Roanoke County, VA Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)
Key Facts
- Native planting minimum
- 50 percent of all site plantings
- Governing section
- Roanoke County Code § 30-92-5(A)(1)
- Applies to
- Sites requiring a site development plan
- Species reference
- DCR Western Virginia native plant list
- Not covered
- No homeowner natural-lawn allowance in the code
Summary
In Roanoke County, Virginia (outside the independent cities of Roanoke and Salem), the zoning ordinance requires at least 50 percent of the plantings on a site that needs a development plan to be native species. Roanoke County Code § 30-92-5(A)(1) sets the floor; it governs commercial and other site-plan landscaping, not an individual homeowner's yard.
(A)These provisions and requirements shall apply to buildings and developments requiring a site development plan pursuant to section 30-90 of this ordinance. ... Native plantings are encouraged when compatible with the surrounding land use. Every effort should be made to incorporate healthy existing trees into the landscaping plan. ... (A)General.1.All landscape plans shall be prepared by either a registered landscape architect, certified nurseryman, arborist, or professional engineer. At a minimum, fifty (50) percent of all plantings shall be native and every effort should be made to incorporate healthy existing vegetation into the landscaping plan.
Full Breakdown
Roanoke County's landscaping article, § 30-92, applies to 'buildings and developments requiring a site development plan pursuant to section 30-90 of this ordinance,' under § 30-92-2(A), which reaches commercial, industrial, multi-family and other projects rather than an individual single-family or two-family house on its own lot; § 30-90(A)(1) exempts those homes from the site plan requirement in the first place. ' A companion provision, § 30-92-2(C), states that 'native plantings are encouraged when compatible with the surrounding land use' and directs applicants preparing a landscape plan to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation's publication 'Native Plants for Conservation, Restoration, and Landscaping-Western Virginia-Mountain Region' for an approved species list.
1(B)(5), also fifty percent. There is no equivalent ordinance provision letting an individual homeowner substitute a native or naturalized meadow for turf grass in place of a conventional lawn; the native-species standard in Roanoke County's code is a minimum content requirement for landscaping plans submitted with commercial and multi-family site plans, not a right or exemption a residential property owner can invoke to let their yard go unmowed.
Violations & Fines
A site plan that shows fewer than 50 percent native plantings, or that substitutes species outside the recommended list without administrator approval, does not meet § 30-92-5(A)(1) and will not receive final landscaping approval or a certificate of zoning compliance under § 30-10. A development that installs noncompliant landscaping anyway is subject to a notice of violation under § 30-21 and the misdemeanor penalty of § 30-22, $10 to $2,500 per day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Roanoke County require native plants in landscaping?
Can I let my lawn grow into a native meadow in Roanoke County?
Where can I find an approved native plant list for a Roanoke County site plan?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Roanoke County
Compare Roanoke County to another location·View the Virginia landscaping rules overview
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