Lakewood, WA Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

Lakewood does not mandate a specific native-plant palette for private landscaping, but its code repeatedly steers development toward one. LMC 18A.70.180(A) states that 'the following guidelines are recommended by the City' and that the intent 'is to encourage use of plants native to the Pacific Northwest and introduced plants common to the Pacific Northwest, in that order, in order to maximize use of rainwater, to reduce general maintenance needs and to encourage the development of landscape designs reflective of our natural surroundings.' Subsection (B)(3), Plant Types, states that 'applicants are encouraged to utilize drought tolerant plant material native to Western Washington and introduced noninvasive plants common to the area that are well suited to the wet/dry climate of Puget Sound.' The section also recommends specific water-conserving practices: deep-tilling landscape soil to at least 12 inches, incorporating 4 to 6 inches of organic matter into newly landscaped beds, and applying 2 to 3 inches of mulch depending on plant coverage.

Because the guidance uses 'recommended' and 'encouraged' rather than mandatory language, a developer who chooses ornamental, non-native plant material is not automatically in violation of LMC 18A.70.180 itself. The mandatory landscaping requirement sits in the companion section, LMC 18A.70.140(B)(7), Drought Tolerant Plants, which requires that 'the use of native and drought tolerant, low water use plants shall be incorporated into landscape design plans' for any project that must submit a landscape plan under the chapter. General Standard 18 in the same section further requires landscape plans to 'include, where feasible, a diversity of native plant species which promote native wildlife habitat.'