Anne Arundel County, MD Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

Anne Arundel County's Bureau of Watershed Protection & Restoration promotes native, Chesapeake-Bay-friendly landscaping through the RainScapes rebate program (up to $2,500 for conservation landscaping, rain gardens, tree plantings, and turf-to-meadow conversions). Properties in the 1,000-foot Chesapeake Bay Critical Area must use native species in the required 100-foot buffer and in replanting required for any tree or shrub removal; the county Office of Planning and Zoning maintains an approved species list. Maryland Real Property §2-118 (Low-Impact Landscaping Act) prohibits HOAs from categorically banning pollinator gardens, xeriscape, rain gardens, and native-plant yards, though HOAs may adopt reasonable design standards. The University of Maryland Extension and Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center provide species guidance; invasive removal (English ivy, bamboo, multiflora rose, Japanese stiltgrass) is encouraged and, for bamboo planted after 2010, owners must prevent spread under county tree-canopy rules. Turf grass must still meet the general grass-height ordinance (typically 8 inches in non-meadow yards) — managed meadows benefit from a registered meadow exemption.