Grand Forks, ND Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

City Code Section 18-0309 sets bufferyard and landscaping requirements for commercial, industrial, institutional and multi-family construction, parking lot expansions, rezonings and outdoor storage changes. Section 18-0309(11) gives the planning director authority to allow flexibility in how those requirements are met. Section 18-0309(11)(A)(4) specifically lets the director approve alternative planting plans, and subsection (a) names native plants, including grasses, together with naturalized landscape features such as stone, mounding or swales, and stormwater management features such as raingardens or bio-swales, as an acceptable substitute for conventional landscaping.

Subsection (b) of the same provision separately allows aesthetic design elements and hardscapes such as public art, fountains, plazas, courtyards and front yard or entrance statements to complement the plant material. The same flexibility power in Section 18-0309(11)(A) also covers relocating required landscaping toward rights-of-way, entrances and garages, focusing bufferyard plantings toward conflicting land uses, and accommodating irregular, narrow or shallow lots. Section 18-0309(15)(G) separately allows alternative planting plans using raingardens or bio-swales inside parking lot interiors where a study or adopted city plan shows water quality improvements are needed.