Lee's Summit, MO Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

Lee's Summit's weed ordinance in Chapter 16, the Property Maintenance Code, normally treats tall vegetation as a nuisance, but Article III of Chapter 30 carves out native landscaping. Sec. 30-36 exempts native plants from the rank weed definition when they're part of a planned natural landscape approved under Sec. 30-37, or when they're on land approved for commercial or industrial use under the Unified Development Ordinance. A planned natural landscape is defined as an intended, managed landscape, not an unmowed lot left to grow wild.

To get that exemption, Sec. 30-37 requires the planting plan to be endorsed by a recognized horticultural authority or landscape architect and then submitted to and approved by the Director of Codes Administration or the Director's designee. Sec. 30-38 lists the approved native grasses and forbs by common and scientific name, and lets the Director consult the Missouri Department of Conservation or the University Extension Service to approve an unlisted species. The exemption does not cover everything: three noxious plants (poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac) stay regulated regardless of native status, and seven weeds the code calls recognized indicators of neglect, including Johnson grass, hemp, curled dock, and ragweed, are never excepted even if native. Without an approved Sec. 30-37 plan, tall native vegetation is treated the same as any other rank weed subject to Chapter 16 enforcement.