Boise, ID Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- BCC § 11-04-09.3.E(3)(d)
- Also prohibited
- BCC § 11-04-09.3.D(2) tree list
- Applies to
- New development, 50%+ building expansion
- Exempt
- Single-family homes and ADUs
- Approved tree list
- Treasure Valley Tree Selection Guide
- Enforced by
- Planning Director at landscape plan review
Summary
Boise's development code bars invasive, destructive, and exotic plants from every landscape plan required under City Code Section 11-04-09, and separately bans any tree on the Treasure Valley Tree Selection Guide's not-permitted list from streets and parking lots. The Planning Director enforces both rules when reviewing the landscape plan that every covered project must file before a Zoning Certificate, Conditional Use Permit, Variance, or Design Review can be approved.
D. Landscape Material Standards: ... (2) Prohibited Plant Materials: The plants listed as Trees Not Permitted for Rights-of-Way Property Planting in the Treasure Valley Tree Selection Guide are prohibited from being planted along any street or within any parking lot subject to this Section 11-04-09. ... E. Water Conservation Standards: All required landscaping shall be designed to address the physical site characteristics of the property, the needs of those using the property, and the best water-conserving methods for a semi-arid continental climate. ... complying with the following xeriscaping and conservation standards: ... (3) Plant Selection, Plant Location and Efficient Irrigation: ... (d) Invasive, destructive, and exotic plants shall not be installed.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-31: Code current through: Ord. 20-26, passed 6-9-2026).
Full Breakdown
Section 11-04-09 applies to all new residential, mixed-use, and nonresidential construction and to any expansion or alteration that grows an existing multiple-family, mixed-use, or nonresidential building's gross floor area by 50 percent or more; single-family dwellings and accessory dwelling units without multiple primary uses are exempt. A requires a landscape plan for every covered activity regardless of whether the underlying approval is a Zoning Certificate, Certificate of Appropriateness, Conditional Use Permit, Variance, or Minor or Major Design Review, so the invasive-species rule is checked before any permit issues, not after planting.
Two separate clauses reach prohibited species. D(1)(a) adopts the current edition of that guide as the City's approved and recommended tree list, with the Director of Parks and Recreation authorized to approve additional species not yet listed. E(3)(d) states flatly that invasive, destructive, and exotic plants shall not be installed. B lets the City impose compliance with that earlier approval as a condition of any new application on the property.
Violations & Fines
Because compliance is checked at the landscape-plan stage, a plan showing prohibited right-of-way trees or invasive, destructive, or exotic plant species is rejected by the Planning Director and the Zoning Certificate, Conditional Use Permit, Variance, or Design Review approval it supports will not issue until the plan is corrected. On an existing property that is not otherwise changing its landscaping but sits out of compliance with a prior landscape approval, Section 11-04-09.2.B allows the City to condition any new permit application on bringing the nonconforming planting into compliance first.
Frequently Asked Questions
What plants can't be used in a Boise landscape plan?
Does the invasive-plant rule apply to my single-family house?
What list decides which trees are banned?
What happens if invasive species are already planted on my property?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Boise
Compare Boise to another location·View the Idaho invasive plant rules overview
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