Apex, NC Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

Apex's native-plant policy is incentive-driven rather than mandatory. The flagship program is Plant the Peak, administered through the Town's Tree CAP (Tree Citizen Advisory Panel), which provides professional installation of native trees on residential single-family properties within Apex's corporate limits at no cost to the owner or tenant. The program covers 100% of the cost of one tree purchase and installation per property, processed first-come, first-served. For 2025, 234 trees were offered; since 2021, the program has installed more than 500 trees community-wide. The Town's selection list prioritizes species native to the NC Piedmont (oaks, hickories, river birch, redbud, dogwood, etc.) consistent with the NC Forest Service Tree City USA program criteria. Within development, Apex UDO Article 8 (Section 8.2 Landscaping, Buffering, and Screening) requires landscape material from an approved plant list, with maintenance responsibility and replacement of damaged vegetation imposed on the property owner. Heritage cultivars and ornamental species are permitted but native species are encouraged through the approved plant palette. Front-yard food gardens and meadow plantings are not generally restricted by Town code (Apex Chapter 14 nuisance abatement still applies if growth becomes uncontrolled), though HOA covenants in many Apex subdivisions impose architectural-review limits.