Winston-Salem, NC Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

Section 62-2(c) makes noxious vegetation above eight inches a nuisance, and subsection (c)(6) carves out an exception for a natural landscape area, defined as a carefully planned and intentionally maintained area that combines native and non-native vegetation for conservation, aesthetics and ecological balance. It is a planned garden, not a neglected lot.

Four conditions apply under (c)(6). First, turf grasses cannot exceed eight inches in height. Second, the area must be set back five feet from property lines and from any adjacent improved road surface or public sidewalk, and vegetation cannot overhang into that setback. The setback is waived where the area abuts another similar private or public landscape area, or where a fully opaque fence at least four feet high runs along the lot line next to the planting; even then the area cannot extend into the public right-of-way. Third, the visible edge along the right-of-way needs a border, which can be edging material, a line of low plants, wood timber, stone or woodchips. Fourth, a city-approved sign must be posted along the border edge, easily visible to the public, saying that a meadow, prairie, pollinator garden or natural landscape is being established. The sign is required only where the planting is likely to be seen by the public.

Under (c)(7), registration is required whenever a proposed landscape includes grasses that exceed or are expected to exceed eight inches in overall height. Applications go to the city sustainability department. Approval is granted where turf grass is eliminated and native plants, trees and shrubs are planted, with soil stabilization methods sufficient to inhibit erosion while the ground is bare. Stabilization is the sole responsibility of the property owner or occupant. If noxious vegetation covers more than 25 percent of the planting area, that vegetation must be kept at no more than eight inches.

The exception sits inside the wider vegetation rules. Subsection (c)(3) excludes lots over one acre and lots covered with trees from the eight-inch rule, except for a 20-foot strip along property lines next to a dwelling or structure and along improved road surfaces, and (c)(5) exempts ravines, creek banks and slopes steeper than 40 degrees.