Pearland, TX Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- UDC § 4.2.2.5(c)(4)
- Approval needed
- City Manager or designee sign-off
- Applies to
- Nonresidential and multifamily development only
- Plant source
- Section 4.2.2.5(h) Xeriscape Plant List
- Turf cap
- 50% of green space on permanent irrigation
- Enforcement
- Planning Director, 10-90 day cure notice
Summary
Pearland's Unified Development Code lets commercial and multifamily developments substitute xeriscape and native, drought-tolerant landscaping for standard turf, but only with written approval from the City Manager or a designee and only using species drawn from the code's own Xeriscape Plant List. The list includes native prairie grasses and wildflowers like little bluestem, sideoats grama and Texas bluebonnet.
(c) Planting Criteria... (4) Xeriscape Landscaping: The use of xeriscape landscaping techniques shall require approval from the City Manager or his/her designee. Only plants belonging to the species listed in Section 4.2.2.5 (h) will satisfy the requirements of this section... (8)d.8. Turf/Turfgrass: A maximum of fifty (50) percent of green space may be planted with turfgrass configured with a permanent irrigation system. Turfgrass planted in excess of this limitation shall not have a permanent irrigation system.
Full Breakdown
5(h) will satisfy the requirements of this section. That approved list is broken into categories, Trees, Shrubs, Perennials, Groundcovers & Ferns, Ornamental Grasses, Vines, Native/Prairie Grasses, Native Groundcover/Wildflowers, and Cacti & Yucca, and names specific native species such as little bluestem, sideoats grama, purple coneflower, Texas bluebonnet, blackfoot daisy and buffalograss alongside xeriscape standards like autumn sage and red yucca. Chapter 5's definitions back the standard: Section 606 defines XERISCAPE as quality landscape that conserves water, protects the environment, and is drought tolerant and adaptable to local conditions, built on planning and design, appropriate choice of plants, soil analysis, efficient irrigation, practical use of turf, appropriate use of mulches, and proper maintenance, while Section 189 defines DROUGHT TOLERANT PLANTS as those that, once established, survive on natural rainfall with occasional irrigation during dry periods.
The irrigation design standard for new nonresidential and multifamily projects caps turfgrass on a permanent irrigation system at 50 percent of green space and organizes plantings into natural, drought tolerant, and oasis zones. 3(a)(1); single-family detached homes are not required to submit a landscape plan or seek City Manager sign-off before planting native species in a private yard.
Violations & Fines
The Planning Director enforces the landscaping division under Section 4.2.2.2 and can issue a written notice of violation giving 10 to 90 days to correct noncompliant landscaping, refuse to issue a certificate of occupancy until the requirements are met, and request City Attorney action if the owner ignores the notice. Installing xeriscape without City Manager approval, or using species absent from the Section 4.2.2.5(h) plant list, counts as noncompliance subject to this notice-and-cure process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Pearland homeowners need approval to plant native landscaping?
What native species does Pearland's plant list allow?
How much turfgrass can a Pearland business irrigate permanently?
Who approves a xeriscape landscaping plan in Pearland?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pearland
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