Landscaping Rules in Provo, UT (2026)
5 verified landscaping rules for Provo, Utah, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Tree Trimming
Provo City Code 9.20.050 makes it unlawful to plant, remove, spray, trim, prune, or cut any tree or shrub on city parking strips, parks, or other public property without first obtaining the written consent of the City Forester. Provo's Arboricultural Standards require limbs over streets to clear 13 feet and over sidewalks to clear 8 feet, and all work to follow ANSI A300 and Z133.1 standards.
Written City Forester consent required for street trees
Heavy RestrictionsProvo City Code 9.20.050 (Consent Required), quoted in Provo City Arboricultural Standards and Specifications
Provo City Ordinance Chapter 9.20.050 Consent Required. reads as follows: It shall be unlawful to fill in any parking strip, plant, remove, move, spray, trim, prune, cut above or below ground, fill in any potential planting strip, disturb or alter any tree or shrub on the city parking strips, parks, or any public property, or to cause such acts to be done by others, without first obtaining the ...
Weed Ordinances
Provo City Code Chapter 7.02 (Weed and Refuse Abatement) lets the City inspect for injurious and noxious weeds and serve written notice requiring the owner to remove them within at least 10 days. If the owner fails to comply, the City may abate the weeds itself and bill the owner, with unpaid costs collected through the courts or placed on the property tax notice. Utah Code Title 4, Chapter 17 makes uncontrolled noxious weeds a public nuisance statewide.
Weed and refuse abatement notice and removal
Heavy RestrictionsProvo City Code 7.02.030 (Notice to Property Owners)
7.02.030 Notice to Property Owners. It shall be the duty of the City inspectors to make careful examination and investigation as may be provided hereunder for the growth and spread of injurious and noxious weeds, and of garbage, refuse or unsightly or deleterious objects or structures; and it shall be the inspectors' duty to ascertain the names of the owners and the descriptions of the premises...
Water Restrictions
Provo City Code 10.02.160 makes it unlawful for any water user to waste water through leaks, overflowing troughs, or wasteful running of hydrants and faucets. Under Provo City Code 10.02.220, when water is scarce the Mayor may proclaim restrictions on outdoor (non-domestic) water use, and violators can have their water shut off until they pay a turn-on fee.
Water-waste ban and mayor's scarcity restrictions
Some RestrictionsProvo City Code 10.02.160 (Wasting Water) and 10.02.220 (Scarcity of Water - Mayor's Proclamation)
10.02.160. Wasting Water. It shall be unlawful for any water user to waste water, or to allow it to be wasted by imperfect stops, valves, leaky joints or pipes, or to allow tanks or watering troughs to leak or overflow, or to wastefully run water from hydrants, faucets or stops, or through basins, water closets, urinals, sinks or other apparatus, or to use the water for purposes other than thos...
Native Plants
Provo's landscape design standards push every project toward drought-tolerant and native plantings and let anyone landscaping a street-facing yard choose a xeric design over turf grass, as long as living plants cover at least 40% of the unbuilt area within three years of planting.
Provo Drought-Tolerant and Native Plant Landscaping
Light RestrictionsProvo City Code 15.20.060(3)(b) and (6)
To promote water conservation every effort should be made to use drought-tolerant species that can withstand dry conditions once established. The use of drought-tolerant vegetation is encouraged in required landscape areas, especially in hillside areas. The City Forester shall maintain a current list of drought-tolerant trees and shrubs that are locally available. Water wise landscaping may inc...
Artificial Turf
Provo prohibits artificial turf grass in required landscaped yards citywide, allowing it only on athletic fields and public recreation spaces, and separately bans outdoor carpet as a landscaping substitute.
Provo Bans Artificial Turf in Yards
Heavy RestrictionsProvo City Code 15.20.060(6)(d)-(e)
(6) Xeric landscaping and water wise landscaping is encouraged in all yards if the landscaping plan for yards adjacent to a street meets the following criteria: (a) Living vegetation including turf grass, shrubs, perennials, or ornamental grasses shall cover a minimum of forty percent (40%) of the unbuilt surface area within three (3) years of planting... (d) Artificial turf grass is prohibited...
Looking for Utah County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Provo city rules.
Landscaping Rules in Utah County →