Landscape Architects Arizona
Evergreen Design Group
Landscape Architects Arizona
Evergreen Design Group is a licensed landscape architecture firm in Arizona — providing land planning, landscape architecture, tree disposition plans, native plant inventories, water harvesting plans, and irrigation design to land developers, civil engineers, architects, and design-build contractors across the state. Our team brings over 160 years of combined professional experience to every project, and every service is performed in-house by our licensed professionals. We do not subcontract scope.
We hold Arizona Firm Registration 22536-0 and have practiced landscape architecture in Arizona since 2005, with active project experience across the Greater Phoenix metro, the Tucson metro, Flagstaff and the Central Highlands, and secondary development markets statewide.
Our practice is exclusively B2B. We work as a coordinated subconsultant and project partner to development and design teams — not homeowners — and our deliverables are structured for permit submittal, technical review, and direct integration with your civil and architectural scope.
In Arizona, the title “Landscape Architect” is legally protected. Only licensed professionals holding active state registration may stamp plans and represent themselves as landscape architects. Evergreen Design Group’s landscape architects in Arizona carry current licensure and the jurisdictional fluency that commercial development projects across this state require.
Landscape Architecture Firm Arizona
As a landscape architecture firm operating at both a local and national scale, we bring jurisdiction-specific knowledge of Arizona’s development review processes, ADWR Active Management Area requirements, municipal native plant preservation ordinances, water harvesting plan submittal requirements, and the varying landscape standards of every major development jurisdiction in the state. That regulatory depth — paired with the process discipline of a nationally operating firm — is what distinguishes our landscape architecture practice in Arizona from both local-only offices and large national firms without sustained in-state project experience.
The landscape architects Arizona developers, civil engineers, and architects rely on need to understand more than plant palettes. They need to understand permit submittal requirements, entitlement timelines, and the regulatory interdependencies that determine whether a project moves through review efficiently and on schedule. That is what we deliver on every Arizona engagement.
Landscape Architecture Services We Provide in Arizona
Our team delivers fully in-house professional services across every phase of a project — from initial land planning in Arizona through permit-ready construction documents. Every service is performed by our licensed professionals under Arizona Firm Registration 22536-0. No subcontracting of scope.
Land planning in Arizona requires navigating a regulatory environment that is both layered and jurisdiction-specific across the state’s diverse development markets. Our land planning Arizona services cover the full range of commercial development types — infill, master-planned communities, mixed-use, commercial, and industrial — across the City of Phoenix, Maricopa County, the City of Tucson, Pima County, the City of Flagstaff, and Arizona’s secondary markets. Each jurisdiction maintains its own zoning standards, development review process, and entitlement timeline.
Land planning Arizona scope addresses setback compliance, buffer yard requirements, open space calculations, pedestrian circulation, native plant preservation zone integration, water harvesting basin siting, and the interface with civil grading and drainage design — all coordinated with your civil engineer from the initial layout stage. For Arizona commercial projects, early land planning coordination is where ADWR AMA water budget parameters, municipal landscape ordinance compliance, and native plant preservation requirements get integrated into the site layout before those decisions are locked in by the civil plan set.
Our land planning services in Arizona are structured for the B2B development pipeline. We work as a subconsultant to civil engineering and architecture firms, integrating into your project team from the site planning stage and delivering land planning Arizona documentation formatted for the development review process of the applicable jurisdiction — not a generic statewide standard.
Irrigation design in Arizona is governed by the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) Active Management Area program and municipal water conservation ordinances — one of the most comprehensive water use regulatory frameworks in the country. Our irrigation design Arizona team produces detailed drip, subsurface, and smart controller system designs that comply with ADWR AMA requirements and applicable municipal irrigation standards across the state’s major development jurisdictions.
