Shreveport's Landscaping Rules: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles landscaping rules a little differently. In Shreveport, Louisiana, there are 7 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Tree Trimming

Shreveport requires owners of trees, shrubs and hedges on sidewalks or overhanging public rights-of-way to keep them trimmed to at least seven feet above sidewalks and fifteen feet above streets. Untrimmed growth blocking sight lines or streetlights is declared a public nuisance under City Code Sec. 98-26.

Key details: Sidewalk clearance: 7 feet minimum. Street clearance: 15 feet minimum. Sight-line clearance (private property): 4 feet from street surface. Notice to comply: 10 days. Maximum fine: $500.00 per offense, per day.

Failing to trim after the ten-day notice under Sec. 98-26(e) is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500.00 per offense under Sec. 98-29(a), with each day the violation continues counted as a separate offense. The city may also send its own crews to cut the vegetation into compliance under Sec. 98-26(f) once notice has been given and ignored, independent of any criminal citation.

Composting

Shreveport's Unified Development Code treats a compost pile as a permitted accessory use in every residential and non-residential district. No building permit is required, but the pile must sit at least five feet from every lot line and cannot occupy the front yard or the corner side yard facing a street, the same placement rule that governs sheds and detached garages.

Key details: Setback: 5 feet from any lot line. Front/corner yard: Prohibited. Permit: No building permit required. Governing section: UDC § 7.4, Table 7-1. Enforcement: Zoning Administrator, Article 19.

A compost pile placed in a front or corner side yard, or closer than five feet to a lot line, is a UDC violation. The Zoning Administrator can issue a written order to relocate or remove it; unresolved violations proceed to court under Article 19, with each day of continued noncompliance treated as a separate offense and a separate fine under Sections 19.3 and 19.4.

Rainwater Harvesting

Shreveport's code contains no rainwater-harvesting ordinance, no permit and no cistern rules. Rain barrels are lawful. The binding constraint is the Property Standards Code's stagnant-water and mosquito-breeding provisions, which reach any open or uncovered container of standing water.

Key details: Rainwater harvesting ordinance: None. Permit for a rain barrel: Not required. Real constraint: Stagnant water nuisance, Sec. 38-51. Enforcing department: Property Standards. Indoor plumbing connection: State plumbing code applies.

An uncovered barrel breeding mosquitoes draws a Property Standards notice of violation under Chapter 38, Division 6, with an order to eliminate the standing water and possible city abatement.

Shreveport is more permissive than most cities when it comes to rainwater harvesting. That said, there are still limits.

Native Plants

Shreveport does not require native landscaping. Required trees and plantings must come from the Tree and Plant Palette in UDC Section 10.12, and the MPC Executive Director may approve other species that are native or naturalized to the area.

Key details: Native-plant requirement: None. Approved plant list: UDC Section 10.12, Table 10-3. Off-list species: Executive Director may approve. Water conservation: Required design principle. Single-family homes: No landscape plan required.

Planting a species outside the palette without Executive Director approval is a landscape-plan compliance issue handled during MPC review or certificate-of-occupancy inspection rather than a citation.

The rules around native plants in Shreveport lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Weed Ordinances

Shreveport caps grass, weeds and wild growth at 12 inches on every occupied, vacant, residential and nonresidential property. Fines escalate from $150 to $350, and city abatement adds a $500 administrative charge secured by a lien on the property.

Key details: Height limit: 12 inches. Fines: $150 / $250 / $350 by offense. City abatement charge: $500 plus costs. Vacant-land buffer: 25 feet from developed lots. Extension available: 7 days, requested within 3 days.

Property Standards issues a citation or notice of violation. If the owner does not comply, the city mows using crews or a contractor, adds a $500 administrative charge, and records a lien with the Caddo Parish clerk of court.

Compared to other cities, Shreveport takes a harder line on weed ordinances. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Artificial Turf

Shreveport has no ordinance that permits or bans artificial turf by name. UDC Section 10.8 requires every part of a lot not covered by structures or paving to be landscaped with living plantings, allowing stone or mulch as pervious alternatives.

Key details: Turf-specific ordinance: None adopted. Controlling section: UDC Section 10.8. Single-family landscape plan: Not required. Stone and mulch beds: Permitted under Section 10.8. Replacement deadline: 60 days after notice.

Enforced by the Zoning Administrator under UDC Article 19 as a landscaping deficiency, not a separate turf offense. Dead or missing required plant material must be replaced within 60 days of notice.

Tree Removal & Heritage Trees

A tree removal permit in Shreveport is required for trees 30 inches or larger in caliper in street rights-of-way and other public grounds. Removing a tree on your own lot needs no city permit, though hired tree crews must be licensed and registered.

Key details: Public tree permit trigger: 30 inches caliper or larger. Approving agencies: Public Works or SPAR. Private-lot removal permit: Not required. City arborist registration: $50 annual permit. Arborist violation fine: Up to $500 per offense.

Removing or damaging a public tree without approval violates the UDC. Unlicensed arborists face permit revocation, a fine up to $500 per offense, and a one-year bar on reapplying.

Shreveport is more permissive than most cities when it comes to tree removal & heritage trees. That said, there are still limits.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Shreveport gives residents more room on landscaping rules. 3 of the 7 rules here are rated permissive. But permissive does not mean unregulated. There are still requirements, and the city does enforce them when violations are reported.

Keep in mind that Shreveport can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.