Landscaping Rules in Memphis, TN (2026)
3 verified landscaping rules for Memphis, Tennessee, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Tree Trimming
Memphis bars topping any public tree and requires that any pruning done to fix a safety hazard, protect power lines, or clear street lighting follow ANSI pruning standards, per Code Sec. 12-70-4. Topping is allowed only as a last resort, when ANSI-compliant pruning can't solve the problem.
Memphis Public Tree Pruning Requirements
Some RestrictionsMemphis Code of Ordinances § 12-70-4
No person shall top any public tree. Any tree requiring pruning to ameliorate any public safety issues, to ensure the safe distribution of public energy, to remove obstruction of street lights from any lamps or other public obstruction, shall be pruned according to ANSI standards. Topping a tree shall be used only when pruning by ANSI standards fail to address the foregoing issues.
Tree Removal & Heritage Trees
Memphis's tree ordinance, Chapter 12-70 of the Code, creates the seven-member Memphis Tree Board to advise on planting, maintenance, and conservation of public trees, and gives the city authority under Sec. 12-70-3 to plant, prune, maintain, and remove trees, plants, and shrubs on public property whenever needed for safety or to preserve the site's appearance.
Memphis Public Tree Protection Ordinance
Light RestrictionsMemphis Code of Ordinances §§ 12-70-2, 12-70-3
It shall be the responsibility of the Memphis Tree Board to serve as an advisory board and recommend policies and practices to the director of park services and neighborhoods that have positive contributions to the establishment, management, enhancement, maintenance, and conservation of public trees in the City of Memphis... Sec. 12-70-3. - Public tree care. The city shall have the right to pla...
Weed Ordinances
Memphis caps weeds, rank grass and noxious growth at 12 inches on lots up to two acres, and at six inches on grass walkways next to city streets. Owners who ignore a five-day cutting notice face a misdemeanor and a city cutting crew that bills the cost as a lien.
Memphis Grass and Weed Height Limit
Some RestrictionsMemphis Code of Ordinances § 9-96-3 — Height to which grass must be cut
A. Small tracts of land, whether improved or unimproved, within the city shall be maintained to insure that weeds, rank grass and noxious growth do not exceed a height of not more than 12 inches. "Small tracts" are defined as building lawns, sidewalk, neutral strips, walkways, gardens, decorative landscaped areas and unimproved lots of two acres or less. B. Grass walkways abutting the city stre...
Looking for Shelby County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Memphis city rules.
Landscaping Rules in Shelby County →