Irrigation design in Arizona requires more than system layout plans. Commercial permit review requires water budget calculations and scheduling documentation as part of the submittal package. Our irrigation design Arizona deliverables include the full permit package: zoned system layouts, controller and equipment specifications, flow and pressure calculations, water budget calculations, and scheduling documentation formatted for the applicable jurisdiction’s plan check requirements. We address ADWR AMA compliance as a baseline parameter on every Arizona commercial irrigation project — not an afterthought.
Our licensed landscape architects produce permit-ready planting plans tailored to Arizona’s regionally specific climate conditions — from the Sonoran Desert heat of the Phoenix basin and Tucson metro to the cooler, higher-elevation environment of Flagstaff and the Central Highlands. We specify drought-tolerant, heat-resistant native and adapted species that comply with applicable municipal landscape ordinances, xeriscape requirements, and HOA design guidelines, while minimizing long-term water demand and irrigation system operating costs.
Species selection accounts for caliche soil conditions, alkaline pH, extreme thermal cycling, and the long-term irrigation water budgets that drive planting plan review in Arizona’s Active Management Areas.
We prepare comprehensive documentation of existing trees to support entitlement, grading, and permitting processes across Arizona’s municipal jurisdictions. In Arizona, tree disposition scope frequently overlaps with Native Plant Inventory requirements — significant trees on desert development sites are often protected native species subject to salvage and relocation requirements under municipal Native Plant Preservation Ordinances.
We format tree disposition documentation to support the applicable jurisdiction’s development review process, whether that is Phoenix’s Planning and Development Department, Scottsdale’s Development Review Board, Tucson’s Planning and Development Services, or other Arizona municipal review agencies. Stamped plans from a licensed landscape architect are required for significant site modifications in most Arizona jurisdictions.
Native Plant Inventory and Salvage Plans
Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tucson, and a growing number of Arizona municipalities require Native Plant Inventories and Salvage Plans as part of the commercial development permit process. These documents identify protected native plants on the project site — including saguaro cacti, palo verde, ironwood, mesquite, and other Sonoran Desert species — assess their condition and salvage viability, and establish a plan for on-site preservation, transplanting, or authorized removal.
We prepare Native Plant Inventories and Salvage Plans formatted to meet the applicable jurisdiction’s specific submittal requirements, coordinated with your grading plan and permit package.
Water Harvesting Plans
Phoenix, Scottsdale, and other Arizona municipalities require Water Harvesting Plans for commercial and multi-family development projects above defined impervious surface thresholds. These plans demonstrate that site grading and landscape design direct a specified percentage of roof and hardscape runoff toward planted areas through engineered basins and swales — reducing net irrigation demand and supporting municipal water conservation objectives.
We prepare Water Harvesting Plans as an integrated scope item alongside the civil set, formatted to meet the applicable jurisdiction’s permit submittal requirements and coordinated with your civil grading and drainage design from the outset — not added after the civil plans are finalized.
We design pool surrounds, tot lots, sport courts, shaded ramadas, pavilions, outdoor kitchens, and common open spaces for multi-family residential and master-planned communities throughout Arizona. Amenity designs are developed to HOA standards, local building codes, ADA accessibility requirements, and the operational demands of Arizona’s extreme summer heat environment — with shade structure coverage, heat-reflective paving materials, and drought-tolerant perimeter plantings as standard design parameters.
We design parking lot landscape screening, streetscapes, community courtyards, entry features, retaining walls, and structured outdoor spaces for commercial, mixed-use, and institutional projects across Arizona. Material specifications account for extreme thermal cycling, UV intensity, and the impervious surface and water harvesting basin requirements that govern commercial hardscape design under Arizona municipal ordinances. Surface drainage direction and water harvesting integration are addressed as coordinated scope items within our hardscape documentation.
The Regulatory Framework That Shapes Landscape Architecture in Arizona
Arizona’s development regulatory environment is layered and jurisdiction-specific in ways that directly affect landscape architecture scope on commercial and multi-family projects. Understanding what each regulatory layer requires — and how they interact across jurisdictions — is foundational to producing submittals that move through review efficiently.
