Springfield, IL Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

Sec. 480 sets a landscaping point system that developed lots must satisfy for front and corner side yards, parking lots, and transitional buffer yards between commercial and residential zoning, using base values like 18 points per shade or evergreen tree and 2-8 points per 100 square feet of ground cover. The native plant bonus in (f)(4) adds five points per tree, three per shrub, and one point per ground cover or perennial when the plant is identified as native to the area by the IDNR Natural History Survey, appears on the Springfield Tree Commission's Top 10 Tree List, or is the white oak.

This stacks with the existing-tree preservation credit in (f)(2), which awards five additional points per preserved shade tree with a 12-inch-plus trunk, and the oversized-planting credit in (f)(3). The zoning administrator reviews and approves every landscape plan submitted with a building permit or public works curb-cut permit application under (d), checking the plant list, quantities, and point tabulation. Petitioners can also skip the point system entirely and use the alternative compliance process under (f)(5)-(6). Once installed, landscaping must be kept healthy, trimmed, and weed-free under (e)(3); the zoning administrator notifies an owner of a maintenance violation and gives a reasonable window to restore or replace the plant material before referring the matter for a fine.