Wichita, KS Landscaping Rules: Artificial Turf (2026)

06 of the Code of the City of Wichita sets the landscaping standards that apply to new construction, additions, and parking lot expansions in Wichita and unincorporated Sedgwick County. Sec. 070 lists 'Other landscape regulations' that apply on top of the tree and buffer counts elsewhere in the chapter, and item B is unambiguous: artificial trees, shrubs, vines, turf, or other plants cannot be used as an outside Landscape Material to satisfy those requirements. Only living plant material, or nonliving accents like bark, wood chips, rock, brick, or stone as defined in Sec.

020, count toward required Landscaped Street Yards, buffers, and parking-lot screening. The prohibition sits alongside other Sec. 070 restrictions: Siberian elm and female or cotton-bearing cottonwoods cannot be planted in required landscape areas, plantings within three feet of a fire hydrant or utility structure are capped at eight inches of mature height, and landscape plans must be submitted to the Metropolitan Area Planning Department showing plant names, sizes, and irrigation. Before any building permit, certificate of occupancy, or inspection is finalized, the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (MABCD) must inspect and confirm the installed landscaping matches the approved plan under Sec.

110; the City can withhold those approvals or issue a stop-work order under Sec. 120 until the chapter's requirements, including the artificial-material ban, are met. A property owner who disagrees with how the rule is applied can appeal to the Board of Zoning Appeals under Sec. 140.