Rockville, MD Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Zoning Ordinance § 25.8.6.8(b)
- Applies to
- Sites under site/Project Plan review
- Responsible party
- Owner or owner's agent
- Species list
- None named: general duty
Summary
Rockville's Zoning Ordinance requires landscaping installed under a site or Project Plan review to be kept free of refuse, debris, and invasive plants, with the owner responsible for ongoing removal and replacement.
All plant material must be tended and maintained in a healthy growing condition, replaced
when necessary and kept free of refuse, debris, and invasive plants.
(c) Fences and walls must be maintained in good repair. Openings within the barriers may be
required by the Chief of Zoning for accessibility to an area for necessary maintenance.
(d) As part of maintenance, the species of landscaping materials may be changed if the
resulting materials will meet the design and intent of Chapter 10.5. Where such changes
are proposed, a revised landscaping plan must be approved by the Chief of Planning in
writing and maintained in the file with the original project approval.
Full Breakdown
This maintenance duty appears in Article 8, Division 8.6 (Landscaping and Screening) of Rockville's 2026 Zoning Ordinance, which governs required landscaping for any development subject to site plan or Project Plan review. The owner or owner's agent must keep all installed plant material healthy and free of refuse, debris, and invasive plants, replacing it when necessary. Rockville does not publish a named list of banned invasive species; the duty is a general upkeep standard tied to approved landscape plans, enforced through the Zoning Ordinance's Article 19 enforcement process rather than a species-specific prohibition.
Violations & Fines
Noncompliant landscaping is enforced under Zoning Ordinance Article 19, Enforcement, which can require a corrective order and reinspection; repeated or unresolved violations can lead to citation or civil penalties through the City's standard code enforcement process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Rockville ban specific invasive plant species by name?
Who must remove invasive plants from required landscaping?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rockville
Compare Rockville to another location·View the Maryland invasive plant rules overview
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