Plymouth, MN Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code Section 811, Native Landscapes
- Definition source
- Minn. Stat. § 412.925 "managed natural landscape"
- Effect
- Exempt from Section 807.03's 8-inch turf cap
- Compliance still required
- Section 807 vegetation management rules
- Current version adopted
- Ord. No. 2022-12, § 6, 8/16/2022
Summary
In the City of Plymouth, a managed natural landscape, defined the same way as in Minnesota Statutes Section 412.925, is exempt from the citywide eight-inch turf grass ceiling that Section 807.03 otherwise imposes. Section 811 recognizes native and naturalized plantings as a legitimate landscape choice, but still requires compliance with the vegetation management rules in Section 807, including the ban on noxious weeds.
Public or privately-owned areas set aside to preserve, enhance, or re-create natural characteristics defined as a "managed natural landscape" in Minnesota Statutes ... § 412.925. Subd. ... 1.Compliance shall be met with Section 807 (vegetation management) of this Code.
Full Breakdown
01 states the City's purpose in adopting this allowance: native landscapes 'can add to the richness and quality of life in the community,' reducing the need for lawn irrigation and chemical treatment, providing wildlife habitat, and even food for residents, and the Council intended the Section to recognize and encourage variety in landscapes, including preserved or re-created natural areas and diverse plantings. 925. 03 exempts land carrying a Section 811 native landscape from the City's general eight-inch turf grass cap, which otherwise applies to every residential and commercial lot.
03 keeps native landscapes tethered to the rest of the vegetation management chapter: compliance with Section 807 is still required, meaning a native planting is not a loophole around the noxious weed ban or the notice-and-cure enforcement process the City uses against overgrown or weedy lots. The current version of Section 811 dates to Ordinance No. 2022-12, Section 6, adopted August 16, 2022, which replaced an earlier version of the Section that had governed natural preserves; Ordinance No. 04 reserved.
Violations & Fines
Section 811 carries no separate penalty of its own; because Section 811.03 folds native landscapes back into Section 807, a landscape that is not actually a qualifying managed natural landscape, or that harbors noxious weeds regardless of its native-planting label, is enforced the same way an overgrown lawn is: notice and a correction deadline under Section 807.05, a citation under Section 807.06 if the deadline passes, and injunction or abatement under Section 807.10.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does planting a native garden get me out of Plymouth's lawn-height rule?
What counts as a native landscape under Plymouth's code?
Can I let noxious weeds grow if I call the area a native landscape?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Plymouth
Compare Plymouth to another location·View the Minnesota landscaping rules overview
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Native Plants in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Hennepin County handle native plants.