Landscaping Rules in Arlington County, VA (2026)

Arlington County Code § 10-15

It shall be the joint and several duty of each owner or occupant of property to cut back or remove trees or parts thereof, hedges, shrubs, vines and other vegetation which encroaches upon any sidewalk, alley, roadway, street or highway and which impairs or obstructs any pedestrian or vehicular traffic. Such growth higher than ten (10) feet above the surface of a walk or roadway need not be remo...

Arlington County Code § 67-5

It shall be unlawful for any person, including any person employed by or under contract to any utility company, to destroy, cut down, girdle, break, bend, wound, or in any manner injure or remove any tree or shrub upon any public right-of-way, any other County-owned public land, or any public vehicular or public pedestrian access easements where the County is responsible for the maintenance of ...

Arlington County Code § 10-13.C

It shall be the duty of each owner of occupied residential and commercial real property to cut the grass or lawn area of less than one-half (1/2) acre on such property within ten (10) days after notice from the County Manager or designee when the growth on such grass or lawn area exceeds twelve (12) inches in height. The County may, if the grass or lawn is not cut, after thirty (30) days' notic...

Arlington County Code § 38.1-11

Upon the adoption of an ordinance by the County Board declaring a water supply emergency, the County Manager is authorized to promulgate and implement, in writing, voluntary or mandatory water consumption restrictions or prohibitions necessary to preserve the ability of the County to provide adequate and acceptable levels of potable water to preserve the public health, safety, and welfare. Wate...

Arlington County Code § 26-122(B)(2)(ii)

B. The County hereby adopts the following system of credits as applied to the utility fee for applicable properties: ... 2. Voluntary Credits: ... ii. Single Family Residential Attached and Detached property credits are available for the following voluntary actions if they meet the requirements and regulations as laid out in the credit manual, up to a total of no more than thirty-five percent (...

Arlington County Code § 10-12

“Lawn Area” means an area of land planted predominantly with grasses that form a uniform, long lived groundcover that can tolerate foot traffic and low mowing heights (usually three inches or below), but not a planned, intentional, and maintained planting of grasses, wildflowers, forbs, ferns, shrubs, and trees, including but not limited to rain gardens, conservation landscaping, native plant g...