South Fulton, GA Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

There is no South Fulton ordinance mandating native-plant landscaping or banning lawns, so residents are free to install native or pollinator gardens. The City's regulations are generally supportive of native and naturalized landscaping. The Landscape and Tree Protection Review Checklist requires that replacement trees used in tree-density calculations be ecologically compatible with the intended growing site, and the Tree Preservation framework emphasizes preserving stands of native trees and protecting wildlife corridors. The zoning ordinance's conservation-subdivision and open-space provisions reference protecting corridors for native plant and animal species. Critically for homeowners, the Minimum Property Standards (Sec. 3-3001) state the six-inch grass/weed limit is not applied to portions of developed property the owner intends to keep in a natural state - which gives meadow, prairie, and native-planting areas a basis to coexist with the code, provided they do not become a nuisance or encroach on neighbors. Within Homeowners Association or overlay-district areas there may be additional private or design standards, and street-frontage and right-of-way areas still must be maintained. Residents wanting to convert a front yard to native plantings should keep the area tended and confirm any HOA or overlay rules.