Lafayette Parish, LA Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Sec. 89-36, landscaping, buffers, screening
- Scope
- City of Lafayette + unincorporated parish
- Native plants
- Encouraged, not required
- Residential exemption
- Single-family detached homes exempt
- Max penalty
- $500 per offense, per day
Summary
Lafayette City-Parish's landscape code explicitly encourages incorporating native plant materials into required buffer and parking-lot landscaping, though it doesn't mandate all-native plantings and exempts single-family homes from the section entirely.
Preserve existing vegetation. To preserve, conserve and protect healthy existing natural vegetation, and encourage the incorporation of plant materials, especially native plants, plant communities and ecosystems into landscape design, where possible. ... Human values. ... avoid clear cutting, and promote landscaping with native plant materials.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 65).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 89-36 of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government Code applies its landscaping, buffer and screening standards in both the City of Lafayette and unincorporated Lafayette Parish. Its stated purpose is to encourage the incorporation of native plant materials into landscape design and to promote landscaping with native plant materials while discouraging clear-cutting. Native or ornamental plants are also named as acceptable choices for low-impact stormwater features like rain gardens and bioswales. The section exempts single-family detached homes, so it mainly governs commercial, multifamily and vehicular-use-area landscaping rather than residential yards.
Violations & Fines
Removing a required tree or landscape area without DPD approval, or failing to meet buffer and parking-lot standards, is a civil violation heard by a hearing officer and fined up to $500 per offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Lafayette require me to plant native species?
Does this apply to my house in unincorporated Lafayette Parish?
What about Broussard, Carencro or Youngsville?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lafayette Parish
Compare Lafayette Parish to another location·View the Louisiana landscaping rules overview
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