Norfolk encourages native plant landscaping and offers it as an exemption from the 12-inch grass rule when properly designed. The city partners with Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation on native plant programs.
Native plant landscaping is allowed throughout Norfolk and actively promoted as part of Chesapeake Bay restoration goals. Properly documented native gardens, pollinator meadows, and rain gardens are exempt from the 12-inch grass/weed rule under City Code Chapter 27, provided the owner secures pre-approval from Code Enforcement with a planting plan and species list. Recommended species from the Virginia Native Plant Society include switchgrass, little bluestem, black-eyed susan, coneflower, milkweed, Virginia sweetspire, and coastal panic grass (salt-tolerant for shoreline sites). Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area buffers (100 feet from tidal waters) must be maintained in native vegetation. The city offers free native plant workshops and periodically distributes subsidized native plants through the Environmental Services stormwater outreach program.
Contact your local code enforcement office for specific penalty information.
Norfolk, VA
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Norfolk, VA
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Norfolk, VA
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Norfolk, VA
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Norfolk, VA
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Norfolk, VA
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See how Norfolk's native plants rules stack up against other locations.
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