Yavapai County, AZ Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)
Key Facts
- Rule
- invasive plants/noxious weeds prohibited (547.A.6)
- Species defined by
- A.R.S. § 3-201 and AZ Dept. of Ag R3-4-245
- County's own list
- none; defers entirely to state definitions
- Review authority
- Development Services Director, plan review
- No variance
- Section 547.D modifications don't cover this ban
Summary
Yavapai County's landscaping standards flatly prohibit invasive plants and noxious weeds on any parcel subject to a landscape plan. Section 547.A.6 doesn't publish its own list of banned species; it incorporates the state's, pointing landowners to the definitions in A.R.S. § 3-201 and Arizona Department of Agriculture Rule R3-4-245.
6. Invasive Plants and Noxious Weeds as defined in ARS 3-201 and under the Arizona Department of Agriculture R3-4-245 are prohibited.
Full Breakdown
§ 3-201 and the Arizona Department of Agriculture's regulatory code at R3-4-245, so a landowner needs to check those state lists, not the county ordinance, to know which species are restricted. The provision sits in Section 547's General Provisions, alongside the section's Defensible Space directive and native-vegetation retention encouragement, so it applies to any parcel required to submit a landscape plan under this section. D allows minor modifications for other landscape standards, since a prohibited species is a state-law violation layered on top of the county's own rule, not merely a site-specific hardship.
Violations & Fines
Planting or maintaining a species banned under A.R.S. § 3-201 or Arizona Department of Agriculture Rule R3-4-245 defeats compliance review of a landscape plan, and the Development Services Director can withhold plan approval under Section 547.B.2 until it is removed. Because Section 547 is part of the Planning and Zoning Ordinance, installing prohibited plant material contrary to an approved plan is also a zoning violation under Section 205.C, exposing the property owner to the Section 206 civil penalty of up to $750 per day for an individual or $10,000 per day for a business.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are invasive plants banned in unincorporated Yavapai County?
Where do I find the actual list of banned species?
Can I get an exception to plant a restricted species?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yavapai County
Compare Yavapai County to another location·View the Arizona invasive plant rules overview
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