Ocean County, NJ Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

Ocean County sits within two significant conservation frameworks. The Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan (Pinelands Commission, N.J.A.C. 7:50) covers southern Ocean County (Manchester, Lacey, Berkeley, Little Egg Harbor, Stafford, Eagleswood, Barnegat, and parts of others) and restricts landscaping in Preservation and Forest Area zones to native Pine Barrens species (pitch pine, oak, lowbush blueberry, etc.). The Barnegat Bay Partnership (EPA National Estuary Program) actively promotes 'Jersey-Friendly Yards' — native, low-fertilizer, low-irrigation landscaping to reduce nitrogen runoff into the bay. Rutgers Cooperative Extension (Ocean County office in Toms River) provides native plant guides. Rebates for turf replacement are intermittently available. New Jersey Fertilizer Law (N.J.S.A. 58:10A-64) restricts fertilizer with phosphorus and limits nitrogen application timing (banned December through February) and total annual load — particularly relevant for Ocean County bay-watershed properties. HOAs generally cannot ban reasonable native plantings, and NJ public policy favors stormwater-friendly landscape design.