Cary, NC Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)
Key Facts
- General height cap
- 8 inches
- Exempt: landscaped areas
- non-grass, intentionally planted
- Exempt: heavily wooded lots
- too dense to mow
- Must not encroach
- ROW or neighboring lots
- Enforced by
- Town Manager, Chapter 18
Summary
The Town of Cary exempts intentionally planted landscaped areas and heavily wooded lots from its 8-inch vegetation height cap, letting Wake and Chatham County residents keep native or naturalized plantings instead of mowed turf.
No responsible person shall allow or maintain any vegetation to exceed eight inches in height unless it is located: (1) Within a heavily wooded lot or landscaped area... Landscaped areas and heavily wooded lot vegetation shall not grow upon, overhang, or otherwise encroach into the public right-of-way nor into adjoining properties.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2023 S-87_S-57: Current through local ordinance 2022-Code-05, passed 11-17-2022 and effective 11-17-2022 | LDO: Current through local ordinance 2022-LDO-04, passed 11-17-22 and effective 11-17-22).
Full Breakdown
Cary's public-health nuisance code caps unmanaged vegetation at 8 inches, but Sec. 18-6 carves out landscaped areas, defined as intentionally planted, cultivated, or maintained vegetation other than grass, and heavily wooded lots too dense for mowers. The exemption is conditional: the bed or wooded lot must be regularly maintained so it never becomes a nuisance, and it cannot grow, overhang, or encroach into the public right-of-way or a neighboring property. The Town Manager enforces this chapter and it applies only inside Cary's corporate limits.
Violations & Fines
Failure to abate a cited nuisance can bring a $250 civil penalty plus an additional $250 for each day it remains unabated, collectible as a civil debt; there is no criminal penalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I replace my lawn with a native plant garden in Cary, NC?
Does the exemption cover an unmown, weedy yard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cary
Compare Cary to another location·View the North Carolina landscaping rules overview
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Native Plants in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Wake County handle native plants.