Rogers, AR Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

Northwest Arkansas residents, including in Rogers, are free to plant native and drought-tolerant species, and conservation programs actively encourage it. Beaver Water District — the wholesale water source for Rogers Water Utilities — promotes 'drought-tolerant native plants to reduce irrigation needs and promote landscape resilience' and publishes a 'Drought-tolerant native plant list' for Northwest Arkansas. The District frames native plantings as a way to cut the heavy summer landscape watering that drives water sales nearly 50% above winter levels. Rogers has no ordinance banning native gardens, prairie plantings, or pollinator landscaping. However, native and naturalistic landscaping still has to comply with the city's nuisance standard: grass and weeds must be 'maintained to the prevailing standards of the community,' so an intentional native bed should be kept tended and distinguishable from a neglected, overgrown lot to avoid a Code Enforcement complaint. For new development, plant selection is shaped by the Unified Development Code landscaping standards reviewed during Development Review.