Polk County, IA Invasive Plant Rules: Tree-of-Heaven Removal (2026)
Key Facts
- Restricted species
- Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven)
- Where listed
- Table 10.5, Plant List, invasive trees
- Applies to
- Required landscaping bufferyard plantings
- Reviewing authority
- Zoning Administrator, site plan review
- Governing article
- Article 10, Division 5, Section 1(A)
Summary
Unincorporated Polk County's zoning ordinance excludes tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) from the approved plant list developers must use to meet required landscaping bufferyards. The species is named directly on the county's restricted invasive tree list under Table 10.5.
(A) For each bufferyard listed, a specific combination of canopy trees, understory trees, evergreen trees and shrubs is required and is listed in Table 10.1. A list of plant species grouped by these categories is presented in Table 10.5. Other plant species with a similar character that are recommended for Zone 5a according to the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map are also permitted upon prior approval. Species known to be invasive in Iowa are specifically listed as excluded. ... Invasive Species specifically restricted from being allowed in landscaping plans ... Trees: ... Acer plantoides tree of heaven / Ailanthus altissima European alder
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
5, the county's approved Plant List. The same subsection states plainly that species known to be invasive in Iowa are specifically listed as excluded, and the county backs that up with a named list. 5 carries a heading, 'Invasive Species specifically restricted from being allowed in landscaping plans,' followed by separate shrub and tree columns. Ailanthus altissima, tree of heaven, is printed on the tree portion of that restricted list alongside Russian olive, autumn olive, burning bush, several honeysuckle species, buckthorns, Norway maple and Siberian elm.
4, and a Zoning Administrator reviewing a landscaping plan under Article 10 can reject a plan that specifies it. The rule does not require removal of an existing tree of heaven on private land outside a bufferyard planting plan; it operates at the point of new landscaping design and site plan review, which is where the county's authority under this Article is exercised. Species with a similar character recommended for USDA Hardiness Zone 5a may be substituted upon prior approval, but the invasive list itself is not open to substitution.
Violations & Fines
Landscaping plans and site plans in unincorporated Polk County go through the Zoning Administrator before a certificate of occupancy issues; a plan that specifies an excluded species like tree of heaven can be rejected at that review stage. Article 23 of the ordinance treats a use of land that fails to comply with any Ordinance provision as unlawful. Enforcement runs through a written Notice of Violation from the Zoning Administrator giving a reasonable correction period, escalating to a citation and civil or criminal remedies if the violation is not corrected, with each day of continued non-compliance treated as a separate violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I plant a tree of heaven in unincorporated Polk County?
Does the county require me to remove an existing tree of heaven?
What can I plant instead in a bufferyard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Polk County
Compare Polk County to another location·View the Iowa invasive plant rules overview
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