Taylor, TX Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)

Sec. 28-33 defines an invasive species as an alien species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm, or harm to human health, using 'exotic,' 'non-native,' and 'noxious' as synonyms, and flatly states that introducing or continuing an invasive species of plant is prohibited by the article. The banned-species list sits in appendix B, organized into prohibited trees, prohibited shrubs, prohibited vines, and other prohibited plants. The prohibited-trees list runs from American Sweetgum and Arizona Ash through Bois d'arc, Boxelder Maple, Bradford Pear, Brazilian Peppertree, Chinaberry, several Chinese species, Eucalyptus, Hackberry, Honey Locust, Honeysuckle, Leland Cypress, Mesquite, Mimosa, Silver Maple, Sycamore, and Tree of Heaven.

Prohibited shrubs include Chinese Photinia, Common Privet, Japanese and Wax Leaf Ligustrum, Nandina berrying varieties, Pyracantha, and Russian Olive; prohibited vines include English Ivy, Japanese Honeysuckle, Kudzu, and non-native Wisteria; and the 'other prohibited plants' category adds additional grasses and aquatic species. Because appendix A's preferred plant list and appendix B's prohibited list are both incorporated into article II by Sec. 28-27(a) and Sec. 28-33, a landscape plan submitted to the community development director under Sec. 28-30 that specifies a banned species cannot be approved, and an already-planted prohibited species found on a site subject to the ordinance is itself an article II violation.