Invasive Plant Rules in Santa Fe, NM (2026)
2 verified invasive plant rules for Santa Fe, New Mexico, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Prohibited Species
Santa Fe's landscape code names two invasive species and shuts the door on them directly: Russian olive and salt cedar may not be sold or installed anywhere within the city limits. Section 14-8.4(F)(3)(b) sits inside the same Plant Material Standards that cap turf grass and steer new landscaping toward drought-tolerant, regionally appropriate species.
Santa Fe Bans Sale of Russian Olive, Salt Cedar
Significant RestrictionsSanta Fe City Code (SFCC 1987) § 14-8.4(F)(3)(b)
(3)Controlled or Prohibited Plant Materials(a)Turf grass sod or turf grass seed mixes installed within the city limits shall contain no more than twenty-five percent Kentucky Bluegrass.(b)Russian Olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) and Salt Cedar (Tamarix spp) shall not be sold or installed within the city limits.
Tree-of-Heaven Removal
Santa Fe doesn't ban tree of heaven outright, but its land development code strips the species of the protection other large trees get. Because the New Mexico Department of Agriculture classifies tree of heaven as a noxious weed, Section 14-8.4(F)(5)(c) exempts it from the city's tree-removal review, and Subsection (F)(5)(g) discourages keeping it at all.
Santa Fe Exempts Tree of Heaven From Tree Rules
Light RestrictionsSanta Fe City Code (SFCC 1987) § 14-8.4(F)(5)(c),(g); § 14-12.1 (definition of "Noxious Weed")
NOXIOUS WEED Any living stage, including seeds and reproductive parts, of any parasitic or other plant designated as a noxious weed by the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, including Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila), Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia), tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) and salt cedar (Tamarix spp.). ... Trees classified by the New Mexico department of agriculture as noxio...