Pima County, AZ Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

Pima County Code Chapter 18.72 addresses native plant preservation during land development in unincorporated areas. The ordinance requires developers to survey, tag, and either preserve in place or salvage and transplant protected native plants including saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea), barrel cactus, ironwood (Olneya tesota), palo verde, and mesquite. Arizona Native Plant Law (ARS 3-901 through 3-934) makes it illegal to destroy, mutilate, or remove protected native plants from any land without the landowner's permission and, on state trust land, without an Arizona Department of Agriculture permit. Saguaro cacti are the most iconic protected species; removing or destroying a saguaro on your own property is legal with proper notification to the Arizona Department of Agriculture (notification required 20-60 days before removal, per ARS 3-906). Pima County sits in the Sonoran Desert Upland subdivision, home to the densest saguaro forests in the world near Saguaro National Park East and West units. Buffer-zone properties near the park face additional scrutiny during development review. Xeriscape (low-water, native-plant landscaping) is the standard for new development.