Marysville's Landscaping Rules: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles landscaping rules a little differently. In Marysville, Washington, 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.

Water Restrictions

Marysville bans sprinkling or irrigating lawns, ground cover or shrubbery between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., and on any day outside the annual rotation schedule the city announces, under Marysville Municipal Code § 14.09.050(5). The ban applies to every property connected to the city water system, inside or outside city limits, and sits alongside a runoff ban and other nonessential-use prohibitions in the same chapter.

Key details: No-watering window: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily. Allowed watering days: set by city's annual rotation schedule. Governing section: MMC § 14.09.050(5). Civil infraction penalty: up to $50.00 per violation. Reconnection fee after shutoff: $50.00.

Under MMC § 14.09.060, the city must first mail written notice to the customer's billing address describing the violation and a deadline to correct it. A customer who ignores the notice, or repeats a violation within six months, can have a flow restrictor installed on their service line at their own cost, or have water service disconnected outright, with a $50.00 fee to reconnect. Any violation is also a civil infraction carrying a monetary penalty of up to $50.00, with each day of continued violation counted as a separate infraction; enforcement proceeds under MMC Title 4.

Tree Trimming

Marysville requires the adjacent property owner to maintain and irrigate required street trees, and to keep landscaping between curb and sidewalk trimmed clear between three and eight feet off the ground for visibility.

Key details: Clear view zone: 3 to 8 feet off ground. Maintenance duty: Adjacent property owner. Governing section: MMC § 22C.120.140. Applies to: Required street trees/frontage.

Letting street-tree branches or landscaping grow into the required three-to-eight-foot clear view zone, or failing to maintain and irrigate required street trees as the adjacent property owner, is a maintenance violation of MMC § 22C.120.140 enforceable by the community development department.

Native Plants

Marysville requires xeriscape landscaping in commercial, multifamily, and shared common areas to use at least 50 percent native plants, cutting irrigation demand and favoring low-water species suited to local soils.

Key details: Minimum native plants: 50% of xeriscape area. Applies to: Commercial, multifamily, shared areas. Exempt: Private single-family/middle housing yards. Enforced by: Community development department.

Landscaping plans that fall short of the 50 percent native-plant threshold in covered project types are rejected by community development staff during site plan review before permits issue.

Rainwater Harvesting

Marysville doesn't mandate rainwater harvesting, but commercial buildings that install a qualifying system get at least a 10% cut on their surface water utility bill.

Key details: Minimum reduction: 10% of utility rate. Eligible buildings: New/remodeled commercial only. Approval authority: Public works director. Design standard: WSBCC 2002 nonresidential guidelines.

Not applicable: this is an optional rate incentive, not a mandate. Property owners who skip a rainwater harvesting system simply pay the standard surface water utility rate; there is no penalty for non-participation.

Marysville is more permissive than most cities when it comes to rainwater harvesting. That said, there are still limits.

Tree Removal & Heritage Trees

When Marysville, Washington approves removing a significant tree from a new subdivision, the applicant must replace its lost function: either with a planting plan on another part of the site or by paying into the city's tree fund.

Key details: Trigger: director-approved removal of a significant tree. Mitigation option 1: planting plan on alternative site. Mitigation option 2: payment into city tree fund. Applies to: new subdivisions and short subdivisions only. Governing code: Marysville Municipal Code § 22G.090.570(2)(d).

Marysville ties this mitigation to plat approval itself: the community development director won't sign off on removal without an accepted planting plan or tree-fund payment, and Title 22 violations are enforceable under MMC § 4.02.040.

Weed Ordinances

Landscaping installed to meet Marysville's development code must be kept weed- and debris-free, with dead or diseased plants replaced within 30 days, under the city's Unified Development Code landscaping-maintenance rule.

Key details: Governing section: MMC § 22C.120.180. Duty: Keep required landscaping weed-free. Dead plants: Replace within 30 days. Responsible party: Owner, agent, or assign.

Failing to maintain required landscaping in a healthy condition, or letting weeds and debris accumulate in it, violates MMC § 22C.120.180 and is enforced through the city's standard code-compliance process.

The Bottom Line

Marysville'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 Marysville is broadly strict or permissive.

These rules come from Marysville's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.