Little Rock, AR Invasive Plant Rules: Bamboo Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Regulating section
- Sec. 15-106, invasive plant species list
- Bamboo listed
- Phyllostachys spp. and Nandina domestica
- Applies to
- Required landscape/vehicular-use-area plantings
- No citywide ban
- No general private-property bamboo ban
Summary
Little Rock's landscaping code lists bamboo (Phyllostachys spp.) as an invasive species that cannot be used to satisfy any required landscape planting.
Sec. 15-106. - Invasive plant species. ... Nandia Domestica / Heavenly Bamboo ... Phyllostachys Spp / Bamboo ...
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 83).
Full Breakdown
City code Sec. 15-106 names Phyllostachys spp. (bamboo) and Nandina domestica (heavenly bamboo) on its invasive plant species list. Sec. 15-6 defines invasive species by reference to that list, and Sec. 15-86 bars any plant on the Sec. 15-106 list from being used to meet vehicular-use-area landscaping requirements. There is no separate citywide planting ban, setback, or neighbor-liability rule for bamboo outside required landscape compliance areas.
Violations & Fines
Using listed invasive species, including bamboo, to satisfy a required landscape plan is out of compliance; the city official reviewing the plan can reject the substitution and require compliant plant material instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I plant bamboo in my yard in Little Rock?
Is heavenly bamboo (Nandina) restricted too?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Little Rock
Compare Little Rock to another location·View the Arkansas invasive plant rules overview
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