Avondale, AZ Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)
Key Facts
- Palm frond rule
- sec. 14-170(j): dead/dry fronds limited (8 ft / 5 ft thresholds)
- Visual blight
- sec. 14-170(m): no substantially dead or damaged vegetation
- Required landscaping
- sec. 28-298: keep healthy, neat, clean, weed-free
- Desert exemption
- Undisturbed natural desert vegetation exempt from blight rule
Summary
Avondale City Code section 14-170(j) limits dead and dry palm fronds, and section 14-170(m) bars landscaping that contributes to visual blight, including substantially dead or damaged vegetation. Required landscaping must also be kept healthy under zoning code section 28-298.
No person shall allow any palm tree to have an excessive accumulation of dead or dry fronds that descend downward from the base of the lowest living frond more than eight (8) feet or dry fronds longer than five (5) feet and closer than eight (8) feet to the ground that may result in insect or other infestations or result in other conditions that are likely to become a hazard to public health or safety.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 38 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Avondale regulates tree and palm maintenance mainly through the Property Maintenance Ordinance and the zoning landscape standards. Under City Code section 14-170(j), no person shall allow any palm tree to have an excessive accumulation of dead or dry fronds that descend more than eight feet below the base of the lowest living frond, or dry fronds longer than five feet and closer than eight feet to the ground, where this may cause insect or other infestations or become a hazard to public health or safety. Section 14-170(m) prohibits landscaping conditions that contribute to visual blight, including vegetation that is substantially dead or damaged or characterized by uncultivated growth or lack of maintenance. For landscaping installed to satisfy a development's approved plan, zoning code section 28-298 requires all landscape material to be maintained in a healthy, neat, clean and weed-free condition. Parcels with existing undisturbed natural desert vegetation are exempt from the property-maintenance blight provisions.
Violations & Fines
Overgrown, dead or hazardous vegetation is enforced under Chapter 14 (notice of violation, civil citation, civil penalties, abatement). Damaging or failing to maintain approved required landscaping can trigger a zoning notice of violation under section 28-298.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to trim dead palm fronds?
Can the city cite me for a dead-looking tree or shrub?
Are natural desert plants treated the same as planted landscaping?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Avondale
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