International Property Maintenance Code. Noxious weeds are banned outright, and if an owner ignores a notice of violation, the city can send a crew or contractor onto the property to cut the weeds and bill the owner for the cost.

Key details: Max weed height: 6 inches (152 mm). Noxious weeds: prohibited outright. Exempt: cultivated flowers and gardens. Enforcement: city/contractor abatement and billback. Penalty: $50-$2,500 individual, up to $20,000 enterprise.

Ignoring a weed notice of violation lets the city abate the condition itself, cut and remove the weeds through its own crew or a hired contractor, and bill the owner or responsible agent for the cost. Owners who fail to comply can also be prosecuted under IPMC § 109 and are subject to Goodyear's general code penalty of $50 to $2,500 for an individual or up to $20,000 for an enterprise, with each ten-day period of continued violation treated as a separate offense.

Tree Trimming

Goodyear City Code Section 10-4-4(D) makes every property owner, tenant, or manager responsible for trimming trees, shrubs, hedges, and ground cover so growth never blocks safe use of streets and sidewalks. The duty covers the parkway strip between curb and sidewalk, public or private, and even lots with no curb must stay clear to the roadway edge.

Key details: Governing section: City Code Section 10-4-4(D). Covered growth: Trees, shrubs, hedges, ground cover. Zone covered: Property line to curb, or roadway edge. Appeal window: 14 days notice, 30 days assessment. Enforcing officials: Code Compliance / Sanitation Inspector.

Each day the overgrowth continues past a Notice of Violation's compliance deadline counts as a separate offense under Article 10-6. The City can abate the hazard itself, bill the owner for the work plus a five percent inspection fee, and record a lien against the property if the bill goes unpaid 30 days after service. Owners may appeal a notice to the City Manager within 14 calendar days, or an abatement cost assessment within 30 days.

Water Restrictions

Goodyear bans wasting water on landscaping through broken sprinkler heads, misdirected emitters, or overflowing irrigation basins. Section 14-5-7 defines waste as spray or ditch water that overflows a basin, discharges more than 10 percent of its spray from a misdirected emitter, or flows into a street, gutter, or storm drain, and code compliance officers can issue a written notice or civil citation to any property owner who lets it happen.

Key details: Misdirected emitter threshold: Over 10% of spray off-target. Pooling limit: No more than 150 square feet. Vehicle washing: Hand-held hose with auto shut-off required. Correction window: Immediate compliance up to 30 days. Enforcing officials: Code Compliance, Water Conservation Specialist.

A confirmed waste-of-water violation under Section 14-5-7 can be prosecuted as a misdemeanor under Section 1-8-1 or pursued as a civil citation under Article 18-1, at the enforcing official's discretion. Each day the waste continues after the notice period expires is a separate offense. Repeated violations can lead to installation of a flow restriction device or disconnection of water service, and violating a drought-stage curtailment carries the same penalties under Section 14-5-5.

Native Plants

Goodyear's zoning code pushes new development toward desert-adapted landscaping: a natural desert theme with native vegetation and inorganic groundcover is "highly encouraged" citywide, half of every required landscape area must stay live vegetation, and turf grown purely for looks is banned outright under Zoning Ordinance § 5-1-4.

Key details: Live vegetation minimum: 50% of required landscape area citywide. Desert theme: Highly encouraged, not mandatory, under §5-1-4(A)(1). Decorative turf: Prohibited citywide under §5-1-4(C)(4). Pollinator planting: Required species like Desert Milkweed. Governing article: Zoning Ordinance Article 5-1, Landscape Standards.

A decorative-only turf installation violates § 5-1-4(C)(4) and is rejected at landscape-plan review before permits issue, or cited after installation. Landscaping tied to an approved plan must be kept alive: plant material that dies has to be replaced with a comparable species and size, and the Zoning Administrator can require a site to bring nonconforming landscaping into compliance before granting further permits. Chronic noncompliance is enforced the same way as other zoning violations, through code enforcement notice, correction orders and, if unresolved, civil penalties.

Artificial Turf

Goodyear's Zoning Ordinance exempts single-family residential lots from its turf development standards, but every other property must curb, slope-limit and functionally justify any natural turf area. Artificial turf is separately listed as an approved inorganic ground cover citywide, including in rights-of-way with sign-off.

Key details: Single-family exemption: 4.2.4(C) turf standards. Turf curb requirement: 6-inch concrete curb. Max turf slope: 10 percent. Correction window: 30 days after notice. Approved ground cover: Artificial turf, DG, rock.

The Zoning Administrator enforces turf and ground-cover standards through Section 4.2.5(C)(3)'s violation list: missing inorganic ground cover, deteriorated landscape improvements, and dead or unmaintained plant material are all cited violations. Property owners get 30 days from city notification to replace dead plant material or repair damaged amenities, and just 24 hours to fix a broken irrigation system.

Tree Removal & Heritage Trees

Goodyear has no heritage tree ordinance. The Zoning Administrator may authorize tree removal for safety reasons. Property owners can generally remove trees on private lots. HOAs may require approval for visible tree removal.

Key details: Heritage Trees: No heritage tree ordinance. Private Property: Generally no permit needed. Safety Removal: Zoning Administrator authority. HOAs: May require approval for visible trees.

Removing city-maintained trees without authorization may result in fines. HOA violations may require replacement planting.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Goodyear gives residents more flexibility on tree removal & heritage trees.

The Bottom Line

Goodyear's landscaping rules rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Goodyear is broadly strict or permissive.

This guide is based on Goodyear's current municipal code. Local rules can and do change, so check the individual ordinance pages for the latest details, penalties, and FAQs.