Plano, TX Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

Sec. 500 (Landscape Design Requirements), adopted by ZC2016-001/Ord. No. 2016-5-4, sets the substantive planting standard inside Article 17: 'Required trees and plants shall be native to this area, or well adapted, and suitable for local soil and climate conditions. ' The design must also be reviewed against five water-conservation principles listed in the same section, covering water-conserving design methods, soil protection and improvement, careful turf-area selection, water-conscious plant material, and mulch use around non-turf, non-hardscape planting beds. This applies where landscape plans are required at all: Sec.

700 mandates a landscape plan for nonresidential, multifamily, retirement, and supportive-housing submissions, reviewed by the Planning and Engineering Departments, which may approve a plan outright or approve it subject to stipulations that carry the force of ordinance. Standard single-family, patio home, attached single-family, and two-family platted lots are exempt from the Sec. 2 landscape requirements except where the property is owned and maintained by a homeowners association. Sec. 600 lets a project substitute an alternative landscape design tied to a site-specific stormwater quality plan, and roof or vertical gardens are allowed under the Building Code but do not count toward the required landscape area.

Full irrigation plans generally are not required for plan approval; instead the landscape plan must show water-meter locations and, per Sec. 3, a table of annual landscape water requirements calculated by hydrozone, with a minimum of two hydrozones (turf and prepared beds) per site.