Spokane Valley, WA Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

040, General Landscaping, applies to nonresidential projects, multifamily projects and subdivisions, but not to projects in an industrial zoning district, under subsection (A). 70-3. 70-3 can be increased by 20 percent when the plantings are xeriscaping drawn from Appendix 22-A, the code's Recommended Planting List. The code's own definitions section describes xeriscaping as a planting practice that relies on minimal or no irrigation, replacing heavily watered landscaping with plants adapted to the region's low-water conditions, which in the Spokane Valley climate generally means native and drought-tolerant species.

Subsection (E)(2) offers a second way to hit the point total: preserving existing healthy trees or shrubs earns the same point value as new planting of that type, so a developer can bank credit for vegetation, native or otherwise, that's already on site instead of removing it. Projects needing 150 or more landscape points must have their landscaping plan stamped by a Washington-licensed landscape architect under subsection (D). The bonus is voluntary. 70 requires xeriscaping or native planting; it only pays off in reduced planting requirements elsewhere on the site.