Franklin County, NC Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

UDC Section 6.5.3 sets planting standards for any development that must file a tree or landscape plan, which Section 6.5.3.C requires for residential subdivisions and for business, office-institutional, industrial and multifamily development, plus non-residential uses sited in a residential district. Within those planting standards, the code directs that where new landscape material is installed, it should be compatible with plant material already existing on the property and on adjoining properties, and adds that use of native plant materials is encouraged; in the same sentence it draws a hard line that no synthetic plants should be used to satisfy the landscaping requirements.

That native-plant push echoes the purpose section for the whole landscaping article, which states one goal of the tree preservation regulations is providing a variety of native tree species in the landscape, and the county's street tree rules go further by specifically encouraging native, drought-tolerant species and directing that street trees be selected from those recommended for North Carolina by the state's Division of Forest Resources. A tree or landscape plan must be submitted to the Planning Department for administrative approval before site disturbance begins, and if site conditions make the standard planting rules impractical, a developer can request an alternative planting plan, which Planning Department staff must decide on within fifteen working days, with an appeal available to the Board of Adjustment.

Requests for a delay due to poor planting weather go to Planning Department staff as well, who may require a surety bond for delays beyond two weeks. Failing to comply with the planting standards, including installing synthetic plants to satisfy a landscaping requirement, is enforced under Article 3, Enforcement, per Section 6.5.3.D.2, which can lead to the same civil penalty and permit consequences that apply to other UDO violations.