Sahuarita, AZ Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

Arizona has some of the strongest native plant protections in the country under ARS 3-904. Saguaro cacti, which are iconic to the Sonoran Desert landscape around Sahuarita, are highly protected and cannot be removed, destroyed, or transplanted without a permit from the Arizona Department of Agriculture. The protected plant list includes saguaro, barrel cactus, ocotillo, ironwood, palo verde, and many other species native to the Sonoran Desert. Property owners who want to remove a protected plant for construction, landscaping, or other purposes must obtain a native plant removal permit before any work begins. During development and subdivision construction, Sahuarita requires salvage plans for protected plants on the property, specifying which plants will be saved and transplanted and which will be destroyed under permit. Rancho Sahuarita and other master-planned communities include salvaged native plants in their common-area landscaping. Stealing saguaros or other protected plants from public or private land is a felony in Arizona. The fine for destroying a saguaro without a permit can exceed $100,000. Many Sahuarita lots were previously open desert with mature native plants that new owners must protect or properly permit for removal.