Erie, PA Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

The native-plant option sits at the end of Section 206.15(d)(3), the landscaping-standards list for the Industrial Park District. The list opens by requiring that plants generally be 'varieties that are adaptable to the local soil and climate condition and which blend with existing natural growth,' then walks through lettered items A through G covering street trees, building-perimeter trees, parking-area trees, and owner-optional shrubs and ground covers. Item G is the natural-landscaping clause: an owner 'may elect' to treat portions of the site this way, meaning it is optional rather than a citywide mandate, and it can substitute for some of the more manicured planting called for elsewhere in the list.

The catch is the invasive-species carve-out inside the same sentence. Japanese honeysuckle, multiflora rose, and autumn olive are named specifically as plants that 'can become a nuisance,' and the section bars planting or maintaining them on the site at all unless the area is part of designated wetlands. Section 206.15(d)(4) then folds this option back into the district's general upkeep duty: 'All landscaped areas shall be perpetually maintained and in good condition at all times,' so a natural-landscaping area doesn't get a maintenance pass just because it's meant to look wild.