Landscaping Rules in Sedona, AZ (2026)
8 verified landscaping rules for Sedona, Arizona, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Tree Trimming
Sedona's Land Development Code makes tree and shrub maintenance a permanent duty of the property owner, not a courtesy: vegetation must be pruned so it never blocks traffic sight lines, tangles utility lines, or heaves sidewalks and pavement as it matures. Trees may not encroach into a required sidewalk, trail, or walkway's minimum width, and failure to maintain landscaping is itself a code violation.
Sedona Tree and Sidewalk Clearance Duty
Some RestrictionsSedona Land Development Code § 5.6.C(4)d
3. Failure to maintain approved landscaping shall constitute a violation of this LDC. ... ... 5. All plants shall be allowed to grow in natural patterns. Over-pruning or pruning plants into unnatural shapes is prohibited. 6. Vegetation shall be selected, placed, and maintained, so that at maturity it does not interfere with utility lines, buildings, traffic sight lines, vehicular parking, pedes...
Tree Removal & Heritage Trees
Sedona bars removing any existing tree, or stripping topsoil, without a site development, tree removal, grading, or landscape plan, and even then a tree can only come out if it meets one of four listed criteria under the Land Development Code's Tree Preservation standards.
Sedona Tree Removal Requires a Plan
Significant RestrictionsSedona Land Development Code § 5.6.C(5)a.1, b
1. No existing trees on any lot or parcel shall be removed and no person shall strip, excavate, grade, or otherwise remove top soil from a site without a site development plan, a tree removal plan, a grading plan, or a landscape plan. ... No existing trees shall be removed from any lot or parcel except those that meet one or more of the following criteria: 1. The tree is located in an area wher...
Weed Ordinances
Sedona caps weeds, tall grass and uncultivated growth visible from public property at 12 inches, and declares taller growth a public nuisance along with dead or fire-hazard landscaping. The city can order it cleared and bill the owner if it isn't.
Sedona Weed & Tall Grass Height Limit
Some RestrictionsSedona City Code § 8.10.020(D); abatement procedure § 8.10.210
D. Any landscaping, visible from public property, that is substantially dead, damaged, or characterized by uncontrolled growth, or presents a deteriorated appearance, or which presents a fire hazard; uncultivated plants, weeds, tall grass, uncultivated shrubs or growth (whether growing or otherwise) higher than 12 inches; or any hazardous dead trees; ... ... A. The owner, lessee, or occupant of...
Water Restrictions
Sedona's Land Development Code limits lawn or turf coverage to 10 percent of a project's overall landscape area to conserve water, with a floodplain exception and a Director waiver available when the grass species and irrigation method are shown to use little water.
Sedona Caps Turf at 10% of Landscaping
Some RestrictionsSedona Land Development Code § 5.6.C(1)k
k. Water Conservation 1. Lawn or turf area shall not exceed 10 percent of the overall landscape area of a project site, except within the 500-year floodplain of Oak Creek as designated by FEMA. 2. The Director may allow greater areas of lawn or turf if it can be demonstrated that the grass species and irrigation methods will not demand high water usage.
Rainwater Harvesting
Sedona lets homeowners install rainwater harvesting tanks in side and rear setback areas, but the Land Development Code caps how close and how tall they can be. The rule sits inside the citywide setback-exceptions table, alongside solar and geothermal equipment.
Sedona Rainwater Harvesting Tank Rules
Light RestrictionsSedona Land Development Code § 2.24.D(4)(b)
Ground‐mounted solar and geothermal equipment, and rainwater harvesting tanks ... In any district, ground-mounted solar and geothermal equipment may project into the side or rear setback area provided such equipment is not located closer than five feet to any property line and no more than eight feet in height if located within the setback area.
Native Plants
Sedona's Land Development Code makes half of every development site's plantings native species drawn from the city's Administrative Manual, rising to 75 percent in the Oak Creek Zoning District, so a landscape plan that falls short of the ratio cannot pass review.
Sedona Requires 50% Native Landscaping
Some RestrictionsSedona Land Development Code § 5.6.C(1)b.1-2
1. Native Plant Species A minimum of 50 percent of the plants on a development site shall be native species identified in the Administrative Manual. ... 2. In the OC Zoning District i. A minimum of 75 percent of the plants on a development site shall be native species appropriate to the riparian or upland vegetation setting.
Artificial Turf
Sedona's landscaping standards ban artificial trees, shrubs, and plants outright but carve out one specific exception: artificial turf is not covered by that prohibition, so synthetic lawn areas are allowed under Section 5.6.C(1)b.5 of the Land Development Code wherever the section applies.
Sedona Allows Artificial Turf, Bans Fake Plants
Few RestrictionsSedona Land Development Code § 5.6.C(1)b.5
5. Artificial Plant Materials Artificial trees, shrubs, or plants (not including artificial turf) are prohibited.
Composting
Sedona has no standalone composting ordinance, but its wildlife-feeding law exempts "compost piles that are fully contained and made inaccessible to wildlife" from the citywide ban on feeding or attracting wildlife under SCC § 6.15.040(G). An open or accessible pile loses that exemption and becomes a violation.
Sedona's Compost Pile Wildlife Rule
Light RestrictionsSedona City Code §§ 6.15.010, 6.15.040(G), 6.15.050
“Edible material” means any human or animal food, food by-product, animal carcasses, salt, organic material, refuse, garbage or water. ... This chapter does not apply to: ... ... G. Compost piles that are fully contained and made inaccessible to wildlife. ... The exceptions do not apply to any person who knows or has reason to know that an activity is attracting wildlife other than birds or tre...
Looking for Yavapai County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Sedona city rules.
Landscaping Rules in Yavapai County →