Springfield, MO Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

LDC § 36-482 sets Springfield's landscaping standards for all new nonresidential and multifamily construction in Greene County's largest city (single-family detached and duplex homes are exempt). Under § 36-482(7)(c), every tree used to satisfy a bufferyard, parking lot, or open-space landscaping requirement must belong to a species common to or adapted to the Springfield, Missouri area, taken from a tree list the city forester or director of building development services maintains or approves: a de facto native-and-adapted-species mandate. The Grant Avenue Parkway overlay district goes further: its § 36-492 landscaping rule encourages Missouri-native or adapted plants for canopy trees, shrubs, and native grasses, and bars any plant on the Missouri Department of Conservation's invasive list.