Rutherford County, TN Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Zoning Ordinance § 1104 D.2
- List custodian
- Rutherford County Planning Department
- Exception
- Existing listed-species trees keep tree credits
- Review trigger
- Site plan / landscaping plan under Chapter 14
Summary
Any landscaping plan filed with unincorporated Rutherford County cannot include a tree species on the Planning Department's "do not plant tree list" under Zoning Ordinance Section 1104 D.2. Existing trees of a listed species already on the site can still count toward required tree credits.
2. Prohibited Plants Landscape plans shall not include any tree on the "do not plant tree list" with the exception of existing trees on the site which may still be considered for tree credits under Subsection 1104 G. The "do not plant tree list" shall be maintained on file in the Planning Department.
Full Breakdown
" That list is not printed in the ordinance text itself; it is maintained on file in the Planning Department, which reviews every landscaping plan required under Chapter 14's site plan process. The prohibition carries one carve-out: existing trees already on a site that happen to be on the do-not-plant list may still be considered for tree credits under Section 1104 G, the county's system that lets a developer count healthy existing trees of 4 inches in caliper or greater toward the number of new trees a site plan would otherwise require.
In practice this means the prohibition operates forward, blocking new plantings of listed species, while grandfathering what already grows on a lot. Because a landscaping plan must be prepared by a licensed landscape architect once building floor area exceeds 50,000 square feet, or when a developer seeks an alternative compliance method under Section 1104 I, the do-not-plant check is folded into that professional review before Planning and Engineering signs off on the site plan. The county has not staged a separate freestanding invasive-species ordinance outside this zoning provision.
Violations & Fines
A landscaping plan that specifies a tree from the Planning Department's do-not-plant list can be rejected at site plan review under Section 1104 D.2, requiring the applicant to revise the plant palette before the plan is approved. Because the list is checked during Planning Department review rather than after planting, the practical consequence is a delayed or denied site plan rather than a fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Rutherford County's list of prohibited landscape trees published?
Can an existing tree on the prohibited list stay on a property?
Does the county have a separate invasive species ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rutherford County
Compare Rutherford County to another location·View the Tennessee invasive plant rules overview
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