Omaha, NE Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

Omaha's weed ordinance sets a 12-inch height cap on weeds, grass and nuisance vegetation citywide, but Sec. 18-24 carves out native landscaping: native plantings, natural areas and prairies are allowed as long as they don't overhang or encroach onto public property, rights-of-way, sidewalks, streets or alleys, and are kept maintained rather than left to grow wild. The 12-inch cap itself is waived for native plants growing entirely within wooded areas, along creeks, on unmaintainable slopes over 45 degrees, in government stormwater or education programs, or on parcels over two acres devoted to natural/scenic resource conservation, but that waiver explicitly excludes land used primarily for residential purposes.