Dallas County, TX Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)

Dallas County and its municipalities do not maintain a standalone prohibited plant species list comparable to South Florida counties. However, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension publish invasive species guidance applicable to the North Texas region. Common invasive plants in the Dallas-Fort Worth area include Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense), Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), giant reed (Arundo donax), chinaberry (Melia azedarach), Chinese tallow (Triadica sebifera), Japanese ligustrum, and King Ranch bluestem. The City of Dallas has approved tree and plant lists for new development and public right-of-way landscaping that emphasize native and adapted species for the North Texas climate (USDA Zone 8a). The city's tree preservation ordinance (Article X of the Dallas Development Code) protects significant trees and requires replacements to be approved species. Water conservation considerations in North Texas drought conditions favor native species like Texas red oak, cedar elm, and prairie grasses over water-intensive non-natives.