Irving's Landscaping Rules: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles landscaping rules a little differently. In Irving, Texas, there are 6 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Tree Trimming

Irving requires anyone whose tree grows over a public right-of-way to keep at least fourteen feet of clearance above the street pavement or curb under UDC § 4.5.6(b)(1), remove dead or dangerous limbs, and never top a tree by cutting limbs back to stubs over three inches under § 4.5.5(d).

Key details: Required clearance: 14 ft above street pavement/curb. Duty holder: Owner of tree adjacent to right-of-way. City authority: May prune trees blocking lights/signs. Topping ban: No cuts to stubs over 3 inches. Topping exceptions: Storm damage, utility-wire conflicts.

Failing to maintain right-of-way clearance or topping a protected tree is enforced as a procedural violation under § 4.5.13(c): a misdemeanor punishable by a $500 fine per violation, with each day the violation continues counted as a separate offense. Where a protected tree is damaged rather than simply left untrimmed, § 4.5.13(b) treats the injury to each tree as its own incident, multiplying exposure tree-by-tree rather than capping it at one citation per property.

Tree Removal & Heritage Trees

Irving requires a tree removal permit before anyone cuts, removes, or damages a protected tree under UDC § 4.5.8(c), but exempts occupied residential property and commercial lots of two acres or less entirely; removal on covered land triggers replacement or a $195-per-inch mitigation fee.

Key details: Exempt: Occupied residential property. Exempt: Commercial parcels 2 acres or smaller. Permit fee: None for the application itself. Permit expires: 180 days after issuance. Mitigation fee: $195 per inch DBH if not replaced.

Section 4.5.13(c) makes an unpermitted or noncompliant tree removal a misdemeanor punishable by a $500 fine per violation, with each day of noncompliance treated as a separate offense, and § 4.5.13(b) counts the unlawful injury or removal of each protected tree as its own incident. Section 4.5.10 backs that up at the permit counter: the city won't accept public improvements or issue a certificate of occupancy until all fines are paid and required replacement trees are planted or the mitigation fee is paid in full.

Weed Ordinances

Irving bans weeds and grass over ten inches on any premises, including the parkway and abutting right-of-way. Code Enforcement issues notice; after seven days the city mows the lot and bills the owner, filing a lien for costs plus a $250 administrative fee.

Key details: Height limit: 10 inches (§ 8-6(a)). Enforcing agency: Irving Code Enforcement. Cure period: 7 days after notice. City abatement: Mows lot, liens property. Administrative charge: $250 per lot plus costs.

Failing to mow after a seven-day notice lets Irving abate the lot and bill the owner $250 per lot plus mowing costs as a personal liability and Dallas County lien; fines run up to $2,000.

Native Plants

Irving encourages native and drought-tolerant landscaping for water conservation but does not mandate native plant usage. HOAs cannot prohibit xeriscaping under Texas law.

Key details: Mandate: None; encouraged for conservation. HOA Protection: TX Property Code § 202.007. Watering Incentive: Twice-weekly limits favor drought-tolerant. Regional Resource: NCTCOG native plant lists. Commercial: UDC landscape requirements apply.

No violations for using native plants. HOA restrictions on xeriscaping are unenforceable.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Irving gives residents more flexibility on native plants.

Artificial Turf

Irving's own development code lets homeowners cover front and side yards facing a street with artificial turf as part of a Xeriscape plan, and Texas Property Code § 202.007(a)(4) separately voids any homeowners' association rule that bans drought-resistant landscaping or water-conserving natural turf, overriding restrictive covenants across Irving subdivisions.

Key details: Local rule: UDC § 4.5.4(a) allows artificial turf. Applies to: Residential front/side yards facing a street. State law: Tex. Prop. Code § 202.007(a)(4). Nonresidential ban: § 4.5.2(a)(1), no synthetic landscaping credit. Impervious cap: Driveway/sidewalk only, § 4.5.4(b).

There's no city fine tied to installing artificial turf on a qualifying residential yard; the exposure runs the other way. A homeowners' association that keeps enforcing a covenant banning drought-resistant landscaping or water-conserving turf is enforcing a provision state law strips of legal effect under Texas Property Code § 202.007, and a nonresidential developer who substitutes synthetic turf for required landscaping will have that landscape plan rejected at building-permit review under UDC § 4.5.2(e), delaying the permit until real plant material is substituted.

Irving is more permissive than most cities when it comes to artificial turf. That said, there are still limits.

Water Restrictions

Irving limits lawn and landscape irrigation to two days a week, even addresses Tuesday and Saturday, odd addresses Wednesday and Sunday, and bans all watering from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. between April 1 and October 31.

Key details: Watering days: Even: Tue & Sat; odd: Wed & Sun. Daytime ban: 10 a.m.–6 p.m. banned Apr–Oct. No-water days: Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays. Penalty: Up to $2,000 per day. Governing section: Code § 41-14.1.

Watering more than twice weekly, on the wrong day, or between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. from April through October is a misdemeanor fined from $1 to $2,000, with each day a separate offense.

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

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Irving 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.

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