Erie County does not regulate native versus non-native landscaping; planting choices are governed only by any local town ordinances. The county's role is advisory: the Soil & Water Conservation District sells native trees and shrubs, and Cornell Cooperative Extension teaches native-plant gardening.
There is no Erie County ordinance mandating or restricting native plants in home landscapes. Front-yard and landscaping standards, where they exist, come from individual town, village, or city codes. What the county offers is support for native and pollinator plantings: the Erie County Soil & Water Conservation District runs an annual seedling sale with 32 species of conservation trees and shrubs plus wildflower mixes chosen to shelter birds, butterflies, and wildlife. Cornell Cooperative Extension trains Master Gardener volunteers on native plants. These programs are voluntary and educational. If you plan a native meadow or no-mow lawn, verify it against your town's weed code, since the statewide 10-inch standard applies unless the town allows managed natural areas.
No county penalties, as native planting is not regulated at the county level. The only constraint is your town or village property-maintenance code, which may treat tall unmanaged growth as a weed violation under the statewide 10-inch standard.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Erie County, NY
Animal hoarding in Erie County is investigated by the SPCA Serving Erie County and prosecuted as cruelty by the Erie County District Attorney's Animal Cruelt...
Erie County, NY
The Erie County Department of Health treats improper bird and wildlife feeding as a rodent attractant and public-health nuisance and investigates complaints ...
Erie County, NY
Erie County does not license cats, but New York law requires every cat to be rabies-vaccinated, and the county Health Department runs free rabies clinics for...
Erie County, NY
Erie County sets no numeric limit on household pets. Any cap on the number of dogs or cats comes from a town, city, or village ordinance, while state law req...
Erie County, NY
Erie County imposes no countywide livestock ordinance. Keeping cattle, horses, goats, pigs, or other farm animals is controlled by each town, city, or villag...
Clarence, NY
Clarence Town Code prohibits keeping chickens in the Residential Single-Family (R-SF) zone unless the parcel is at least 5 acres or is located in the Agricul...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Erie County.
See how Clarence's native plants rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.