Albany, NY Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing code
- USDO § 375-406(3)(a)(ii)
- Banned sources
- City list + any state invasive list
- Applies to
- Required landscaping, screening, buffering
- Approving official
- Chief Planning Official / City Forester
Summary
Albany's zoning code bans any plant on the City's Prohibited Plant List, or on a state list of invasive or prohibited species, from being installed as required landscaping anywhere in the City.
Plants listed on the City of Albany Prohibited Plant List, as amended, or on any state government list of invasive or prohibited species shall not be installed and shall not be counted towards meeting any landscaping requirement.
(iii) All plant material shall be hardy to the Albany region, suitable for the site, free of disease and insects, and shall conform to the American Standard for Nursery Stock (ASNS) of the American Nursery and Landscape Association for the quality and installation of that plant.
(iv) In all areas where landscaping is required, a minimum of 80% of the surface area shall be covered by living materials, rather than mulch, bark, gravel, or other nonliving material.
(v) The use of synthetic vegetation (plastic plants, etc.) shall not be used to meet any of the required landscaping, screening, or buffering standards.
(vi) Landscape areas, as required by this USDO, shall be designed to be drought-tolerant.
(vii) In the PB-O Pine Bush Overlay District, species chosen from a list of species native to the Albany Pine Bush Preserve maintained by the Pine Bush Preserve Commission.
(b) Soil condition and planting beds.
(i) All landscaping required by this USDO shall be planted in uncompacted soil.
(ii) The planting bed of required trees and shrubs shall be mulched with shredded bark or wood mulch. The planting bed for ground cover plantings, including perennial and annual flowers, shall be mulched.
(iii)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4873446; v61 updated 2026-03-18; through 03-18-2026).
Full Breakdown
Under the Unified Sustainable Development Ordinance's landscaping standards, species on the City of Albany Prohibited Plant List or any state government invasive-species list cannot be installed to satisfy landscaping, screening, or buffering requirements, and don't count toward meeting them even if planted. Trees and shrubs otherwise must come from the City of Albany Selected Plant List approved by the City Forester; the Chief Planning Official can approve alternative species only if they are confirmed non-invasive and climate-hardy. The rule applies whenever new construction, major renovation, or a new four-plus-space parking lot triggers the landscaping section.
Violations & Fines
A landscaping plan that specifies a listed invasive species doesn't satisfy the USDO's landscaping requirement, so the Chief Planning Official can reject the plan and withhold sign-off until compliant, non-invasive plantings are substituted.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I still plant an invasive species on my own property in Albany?
What if my desired species isn't on Albany's Selected Plant List?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Albany
New York rules heatmap·Compare Albany to another location·View the New York invasive plant rules overview
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