The Benefits of a Landscape Ordinance

Landscaping ordinances help preserve the visual environment of a community.

“Communities should be planned with an eye to the effect on the human spirit of being continually surrounded by a maximum of beauty.” – Thomas Jefferson

There is a chance that there are undesirable conditions that plants can help cure – expanses of hot sunny pavement, unsightly views of dumpsters, or the walls that enclose them or utilities, and views to vehicles in parking lots. Trees in planting islands within and along the perimeters of parking lots generate shade and help soften large structures. Continuous hedges on the perimeters of parking lots and around dumpsters can screen visually undesirable features from public view.

Landscaping ordinances help preserve the visual environment of a community. Well-designed and maintained landscaping protects the privacy of residents and promotes the community as one that cares about its appearance. To help assure quality landscapes in the future, develop a landscape code for new residential and commercial construction that defines minimum green space, number of trees, landscape buffers between adjoining properties, screening of parking lots with evergreen hedges, etc. and require a landscape plan review as part of the approval process.

To help create a landscape ordinance: http://www.scenic.org/issues/community-planning-a-design/landscaping-model-ordinance

To review other ordinances visit Municode: https://www.municode.com/ and Codebook https://www.codebook.com/listing/.

A sample ordinance: http://tampa-fl.elaws.us/code/coor_appid430752_ch27_artvi_div4_sec27-285