Landscaping Rules in Scottsdale, AZ (2026)
7 verified landscaping rules for Scottsdale, Arizona, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Tree Trimming
Scottsdale makes the owner of property next to a street responsible for mowing and trimming the plants and trees on the adjacent right-of-way, and separately bars any tree, hedge or shrub from interfering with public use of that right-of-way at all.
Scottsdale Tree Trimming Over the Right-of-Way
Some RestrictionsScottsdale Code of Ordinances § 47-47(c)
The owner of property adjacent to the right-of-way shall conduct routine property maintenance to keep the property and adjacent right-of-way in an orderly and safe condition, including:(1)Mowing and trimming plants and trees,(2)Weeding,(3)Replacing dead plants,(4)Removing litter and debris, and(5)Sweeping.
Tree Removal & Heritage Trees
Scottsdale's Native Plant Ordinance (Chapter 46, Article V) protects indigenous desert plants citywide. Removal or relocation of protected native plants requires a Native Plant program submission. Violations carry fines up to $10,000. The ordinance covers saguaro cacti, palo verde trees, mesquite, ironwood, and dozens of other protected species.
Scottsdale Tree and Native Plant Removal Regulations
Heavy RestrictionsAriz. Rev. Stat. Sec. 3-904 (Destruction of Protected Native Plants by Private Landowners)
A. This chapter does not prevent the destruction of protected native plants or clearing of land or cleaning or removing protected native plants by the owner of the land or the owner's agent if: 1. The land is in private ownership. 2. The protected native plants are not transported from the land or offered for sale. 3. The owner or the owner's agent notifies the department pursuant to this secti...
Weed Ordinances
Scottsdale's property maintenance code caps grass at six inches under Sec. 18-9(a)(4), banning poison oak, poison ivy and weeds along with any dead, dry or overgrown plant growth on any land in the city. Sec. 18-9(b) extends the same limit to the adjacent street right-of-way through to the centerline of the alley.
Scottsdale Weed and Grass Height Limit
Some RestrictionsScottsdale Code of Ordinances § 18-9
(a)The owner and/or occupant of land shall maintain the land free of:...(4)Grass higher than six (6) inches, poison oak, poison ivy, and weeds; or plant growth that is dead, dry, uncultivated or overgrown.(b)In addition to the requirements of subsection 18-9(a) above, the owner and/or occupant of land shall also maintain the following areas free of grass higher than six (6) inches, poison oak, ...
Water Restrictions
Scottsdale caps how much of a lot can be planted in water-intensive landscape or turf. For a new single-family home permitted on or after August 15, 2023, Sec. 49-248 confines that turf to a fenced or walled rear or side yard, while separate percentage caps in Secs. 49-245 through 49-247 apply to schools, resorts, commercial lots and model homes.
Scottsdale Water-Intensive Landscape Limits
Some RestrictionsScottsdale Code of Ordinances § 49-248
For any new Single-Family Residential home issued a building permit on or after August 15, 2023, Water Intensive landscape/Turf shall only be located in rear or side yards that are fully enclosed with a fence or wall that is minimum of three feet in height. Subsection A shall not apply to Single-Family Residential homes already permitted or constructed prior to August 15, 2023.
Rainwater Harvesting
Scottsdale folds rainwater harvesting into its stormwater and floodplain rules rather than regulating it separately. Development must generally provide stormwater storage sized for a 100-year, 2-hour storm, but the Floodplain Administrator can approve rainwater harvesting as a substitute for some or all of that required storage.
Scottsdale Stormwater and Rainwater Harvesting Rule
Some RestrictionsScottsdale Code of Ordinances §§ 31-143 (IGCC § 501.3.4), 37-56
501.3.4 Stormwater management. Stormwater management systems, including, but not limited to infiltration, evapotranspiration; rainwater harvesting, collection and use shall comply with Scottsdale Revised Code, Chapter 37. ... Sec. 37-56. - Alternative stormwater management measures. The Floodplain Administrator may allow alternative stormwater management measures, including, but not limited to,...
Native Plants
Scottsdale's Native Plant Ordinance (Chapter 46, Article V) is one of the most comprehensive in Arizona, protecting dozens of indigenous desert plant species. The Zoning Ordinance Article X (Landscaping Requirements) mandates native and drought-tolerant plantings in new development. Violations of native plant protections carry fines up to $10,000.
Scottsdale Native Plant Protection and Landscaping
Heavy RestrictionsAriz. Rev. Stat. Sec. 3-904 (Destruction of Protected Native Plants by Private Landowners)
A. This chapter does not prevent the destruction of protected native plants or clearing of land or cleaning or removing protected native plants by the owner of the land or the owner's agent if: 1. The land is in private ownership. 2. The protected native plants are not transported from the land or offered for sale. 3. The owner or the owner's agent notifies the department pursuant to this secti...
Composting
Scottsdale's code allows composting as one lawful way to dispose of animal waste from pens, stables, yards and cages, as long as it happens often enough to prevent a nuisance or health hazard. The code defines composting narrowly as a controlled condition where organic material decomposes and stabilizes.
Scottsdale Animal Waste Composting Rule
Light RestrictionsScottsdale Code of Ordinances § 24-16(e)(3)
(3)All animal wastes shall be removed from pens, stables, yards, cages and other enclosures and disposed of in the prescribed manner or by composting as often as necessary to prevent occurrence of a public nuisance or health hazard.
Looking for Maricopa County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Scottsdale city rules.
Landscaping Rules in Maricopa County →