Provo, UT Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)
Key Facts
- Xeric/water-wise coverage floor
- 40% living plants within 3 years
- Drought-tolerant list keeper
- City Forester
- Zeroscaping (bare dirt/gravel)
- prohibited citywide
- Artificial turf
- banned except athletic/rec fields
- Governing section
- Provo City Code 15.20.060
Summary
Provo's landscape design standards push every project toward drought-tolerant and native plantings and let anyone landscaping a street-facing yard choose a xeric design over turf grass, as long as living plants cover at least 40% of the unbuilt area within three years of planting.
To promote water conservation every effort should be made to use drought-tolerant species that can withstand dry conditions once established. The use of drought-tolerant vegetation is encouraged in required landscape areas, especially in hillside areas. The City Forester shall maintain a current list of drought-tolerant trees and shrubs that are locally available. Water wise landscaping may include a combination of drought-resistant trees, shrubs, ground covers, organic mulches, decorative stone, and native plants. ... Living vegetation including turf grass, shrubs, perennials, or ornamental grasses shall cover a minimum of forty percent (40%) of the unbuilt surface area within three (3) years of planting.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-17, passed June 9, 2026).
Full Breakdown
060, Design Standards. Subsection (3)(b) directs every effort toward drought-tolerant species that can survive once established, especially in hillside areas, and requires the City Forester to maintain a current list of locally available drought-tolerant trees and shrubs; it defines water-wise landscaping as a mix of drought-resistant trees, shrubs, ground covers, organic mulches, decorative stone, and native plants. 120. The same subsection bans artificial turf outside athletic fields and public recreation spaces and bars outdoor carpet as a landscaping surface. 070(2)(d) reinforces the choice by name: 'Zeroscaping shall not be permitted.
040 defines zeroscaping as a sterile area filled mainly with dirt or gravel and no living plants, distinguishing it from the living, drought-tolerant xeric approach the code actually encourages.
Violations & Fines
Landscape plans are reviewed by Development Services under Section 15.20.050 before a building permit issues, and a plan showing bare dirt or gravel with no living plants is rejected as prohibited zeroscaping under 15.20.070(2)(d). After installation, Section 15.20.070(2) requires plantings to be kept in a live, thriving, weed-free condition; dead or unmaintained landscaping, including a failed xeric planting that never reaches the 40% living-coverage floor, is a code-compliance violation the owner must correct.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I replace my front lawn with rock and native plants instead of turf grass?
Does Provo require me to use native plants?
Can I xeriscape the parkway strip between the sidewalk and curb?
Is a gravel yard with no plants legal in Provo?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Provo
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Native Plants in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Utah County handle native plants.