Lakewood, OH Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

Ordinance 18-2025 enacted Section 1775.03 Front Yard Plantings, allowing an owner, authorized agent, or authorized occupant to install and maintain a 'managed natural landscape' free of noxious weeds in front of the building line established in the Zoning Code. A 'managed natural landscape' means a planned, intentional, and maintained planting of native or non-native grasses, wildflowers, ferns, sedges, shrubs, or trees, including rain gardens, meadow vegetation, and ornamental plants. On corner lots the planting must be set back at least four feet from the public right-of-way and side property line, maintaining a sight triangle at each corner from the eight-foot setbacks; on interior lots the setback is two feet with sight triangles from the six-foot setbacks. The setback strip must be turf-grass or low groundcover not exceeding five inches, and a managed natural landscape cannot be an unattended turf-grass lawn left to return to a natural state without management.