Salt Lake City, UT Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)
Key Facts
- Native/drought-tolerant share
- 100% of required shrubs & groundcover
- Turf banned
- park strips, buffers, narrow/steep areas
- Reference list
- SLC Plant List and Hydrozone Schedule
- Applies to
- all properties citywide
Summary
Salt Lake City requires nearly all required shrubs, perennials, and groundcover to be drought-tolerant, adapted, or native species, and bans turf grass in park strips citywide.
Drought Tolerant or Native Species: 100% of required shrubs, perennial plants, and groundcover used on a site shall be drought tolerant, adapted or native species. The city has compiled a list titled "Salt Lake City Plant List and Hydrozone Schedule"... Turf is not permitted: In the park strip... In areas with a slope greater than 25%...
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-21: Code current through: Ord. 40-26, passed June 16, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Under City Code § 21A.48.080.B, 100% of required shrubs, perennial plants, and groundcover on any landscaped site must be drought tolerant, adapted, or native species, checked against the city's Plant List and Hydrozone Schedule maintained by Public Utilities (other species with similar low-water needs also qualify). The same section bans turf in park strips, parking lot landscape areas, narrow strips under 8 feet wide, slopes over 25%, and required buffer areas. Chapter 21A.48 applies to all properties in the city.
Violations & Fines
Zoning administrator enforces; landscaping must stay in the plan-approved native/drought-tolerant mix. No section-specific penalty is listed, so the citywide default under § 1.12.050 applies: up to a class B misdemeanor, fined up to $1,000 and/or 6 months jail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I plant a regular grass lawn anywhere in Salt Lake City?
Does every plant on my site have to be native?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salt Lake City
Compare Salt Lake City to another location·View the Utah landscaping rules overview
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Native Plants in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Salt Lake County handle native plants.