Brunswick County, NC Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

5, Design of Landscaping and Buffers, the county states that plant selection and design 'shall be according to sound landscape and horticultural principles' and that native vegetation and lower-maintenance materials are the preferred choice for satisfying required landscaping. This standard governs landscape plans submitted with site plans for multifamily development, nonresidential development, major subdivisions and planned developments in unincorporated Brunswick County; it is not a residential-yard mandate for every homeowner. Required plant material must be drawn from the county's approved plant lists in UDO Appendix B (Canopy Trees, Understory Trees and Shrubs), which are built around hardy, predominantly native species; a landscape architect or other qualified designer must prepare the plan and detail the name, location and size of each plant.

C. 6 carries the native-planting incentive into maintenance: where a required buffer uses non-native or non-drought-tolerant native vegetation, the owner must install an irrigation system, while plantings selected as drought-tolerant natives carry no such irrigation mandate. A and B. The county issues no permanent certificate of occupancy until all required seeding, trees and plant material are installed per the approved plan, though a 120-day temporary certificate (extendable 90 more days by the Planning Director) is available when the planting season has not yet arrived. This entire framework sits inside the CAMA-adopted Land Use Plan implementation but is a county ordinance in its own right, distinct from any state coastal permitting requirement.