Farmington Hills, MI Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

Farmington Hills' approach to native plants is structured around encouragement rather than mandate. The City's Reduce Flooding page expressly promotes native vegetation: 'Consider building rain gardens and planting trees in your yard, which help slow the rainfall, allowing it to soak into the soil instead of entering the storm drain system.' Native species suitable to southeast Michigan and the Rouge River watershed — including swamp milkweed, blue flag iris, bee balm, little bluestem, big bluestem, and switchgrass — are commonly recommended through Oakland County Conservation District and the Friends of the Rouge native-plant programs. There is no Farmington Hills ordinance mandating native species on private property, but the Chapter 17, Article II 8-inch noxious-vegetation standard means a native meadow planting visible from the right-of-way within 100 feet of a platted subdivision, single-family residential condominium, or major road may be cited as noxious vegetation unless it qualifies for a managed-natural-landscape arrangement coordinated with Code Enforcement. Michigan does NOT have a statewide HOA xeriscape protection law — unlike Colorado (CRS 38-33.3-106.5, HB 21-1229, SB 23-178) or Florida (FS 720.3075). Michigan HOAs governed by their declarations and bylaws under MCL 559.101 et seq. (Condominium Act) and MCL 565.451 et seq. (Marketable Record Title Act / restrictive covenants) may impose lawn-aesthetics restrictions on members, subject only to general reasonableness and non-discrimination limits. Homeowners in HOA-governed Farmington Hills neighborhoods should review their declaration before installing a native-plant or naturalized landscape. Rouge River watershed corridor properties are subject to the Michigan Wetlands Protection Act (MCL 324.30101 et seq.) administered by EGLE, which restricts disturbance of regulated wetlands and may require permits for installation or removal of vegetation in wetland or floodplain buffers. The Alliance of Rouge Communities watershed management plan identifies riparian-zone native-plant restoration as a priority.