Arizona Department of Water Resources — Active Management Areas
Arizona’s five Active Management Areas (AMAs) — Phoenix, Tucson, Prescott, Pinal, and Santa Cruz — are established under the Arizona Groundwater Management Act to manage groundwater resources in the state’s most heavily developed regions. The AMA framework establishes water conservation requirements and long-term water use reduction goals that directly affect irrigation system design, landscape water budget calculations, and the xeriscape and water conservation standards that municipalities within AMA boundaries implement through their own landscape ordinances. Nearly all of Arizona’s major development markets fall within an AMA.
Municipal Native Plant Preservation Ordinances
Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tucson, Cave Creek, Carefree, and a growing list of Arizona municipalities have enacted Native Plant Preservation Ordinances requiring documentation and protection of specified native species on development sites. The scope of what must be inventoried, what qualifies for salvage versus authorized removal, and how mitigation is calculated varies meaningfully between jurisdictions. We prepare Native Plant Inventories and Salvage Plans that comply with the specific ordinance of the project’s jurisdiction — not a generic statewide standard.
Municipal Water Harvesting Ordinances
Phoenix and Scottsdale have enacted Water Harvesting Ordinances requiring commercial and multi-family development projects to demonstrate that a specified percentage of on-site impervious surface runoff is directed toward planted landscape areas through engineered basins and grade changes. The Water Harvesting Plan is a permit submittal requirement — not an optional sustainability enhancement — and it must be coordinated with the civil grading and drainage plan to satisfy review.
ADEQ AZPDES Construction General Permit
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality administers the AZPDES Construction General Permit program for land-disturbing activities of one acre or more. Projects requiring AZPDES coverage must prepare a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) addressing erosion and sediment control during construction and post-construction stormwater management. Landscape architecture contributes to post-construction scope through permanent vegetative cover specifications and BMP planting documentation. We prepare these deliverables in coordination with your civil engineer of record as a standard component of our Arizona commercial project scope.
Municipal Landscape Ordinance Variation Across Arizona
Arizona’s major development jurisdictions each maintain their own landscape ordinance standards. Phoenix’s landscape ordinance and Urban Form standards differ from Scottsdale’s xeriscape requirements, Tucson’s Landscape and Screening Code, Flagstaff’s landscape standards, and the varying requirements of Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Peoria, and Surprise. Designing to the wrong jurisdiction’s standard costs time in review. We bring jurisdiction-specific knowledge into the design process from the initial site planning stage.
Arizona Markets We Serve
Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area — Maricopa County
The Phoenix metro is Arizona’s primary development market, with active residential, commercial, mixed-use, and industrial project activity across the city and its extensive suburban ring. We work on projects throughout Maricopa County under the varying landscape and development review standards of Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Peoria, Surprise, Goodyear, Buckeye, Queen Creek, Avondale, and Fountain Hills. Our direct familiarity with Phoenix’s Development Services Department, Scottsdale’s Development Review Board process, and the review frameworks of the major suburban municipalities allows us to move efficiently through entitlements across the metro.
Tucson and the Tucson Metropolitan Area — Pima County
The Tucson metro is Arizona’s second-largest development market. Tucson’s development review framework — including its Landscape and Screening Code, Native Plant Preservation requirements, and Pima County’s own development standards — differs meaningfully from the Phoenix metro and requires jurisdiction-specific knowledge. We work on projects throughout the Tucson metro under both City of Tucson and Pima County jurisdiction.
Flagstaff and the Central Highlands
Flagstaff’s higher elevation, cooler climate, and mountain forest environment create a fundamentally different landscape architecture context from the Sonoran Desert markets of Phoenix and Tucson. Species selection, soil conditions, stormwater management, and the regulatory framework governing development in Coconino County all differ from the lower-desert metro markets. We approach Flagstaff and Central Highlands projects with plant palettes and design strategies calibrated to the region’s specific climate zone and Coconino County’s development standards.
