Lake Havasu City, AZ Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)

The invasive-species ban sits inside § 14.04.04(C)(3), the plant materials standard of the city's Landscaping and Screening Standards article, § 14.04.04. It applies wherever that section applies: any lot larger than 10,000 square feet whose primary use is not a single-family, 2-family, or live-work dwelling, when the lot sees new construction, a floor-area increase over 25%, a relocated structure, a major renovation valued above 25% of assessed value, or a new or reconstructed parking lot of 25 or more spaces. Any development that trips one of those thresholds must submit a landscape plan for city review, and every species on that plan has to clear two filters: it must come from the city's approved water-conserving plant list, or be separately approved through site plan and design review, and it must not appear on the state's invasive list.

The code names the two state bodies that set that second list directly, the Arizona Department of Agriculture's Plant Services Division and the Arizona Invasive Species Advisory Council, so the prohibited-species list tracks whatever those state agencies currently classify as invasive rather than a static roster drawn up by city staff. Unlike the water-conserving list requirement, which the Zoning Administrator can waive case by case through site plan review, the invasive-species prohibition carries no exception in the text. Development Services reviews landscape plans for compliance before issuing a certificate of occupancy, and landscaping must be installed, or bonded at 100% of its cost, before that certificate is granted under § 14.04.04(C)(9).