Loudoun County, VA Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)
Key Facts
- Native species minimum
- 80% of required plant units
- Applies to
- Buffer & road corridor landscape plans, not private yards
- Pollinator flowering requirement
- 75% of small trees/shrubs must flower
- Enforcing agency
- Loudoun County Zoning Administrator
- Civil penalty
- $200 first charge, $500 each additional (§10.13.E)
- Governing section
- Zoning Ordinance § 7.04.07.B.2.f.1
Summary
Loudoun County's Zoning Ordinance requires that at least 80% of the plant units in a required landscape buffer or road corridor buffer consist of native species. The rule applies to site plans and landscape plans submitted for development in unincorporated Loudoun, not to residential yards, and pairs with a companion ban on invasive species in the same buffer plantings.
f. Native Plant and Pollinator Habitat Requirements. To support native plant and pollinator habitats, Plant units must be provided as follows:
1. Native Plant Requirement. A minimum of 80% of plant units must consist of native plant species;
2. Pollinator Habitat Requirement. A minimum of 75% of the small deciduous trees and shrubs provided must produce conspicuous flowers at some point during their growing season; and
Full Breakdown
07 of the Zoning Ordinance, 'General Landscape Provisions,' sets Plant Unit Composition Requirements for every Buffer and Road Corridor Buffer shown on an approved landscape plan. ' The same subsection layers in a Pollinator Habitat Requirement, at least 75% of the small deciduous trees and shrubs used must produce conspicuous flowers during their growing season, and a separate Invasive Plant Prohibition. A). 25. The native-plant floor applies only to landscaping tied to development approvals, perimeter buffers, road corridor buffers, and parking-area screening, in unincorporated Loudoun County; it does not reach ordinary residential lawns and gardens, and it does not apply inside the incorporated towns of Leesburg, Purcellville, Hamilton, Middleburg, Round Hill, Hillsboro, or Lovettsville, which administer their own zoning. 2.
Violations & Fines
Buffer and screening landscaping is enforced through the Zoning Ordinance's general enforcement chapter, Section 10.13. A developer who installs a buffer short of the 80% native-species floor faces a civil violation under Section 10.13.E: $200 for the first charge and $500 for each additional charge, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense up to a $5,000 cap before the County can pursue a criminal misdemeanor under Section 10.13.D. The Zoning Administrator withholds the Certificate of Occupancy until the required plant material is installed or bonded.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Loudoun County require native plants in my home landscaping?
What percentage of a required buffer must be native species?
Who reviews and enforces the native-plant buffer requirement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Loudoun County
Compare Loudoun County to another location·View the Virginia landscaping rules overview
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