Baytown, TX Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- ULDC Sec. 3.41.E.2-3, Appendix A
- Prohibited list
- Appendix A, Table A-6
- Also excluded
- Texas State Noxious Weed List species
- Waiver available
- None; addition to list is barred
- Applies to
- Required landscape plans, new development
Summary
Baytown's ULDC bars developers from using any species on Appendix A's Table A-6 Prohibited Plants List in required landscaping, and the Planning Director cannot add a species to the Approved Plant List if it appears on that table or the Texas State Noxious Weed List.
E. Approved, Allowed, and Prohibited Plants. 3. Prohibited Plants. Plant species that are listed as prohibited in the Plant List are not allowed and may not be requested for addition to the Approved Plant List.
G. Prohibited Plants. Table A-6, Prohibited Plants, sets out the plants that are prohibited in all landscape areas. [Table A-6 Common Name column:] Alligatorweed / Balloonvine / Branched Broomrape / Brazilian Peppertree / Callery "Bradford" Pear / Camelthorn / Chinese Tallow Tree / Eurasian Watermilfoil / Field Bindweed / Giant Duckweek / Giant Reed (Poaceae) / Hedge Bindweed / Hyacinth, Rooted Water / Hyacinth, Floating Water / Hydrilla / Itchgrass / Japanese Dodder / Kudzu / Lagarosiphon / Paperbark / Purple Loosestrife / Saltcedar / Salvinia / Serrated Tussock / Torpedograss / Tropical Soda Apple / Water Spinach / Waterlettuce
Full Breakdown
Sec. E of the Unified Land Development Code governs approved, allowed, and prohibited plants for every required landscape installation in Baytown, including foundation plantings, parking lot landscaping, site landscaping, and bufferyards. Under Sec. S. Department of Agriculture nor the ULDC's own Prohibited Plant List. Sec. 3 makes the prohibition absolute: plant species listed as prohibited in the Plant List are not allowed anywhere in required landscaping and cannot be petitioned for addition to the Approved Plant List, closing off any case-by-case waiver. Appendix A, Sec.
' The table's common-name column includes well-known Texas invasives such as Alligatorweed, Balloonvine, Brazilian Peppertree, Callery 'Bradford' Pear, Chinese Tallow Tree, Eurasian Watermilfoil, Giant Reed, Hydrilla, Kudzu, Purple Loosestrife, Saltcedar, Salvinia, Torpedograss, Tropical Soda Apple, Water Spinach, and Waterlettuce. 41, covering new commercial, mixed-use, apartment, and industrial development outside the ER district and outside the HI district's exempted industrial uses.
Violations & Fines
The Planning Director reviews every required landscape plan against Appendix A before signing off on site plan or plat approval; a plan that specifies a Table A-6 species is rejected outright under Sec. 3.41.E.3, and no variance or Approved Plant List addition is available for a listed species. Building officials will not issue a permanent certificate of occupancy under Sec. 3.41.D until the approved (non-prohibited) landscaping shown on the plan is installed and verified on site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Baytown developer petition to use a species on the prohibited plant list?
What plants are banned from Baytown's required landscaping?
Does Baytown's prohibited plant list only cover new construction?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Baytown
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Baytown to another location·View the Texas invasive plant rules overview
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