Landscaping Rules in Kansas (2026)

In the City of Lawrence, any owner whose tree overhangs a public street or right-of-way must trim it to keep an…

Olathe requires property owners to trim trees overhanging a street, alley, or sidewalk so branches clear 13 feet 6…

Overland Park requires 8 feet of tree and shrub clearance over public sidewalks, 13.5 feet over improved thoroughfares…

Topeka property owners abutting a street or alley must remove trees, bushes, and weeds growing in the street or alley…

Wichita requires owners of property abutting a street to prune trees so limbs and undergrowth clear at least seven feet…

Owners of street trees and any tree overhanging a Wyandotte County right-of-way must prune branches to keep 13 feet of…

Olathe's municipal code bans willfully damaging or destroying another person's trees and requires property owners to…

Developers who clear significant existing trees from a Topeka site must add extra landscape points to their plan, 15 to…

Removing or altering a tree in a Wichita street, public right-of-way, or park requires written permission from the…

Cutting down, digging up, removing, or injuring any tree or shrub on public ground, in a street, avenue, or alley…

In the City of Lawrence, the parks and recreation director controls planting, care and removal of every tree in a…

Homeowners may remove trees from their own property without a city permit. Overland Park's tree rules cover…

Kansas law makes noxious weed control an individual legal duty under K.S.A. 2-1314(a): every person must control and…

The Weed and Vegetation Enforcement Act caps uncontrolled vegetation at eight inches. Owners get ten days from mailing…

Kansas's Noxious Weed Law, K.S.A. 2-1314, requires every Shawnee County landowner to control and eradicate twelve named…

In the City of Lawrence, vegetation counts as unlawful excessive growth once it reaches 12 inches tall (or 12 inches…

Olathe caps vegetation at eight inches tall on developed lots and twelve inches on vacant parcels: anything taller is…

Sedgwick County's Chapter 19 Nuisance Code makes grass or rank vegetation over 18 inches on unincorporated property a…

Topeka property owners must keep vegetation under 12 inches tall, and noxious weeds are banned outright, under the…

Wichita caps grass, weeds, and other vegetation at 12 inches; taller growth on any lot is a declared public nuisance…

Kansas City, Kansas and the rest of Wyandotte County cap weeds, grass, and uncultivated vegetation at eight inches…

The Kansas Water Appropriation Act (K.S.A. 82a-701 et seq.) gives the Chief Engineer of the Division of Water Resources…

In the City of Lawrence, outdoor lawn and garden watering can be restricted only after the city commission declares a…

New landscaping in Olathe, Kansas must favor native or drought-resistant plants; if you skip them, you must install an…

Once Topeka declares a Stage 2 water alert, sprinkler irrigation of lawns and landscaping is restricted to alternate…

Wichita bans spray-irrigation watering between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. every day, forbids sprinkler watering on Mondays…

Kansas permits rainwater harvesting on private property without state-level restrictions. The Kansas Water…

Property Maintenance Code section 7.25.302.13 permits rain barrels in residential districts without a permit. One…

Water collected in rain barrels, cisterns or tanks from rainfall or storm runoff is not counted as "water" under…

Ordinance NU-3437 (2023) rewrote the Weed and Vegetation Enforcement Act to protect a Planned Sustainable Landscape…

Unincorporated Sedgwick County exempts approved natural landscaping from its weed nuisance ordinance. Sedgwick County…

Wichita exempts planned sustainable landscapes made mostly of native plants from the city's 12-inch weed nuisance rule…

In the City of Lawrence, a residential property owner can voluntarily register with the codes enforcement division to…

Olathe exempts approved natural or xeriscaped areas, and protected waterways, from its weed-height rule, as long as the…

Shawnee County's 18-inch rank-vegetation nuisance rule exempts native, wildflower, or drought-tolerant xeriscaping, and…

Topeka's 12-inch vegetation-height limit does not reach a native-plant garden. TMC 8.60.150(c) defines "vegetation" to…

In the City of Lawrence, new synthetic turf installed after March 10, 2012 needs planning director approval before it…

Wichita's zoning code bans synthetic turf from counting as required landscaping: Sec. 28.06.070.B states flatly that…

Overland Park's municipal code contains no artificial or synthetic turf provision. The Weed and Vegetation Enforcement…

Olathe lets residents keep a compost pile without a permit as long as it's stored in a screened enclosure, and city…

Wichita allows residential composting of biodegradable garbage, yard waste and tree waste by right under Municipal Code…