Wellington, FL Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

Section 7.8.2 of Wellington's Land Development Regulations limits turf grass so that native and low-water landscaping fills the rest of a lot. On single-family and two-unit attached residential lots, Section 7.8.2(A)(4) caps turf grasses at no more than 75 percent of the pervious area, with the balance required to be shrubs, groundcovers, mulch or undisturbed native plant communities. Non-residential and multiple-family lots face a tighter cap under Section 7.8.2(B)(3): no more than 40 percent of the pervious area may carry turf grass, again with the remainder in shrubs, ground cover, mulch or undisturbed native plant communities.

These caps sit alongside Wellington's broader planting rules in Section 7.8.1, which require half of all required plantings to come from the village's preferred species list and set minimum sizes for trees, palms, hedges and shrubs. Section 7.8.1 also allows artificial turf as an alternative to live turf grass in limited areas, such as residential rear and side yards not visible from the right-of-way, subject to an engineering permit, minimum permeability and pile-height standards, and a ban on irrigating it outside athletic fields. Landscape plans documenting compliance with the turf coverage caps are reviewed by the Planning and Zoning division as part of site plan or building permit approval, and Wellington's Development Review Manual sets the design detail supporting these standards.