Austin, TX Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

Austin Resource Recovery and Austin Water's Grow Green program publishes the Grow Green Native and Adapted Landscape Plants guide, a 100+ species reference distributed free at nurseries, libraries, and events. Texas Property Code §202.007 bars HOAs from banning xeriscape, drought-tolerant, and native-plant landscaping, though HOAs may regulate dead plant removal and overall appearance. Austin Code Chapter 25-2 requires new multifamily and commercial site plans to achieve minimum tree canopy coverage and a landscape-points system favoring natives. The Heritage Tree Ordinance (Chapter 25-8) protects trees of specific species (pecan, Texas ash, Texas madrone, bigtooth maple, escarpment black cherry, eastern black walnut, bald cypress, Arizona walnut, cedar elm, Mexican sycamore, and others) at 24 inches DBH, one of the strictest heritage-tree laws in the US, requiring arborist review and variance for any removal. Rain gardens, bioswales, and pollinator habitat are eligible for stormwater credits under Watershed Protection. Invasive species (chinaberry, ligustrum, bamboo) are discouraged and must be controlled in restored areas.