Secondary Arizona Markets
We support development projects in Prescott and the Prescott metro, Sedona, Casa Grande, Yuma, Sierra Vista, and other secondary Arizona markets. Each operates under its own municipal and county regulatory framework, and we bring jurisdiction-specific knowledge to projects across these markets.
Project Types We Support in Arizona
Evergreen Design Group supports landscape architecture and land planning scope across a wide range of development types in Arizona. Our active project types include:
- Single-family residential subdivisions and master-planned communities
- Multi-family and build-to-rent communities
- Mixed-use and town center developments
- Retail centers, pad sites, and commercial outparcels
- Office and corporate campus projects
- Industrial parks, logistics facilities, and warehousing
- Institutional and educational campuses
- Higher education
- Senior living and continuing care communities
- Municipal parks and civic facilities
- Healthcare and medical campus environments
- Resort and hospitality-adjacent development
Why Development Teams in Arizona Work With Us
Licensed Landscape Architecture Firm in Arizona — In-House, No Subcontracting
Evergreen Design Group holds Arizona Firm Registration 22536-0. All landscape architectural services for Arizona projects are performed under this registration by our licensed professionals. No subcontracting of scope. That means consistent quality, clear accountability, and a single point of coordination for your civil and architectural team throughout the project.
ADWR, AMA, and Municipal Ordinance Fluency
Arizona’s water conservation regulatory framework and its municipal landscape ordinance environment are more complex and jurisdiction-specific than most states. We understand the Active Management Area requirements that apply across Arizona’s major development markets and design landscape architecture and irrigation design Arizona scope that integrates with those requirements from the initial layout stage.
Native Plant Inventory and Water Harvesting Plan Experience
These are required permit deliverables on commercial and multi-family development projects across Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tucson, and a growing list of Arizona municipalities — not optional additions. We produce them as a standard part of our Arizona project scope, coordinated with your civil grading and permit package.
Subconsultant Experience Across Multiple Arizona Jurisdictions
The majority of our Arizona engagements are structured as subconsultant relationships with civil engineering or architecture firms. We operate within your project structure across multiple jurisdictions simultaneously — maintaining consistent documentation standards and coordinating with your team throughout the design and entitlement process.
20 Years of National Practice, Arizona Market Depth
Founded in 2005, Evergreen Design Group has completed landscape architecture projects across 43 states. Our depth of Arizona practice — spanning the Phoenix metro, Tucson, Flagstaff, and secondary markets — is built from sustained project experience across the state’s distinct development environments, regulatory frameworks, and climate zones.
Community Engagement
At Evergreen Design Group, we believe that great outdoor spaces are those that bring people together and strengthen the fabric of the community. Our firm is dedicated to designing landscapes that encourage social interaction, foster a sense of belonging, and connect people to nature. We actively engage with local communities, developers, and stakeholders to ensure that every project reflects the unique character and needs of its setting.
From public parks and plazas to residential neighborhoods and commercial developments, our team works collaboratively to create spaces that are not only visually appealing but also functional, sustainable, and inclusive. We see community engagement as essential to the success of every project, and we strive to create outdoor environments that inspire, support, and enrich the lives of all who experience them. By working hand-in-hand with our clients and the broader community, we help build spaces that truly make a difference.
Frequently Asked Questions: Landscape Architects Arizona
Yes. Evergreen Design Group holds Arizona Firm Registration 22536-0. All landscape architectural services for Arizona projects are performed under this registration by our licensed professionals. We have practiced landscape architecture in Arizona since 2005.
No. Our practice is exclusively B2B. We serve land developers, civil engineers, architects, and design-build contractors. We do not take on individual homeowner projects.
We work statewide. Active markets include the Greater Phoenix metro (Maricopa County), the Tucson metro (Pima County), Flagstaff and Coconino County, the Prescott metro, and secondary markets including Casa Grande, Yuma, and Sierra Vista.
