Landscaping Rules in Topeka, KS (2026)
5 verified landscaping rules for Topeka, Kansas, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Tree Trimming
Topeka property owners abutting a street or alley must remove trees, bushes, and weeds growing in the street or alley itself whenever the City Forester determines the vegetation impedes travel.
Topeka Tree Clearance Over Streets
Some RestrictionsTopeka Municipal Code § 12.65.080(a)
It shall be the duty of a private property owner abutting a street or alley to remove vegetation, including trees, bushes, and weeds located in the street or alley where such vegetation impedes travel, as determined by the City Forester. (b) It shall be the duty of a private property owner to treat or remove vegetation including trees, tree materials, or shrubs located upon the owner’s propert...
Tree Removal & Heritage Trees
Developers who clear significant existing trees from a Topeka site must add extra landscape points to their plan, 15 to 25 per tree by size, under TMC § 18.235.070(b).
Topeka Development Tree Removal Points
Some RestrictionsTopeka Municipal Code § 18.235.070(b)
Any existing significant trees removed from the site shall require additional base points above those calculated for the square footage of the developed area. For trees removed between six inches and 12 inches diameter caliper, an additional 15 base points shall be required. For trees removed between 12 inches and 24 inches D.B.H., an additional 20 base points shall be required. For any trees r...
Weed Ordinances
Topeka property owners must keep vegetation under 12 inches tall, and noxious weeds are banned outright, under the city's amended Property Maintenance Code.
Topeka 12-Inch Weed Limit
Some RestrictionsTopeka Municipal Code § 8.60.150 (IPMC § 302.4, Vegetation)
(a) All property shall be maintained free from vegetation in excess of twelve inches in height. (b) All noxious weeds, as defined by the Kansas Department of Agriculture pursuant to K.S.A. 2-1313a and amendments thereto, shall be prohibited. (c) Vegetation means, but is not limited to, weeds, woody vines, volunteer saplings under four to six inches in diameter, shrubs, brush, grass and uncult...
Water Restrictions
Once Topeka declares a Stage 2 water alert, sprinkler irrigation of lawns and landscaping is restricted to alternate days set by street address parity, with narrow exceptions for handheld hoses and buckets.
Topeka's Mandatory Even/Odd Lawn Watering Rule
Some RestrictionsTopeka Municipal Code § 13.10.690(a)(1)
Irrigation utilizing individual sprinklers or sprinkler systems of lawns, gardens, landscaped areas, trees, shrubs or other plants is prohibited except on a designated day which shall be on alternate days. Consumers with even-numbered addresses shall irrigate on even-numbered days. Those with odd-numbered addresses shall irrigate on odd-numbered days...irrigation...is permitted at any time if: ...
Native Plants
Topeka's 12-inch vegetation-height limit does not reach a native-plant garden. TMC 8.60.150(c) defines "vegetation" to exclude "cultivated trees, shrubs and vines and gardens," and specifically carves out areas cultivated for vegetables, fruits, herbs, flowers, ornamental grasses "and native plants," defining a native plant as "any plant indigenous to the local ecosystem." That exemption sits inside the City's amended IPMC Section 302.4.
Topeka's Native-Plant Garden Exemption
Few RestrictionsTopeka Municipal Code § 8.60.150(c)
Vegetation means, but is not limited to, weeds, woody vines, volunteer saplings under four to six inches in diameter, shrubs, brush, grass and uncultivated plants; however this term shall not include cultivated trees, shrubs and vines and gardens, which are defined as areas cultivated for growth of vegetables, fruits, herbs, flowers, ornamental grasses and native plants. A native plant is any p...