Apex, NC Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

Use of Native or Adaptive Plant Materials In order to further water conservation and to ensure growth and survival of new plantings, all new landscaping installed pursuant to this chapter shall be comprised entirely of native or adaptive plants that reflect the surrounding plant materials and environment. See the Town of Apex Development and Design Manual for a list of approved native or adaptive plants.

a) Landscaping on Town-Owned Property

All new or replacement landscaping installed on property owned

by or dedicated to the Town of Apex, including public rights-of-

way, parks, open space, and other publicly maintained areas shall

utilize native plant materials, as defined in Sec. 12.2 Terms

Defined. Preference shall be given to species native to North

Carolina where practicable. Plant selections shall be consistent

with the Town of Apex Design and Development Manual. Final

plant selections shall be subject to review and approval by the

Technical Review Committee (TRC) to ensure consistency with

local ecological conditions, maintenance practices, and adopted

long-term sustainability goals.

The following non-native plants shall be exempted from this policy:

(i) Non-native turf grass;

(ii) Replacement of existing non-native plant species that

have been removed or have died, provided such

replacements are of the same species or a functionally

equivalent non-native species, in order to maintain the