GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
Mesa City Code § 11-33-2
in effect11-33-2: - GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
A. Landscaped Areas. Required landscaped areas shall be maintained free from encroachment by any use, structure, vehicle, or feature not a part of the landscaping design, except as specified in Chapter 33.
1. Where turf abuts decomposed granite or similar inorganic landscape material, a hardscape edging material such as brick or concrete curb/mow-strip shall be provided.
2. Electric vehicle charging stations may be placed in parking lot landscape islands. If necessary, shrubs and ground cover may be eliminated to accommodate the charging equipment.
B. Tree Size. Required trees shall be the minimum size specified below:
1. A minimum of 25% of the total required trees shall be 36-inch or larger box trees.
2. A minimum of 50% of the total required trees shall be 24-inch box trees.
3. No trees shall be smaller than 15-gallon size.
C. Shrub Size.
1. Required shrubs shall have a minimum mature growth height of 18 inches.
2. At least 50% of required shrubs shall be a minimum of five (5) gallons in size upon installation, but in no case shall any shrub be less than one (1)-gallon size.
D. Open Space. Fifty percent (50%) of all required open space shall contain live plant material.
1. To ensure that landscape materials are measured as accurately and equitably, the guidelines in Table 11-33-2-E shall be used to determine what portion of a lot or right-of-way is landscaped with live plant materials other than turf and provides the square footage credit for various types of plants.
2. Ground cover may be of two (2) types:
a. Vegetative ground cover consisting of living plant materials generally characterized by primary horizontal growth, as well as secondary vertical growth, generally not exceeding 18 inches in height; and
b. Inert ground cover consisting of gravel, decomposed granite, crushed rock, desert tree mulch or other approved materials. The use of "desert cobble" that looks like the desert floor, consisting of natural desert covers and seed mix, is encouraged.
Table 11-33-2-E: Vegetation Credit Table
Type of Plant Material | Credit in Square Feet
Evergreen Tree (at least 25 ft. tall at maturity) 1 | 100
Shade Tree | 50
Ornamental Tree | 25
Large Shrub (more than 8 ft. tall at maturity) | 50
Medium Shrub (4-8 ft. tall at maturity) | 25
Small Shrub (less than 4 ft. tall at maturity) | 10
Columnar Deciduous or Evergreen Tree | 25
Columnar Evergreen Shrub (less than 8 ft. tall at maturity) | 10
Evergreen Ground Cover | 25
Perennial Plant and Ground Cover, Bulb/Tuber and Ornamental Grass 2 | 5
Non-Ornamental Grass or Turf | 1
1. Dwarf trees or tree varieties with a mature width of less than 10 feet shall count as 25 square feet.
2. Large ornamental grass, over 4 feet tall at maturity, shall count as 10 square feet.
E. Irrigation Systems. Required irrigation systems shall be underground automatic watering systems, unless the lot is served by functioning flood irrigation.
F. Paving and Hardscape Materials. Paving and ground treatment shall be an integral part of site and landscape design.
G. Selection of Plant Materials. The physical characteristics of the species and variety of plants selected, at maturity, shall correspond closely with the design objectives listed for each of the respective landscape requirements, including the following:
1. Screening. Trees and shrubs used for screening shall be non-deciduous or have dense foliage and a broad canopy to ensure year-round coverage.
2. Thorny Trees and Shrubs.
a. Trees and shrubs with thorns, spines, and sharp points should not be placed within seven (7) feet of sidewalks and/or vehicular roadways and should not be placed within three (3) feet of median island curbing.
b. Exceptions may be made for plants placed in controlled locations, such as plazas and outdoor seating, clearly designed as being away from access aisles, connecting routes or through pathways.
3. Shading Requirements. Trees designated to meet shading requirements shall provide at least 50% of the required shading within four (4) years and the full shading within eight (8) years.
4. Species Diversity. Development sites shall include a variety of plant species for each plant type (tree, shrub, accent, vegetative ground cover, etc.) to promote landscape resilience and visual interest.
a. The total number of species required and the maximum percentage of any one (1) species permitted on a site is provided in Table 11-33-2.G.4 below.
b. Cultivars, varieties, and hybrids of a single species shall be considered the same species for the purpose of this calculation.
Table 11-33-2.G.4: Species Diversity Requirements By Plant Type
Total Number of Plants (Per Plant Type) on Landscape Plan | Min. Number of Species Required | Max. Percentage of Any One (1) Species
1-4 plants | 1 specie | 100%
5-10 plants | 2 species | 60%
11-15 plants | 3 species | 45%
16-75 plants | 5 species | 40%
76-100 plants | 8 species | 25%
500-1,000 plants | 10 species | 30%
1,000+ plants | 15 species | 15%
H. Maintenance of Landscaping.
1. Irrigation System Required. An irrigation system shall be provided to all landscaped areas containing living plant materials, unless otherwise approved.
2. Dead or Dying Landscape Material. In the event a plant specified as required on an approved landscape plan dies or is removed, the property owner and or occupant or lessee are jointly responsible and shall replace the plant with one of a similar species with a similar size as specified in the approved landscape plan.
3. Plant Material Maintenance.
a. Landscape Plans shall designate plant material to be kept in either a natural state (minimal pruning) or a formal state (regularly trimmed and pruned to a sculpted appearance). Plant materials shall be maintained as designated.
b. Property owners shall maintain landscaping in accordance with the best management practices of the landscaping industry. Pollarding of trees and similar practices of over pruning are discouraged.
4. Lack of maintenance as above described, shall constitute a violation of this Ordinance. The property owner and/or occupant or lessee shall be held jointly and severally liable for any infraction of the requirements set forth in this Chapter.
I. Installation of Landscaping. Landscaping shall be installed with adequate precautions to ensure survival, as shown on the approved development plan or landscape plan, prior to the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy for the building or use.
J. Perimeter Landscaping. Required landscaped areas adjacent to the property lines of the site shall be installed with the first phase of construction when adjacent to residential districts.
K. Undeveloped Parcel within a Group Commercial, Industrial, or Office Project. Extruded concrete curbing and a five (5) foot-wide landscape area along the undeveloped edge(s) shall be provided, unless otherwise approved.
L. Substantial Conformance. Landscaping installation shall be in substantial conformance with the approved plans. Alteration in the design or installation without appropriate plan amendment approval is subject to the withholding of final inspection approval.
M. Curbing. Where wheel stops are required to prevent vehicular intrusion, poured-in-place continuous concrete curbing or decorative bollards shall be installed.
N. Parking. When a parking space abuts a landscape island or planter, a poured-in-place continuous concrete wheel stop or curbing shall be provided.
O. Right-of-Way. Landscaping of adjacent undeveloped right-of-way is required in addition to the minimum on-site requirements. Right-of-way landscaping shall be limited to non-vegetative ground cover and low-water-use plants, including those drought-tolerant plants listed by the Arizona Department of Water Resources for the Phoenix Active Management Area. The Planning Division will maintain a list of such plants.
(Ord. No. 5544, § 14, 12-9-19; Ord. No. 5814, § 5, 10-16-23; Ord. No. 5996, § 4, 3-9-26)
Source: City of Mesa, Arizona, Mesa City Code and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/az/mesa/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_TIT11ZOOR_ART4DERE_CH33LA_11-33-2GEREFetched: 11/1/2026