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Nashville, TN Invasive Plant Rules: Tree-of-Heaven Removal (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Applies to
telecom facility landscape buffers
Species listed
tree of heaven + 14 others
Governing code
Metro Zoning Code Title 17.16
Enforced by
Codes Department site plan review

Summary

Metro Nashville's zoning code bars tree of heaven from landscape buffers required around telecommunications facilities, one of fifteen invasive or nuisance species excluded from that specific planting requirement citywide.

The following plants are prohibited from being used in any district, to buffer a telecommunications facility, including a new microwave or cellular tower due to problems with hardiness, maintenance, or nuisance: Kudzu Vine, Purple Loosestrife, Japanese Honeysuckle, Shrub Honeysuckle, Autumn Olive, Common Privet, Tree of Heaven, Lespedeza, Garlic Mustard, Paulownia, Multiflora Rose, Siberian Elm, Silver Poplar, Mimosa, Mulberry and Silver Maple.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 53 | Charter: Republication 9).

Full Breakdown

Metropolitan Code of Laws § 17.16.080(C)(4)(a)(i) lists tree of heaven among fifteen species, including kudzu vine, common privet, mimosa, and Siberian elm, that cannot be used to satisfy the landscape buffer yard required around telecommunications facilities, towers, and cellular equipment in any zoning district, citing hardiness, maintenance, and nuisance problems. The ban is scoped to that buffer-planting requirement, not a citywide removal mandate. Separately, Metro's general landscaping code, § 17.24.030(A)(4), excludes any species on the Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council's invasive list, which includes tree of heaven, from counting toward the tree density and buffer standards on any site plan.

Violations & Fines

Site plans specifying tree of heaven in a required telecom-facility buffer are rejected on review by the Codes Department; any prohibited plant already installed must be replaced with an approved species before final inspection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I plant tree of heaven near a cell tower buffer in Nashville?
No. Metro's zoning code bars tree of heaven from any landscape buffer required around a telecommunications facility, alongside fourteen other invasive or nuisance species.
Does Metro Nashville ban tree of heaven everywhere?
Not outright. The explicit ban covers only telecom-facility buffer plantings; the broader landscaping code (§ 17.24.030) also excludes any state-listed invasive plant from counting toward required site landscaping generally.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Nashville

Noise Ordinances: Construction HoursSome RestrictionsProhibited SpeciesSome RestrictionsNoise Ordinances: Amplified Music & Outdoor SoundSome RestrictionsParking Rules: EV ChargingSome RestrictionsParking Rules: Towing & Impound RightsSignificant RestrictionsParking Rules: Curb Color RulesSome RestrictionsParking Rules: Loading ZonesSome Restrictions

All Nashville rules

Compare Nashville to another location·View the Tennessee invasive plant rules overview

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