Lexington, KY Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

The LFUCG Code of Ordinances Chapter 8 Weed Ordinance requires property owners to keep grass and weeds below 10 inches on improved residential lots within the Urban Service Boundary. However, intentional native plant gardens, pollinator meadows, rain gardens, and conservation landscaping are recognized as beneficial and are not considered weeds when they are maintained, designed, and clearly differentiated from neglected turf. The Kentucky Native Plant Society and the LFUCG Division of Environmental Services promote native species such as purple coneflower, black-eyed Susan, little bluestem, big bluestem, butterfly weed, eastern redbud, flowering dogwood, and serviceberry for residential landscapes. Native meadow and prairie plantings are encouraged in the Rural Service Area as part of thoroughbred farm conservation and Kentucky River watershed protection. LFUCG's stormwater grant program has supported native plant rain gardens as MS4 best management practices. Homeowners pursuing meadow or prairie conversions should post informational signage, maintain a mowed buffer at property lines, and document the intentional design to avoid weed-ordinance complaints.