Henrico County, VA Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)
Key Facts
- Ordinary yards
- No native-plant requirement
- RPA buffer width
- At least 100 feet
- Prohibited in buffer
- Clear-cutting, new lawn areas
- Buffers must be
- Retained or reforested
- Authority
- Sec. 24-106.3, Chesapeake Bay Act
Summary
Henrico does not require native plants in ordinary yards, but land inside a Chesapeake Bay Resource Protection Area must keep a vegetated buffer at least 100 feet wide. New lawn areas and clear-cutting are prohibited in that buffer.
A vegetated buffer area no less than 100 feet in width located adjacent to and landward of the components listed in subsections a. through d. above, and along both sides of any water body with perennial flow. The full buffer area shall be designated as the landward component of the RPA.
Full Breakdown
For a typical Henrico yard there is no native-plant mandate. The distinctive rule is the Chesapeake Bay Resource Protection Area (RPA): under the county's Environmental Compliance Manual (Ch. 6) and Sec. 24-106.3, the RPA includes a vegetated buffer no less than 100 feet wide along both sides of any water body with perennial flow. These forested buffers must be retained where they exist and reestablished where they do not. Within the buffer, clear-cutting trees and establishing new lawn areas are prohibited, while selective removal of dead vegetation (replaced with equally effective plantings) is allowed. This protects water quality reaching the Bay.
Violations & Fines
Disturbing an RPA buffer without approval violates the Chesapeake Bay Preservation ordinance (Sec. 24-106.3) and can require reforestation and a water-quality impact assessment; land-disturbance violations carry misdemeanor penalties.
Frequently Asked Questions
Must I plant native species in my yard?
Can I turn a stream buffer into lawn?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Henrico County
Compare Henrico County to another location·View the Virginia landscaping rules overview
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