Land planning Arizona scope involves developing site plans, open space configurations, buffer yard layouts, native plant preservation zone integration, water harvesting basin siting, and streetscape frameworks that satisfy the applicable jurisdiction’s zoning and development review requirements. Because Arizona commercial development spans jurisdictions with meaningfully different standards — Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tucson, Flagstaff, and secondary markets each have their own requirements — land planning in Arizona requires jurisdiction-specific knowledge of the development review process that governs each specific site. Our land planning Arizona services are performed in-house and coordinated directly with your civil engineer from the initial site layout stage.
Irrigation design in Arizona must comply with the Arizona Department of Water Resources Active Management Area requirements applicable to the project’s jurisdiction and the municipal water conservation ordinances of the project’s municipality. Required permit submittal deliverables typically include zoned system layout plans, controller and equipment specifications, flow and pressure calculations, water budget calculations, and irrigation scheduling documentation. Our irrigation design Arizona team produces permit-ready packages that address ADWR AMA compliance as a baseline parameter on every commercial project.
A Native Plant Inventory is a field survey that identifies and documents protected native plants — including saguaro, palo verde, ironwood, and other Sonoran Desert species — on a development site. Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tucson, and other Arizona municipalities require Native Plant Inventories and accompanying Salvage Plans as part of the commercial development permit process for projects affecting sites with native desert vegetation. We prepare both documents formatted to meet the applicable jurisdiction’s submittal requirements.
A Water Harvesting Plan demonstrates that site grading and landscape design direct a specified percentage of on-site impervious surface runoff toward planted landscape areas through engineered basins and swales. Phoenix and Scottsdale both require Water Harvesting Plans for commercial and multi-family projects above defined thresholds. We prepare site-specific Water Harvesting Plans integrated with your civil grading and drainage design and formatted to meet the applicable jurisdiction’s permit submittal standards.
Arizona’s five Active Management Areas establish groundwater management requirements and water conservation goals that translate into municipal landscape irrigation efficiency standards and xeriscape requirements across most of Arizona’s major development markets. Our irrigation design Arizona team develops designs with the applicable AMA conservation tier and corresponding municipal requirements as baseline parameters — including water budget calculations, drip and low-flow technology specifications, and smart controller documentation required for commercial permit review.
Yes — that is one of our most common engagement structures across the state. We integrate into your project team and deliver the full landscape architecture scope as a subconsultant, coordinating directly with your project manager and other disciplines throughout the design and entitlement process.
As early as possible — ideally at the site planning stage, before the civil plan set is substantially developed. Early engagement allows native plant preservation areas, water harvesting basin locations, buffer yards, and municipal landscape ordinance compliance to be integrated into the site layout before those decisions are locked in. Projects that engage landscape architects Arizona development teams early consistently produce cleaner submittals and fewer revision cycles through Arizona’s development review processes.
We work across commercial, multi-family residential, mixed-use, industrial, and institutional project types throughout Arizona. Common project types include retail and office development, build-to-rent and garden-style apartment communities, master-planned residential communities, hospitality-adjacent development, senior living, healthcare campuses, and industrial and logistics facilities. All work is B2B — performed for developers, architects, civil engineers, and design-build contractors.
Talk to Our Arizona Landscape Architecture Team
If you’re a civil engineer, land developer, architect, or design-build contractor with a project in Arizona — whether in the Phoenix metro, Tucson, Flagstaff, or a secondary market — Evergreen Design Group’s landscape architects in Arizona are ready to discuss your project scope, schedule, and team structure. As a licensed landscape architecture firm operating statewide, we’re structured to integrate into your project at the right stage and deliver permit-ready documentation that moves through Arizona’s development review processes efficiently.
Get in Touch with Us
Interested in transforming your outdoor space? Fill out the form below, and our team will get back to you soon.