Little Rock, AR Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)
Key Facts
- Species listed
- 30-plus, by scientific and common name
- Applies to
- required landscaping, not private yards
- Examples
- kudzu, Bradford pear, privet, English ivy
- Enforced by
- city official under Chapter 15
Summary
Little Rock's landscaping code names over 30 invasive plants -- kudzu, Bradford pear, privet, English ivy, tree of heaven and more -- that cannot be used to satisfy the city's mandatory parking-lot, buffer and site landscaping requirements.
Sec. 15-106. - Invasive plant species.
Ailanthus Altissima Tree of Heaven Lythrum Salicaria Purple Loosestrife Vinca Minor Littleleaf Periwinkle Albizia Julibrissin Mimosa Mahonia Bealei Leatherleaf Mahonia Wisteria Spp Wisteria Celastrus Orbiculatus Oriental Bittersweet Melia Azedarach Chinaberry Tree Elaeagnus Pungens Silverthorn Nandia Domestica Heavenly Bamboo Elaeagnus Umbellate Autumn Olive Paulownia Tomentosa Princess Tree Euonymus Alatus Burning Bush Persicaria Perforliata Mile-a-Minute Euonymus Fortune Winter Creeper Perilla Frutescens Beefsteak Plant Fstuca Arundinacea Tall Fescue Phontinia Serratifolia Chinese Photinia Hedera Helix English Ivy Phyllostachys Spp Bamboo Hesperis Atronalis Dame's Rocket Polygonum Cuspidatum Japanese Knotweed Lespedeza Bicolor Shrubby Lespedeza Pueraria Montana Var. Lobata Kudzu Lespedeza Cuneata Sericea Lespedeza Pyrus Calleryana Callery or Bradford Pear Ligustrum Spp Privet Triadica Sebifera Chinese Tallow Tree Liriope Spicata Running Monkey Grass Rosa Multiflora Multiflora Rose Lonicera Spp Non-Native Honeysuckle Vinca Major Bigleaf Periwinkle
(Ord. No. 22,252, § 8, 4-18-23)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 83).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 15-106 lists more than 30 invasive species by scientific and common name, including Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven), Pueraria montana var. lobata (kudzu), Pyrus calleryana (Callery/Bradford pear), Ligustrum spp. (privet), Hedera helix (English ivy) and Lonicera spp. (non-native honeysuckle). Section 15-6 defines an invasive plant as one that is not native, establishes and spreads quickly, and disrupts plant communities and ecosystems. Under § 15-86, substitute plant material used to meet the city's landscape-area, buffer, or vehicular-use-area planting requirements must not appear on this list. The rule governs plants counted toward required landscaping, not general private planting.
Violations & Fines
A landscape plan or substitute plant list that relies on a listed invasive species for required plantings can be rejected by the city official who administers chapter 15, holding up site plan or landscape approval.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to have these plants in my yard in Little Rock?
What happens if a landscape plan uses a banned species?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Little Rock
Compare Little Rock to another location·View the Arkansas invasive plant rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.