Albemarle County, VA Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

County Code Chapter 7, Article 5, Division 1 makes it unlawful under § 7-502 for a property owner to let grass, weeds, brush or other uncontrolled vegetation exceed 12 inches in height on vacant developed property, or on undeveloped property within 75 feet of a public right-of-way or neighboring developed land. Section 7-503 lists exemptions from that division, and subsection (G) covers native-plant landscaping: areas landscaped under an approved plan of natural landscaping, provided the natural landscaping does not encroach within a minimum of five feet from any developed areas, roads, or buildings, and includes and maintains at least 80 percent native plants by area coverage, with the approved plan including a plan to identify and manage native plant material and a plan to manage and eliminate noxious weeds.

Section 7-501 separately defines "natural landscaping" as a managed area specifically set aside by a landowner for conservation purposes, using native plants, aiming to blend residential or commercial property into the natural surroundings. Together the two sections mean a property owner outside Charlottesville and Scottsville who wants a naturalized meadow or pollinator planting instead of a mowed lawn must get a plan approved documenting the 80 percent native-plant coverage, the five-foot buffer from structures and roads, and a noxious-weed management component before the growth can legally exceed 12 inches.

Other automatic exemptions in § 7-503 cover the Rural Areas zoning district, pastureland, forested land, stream buffers, and designated open space, so a native-plant plan is really only necessary on developed lots that would otherwise be subject to the height limit.