Kenner, LA Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

Section 9.08(a) of the Kenner Unified Development Code, Tree Preservation, requires a tree removal permit before clearing any tract of land when either of two conditions applies: the land is zoned commercial, office, industrial, or institutional and the site holds a tree with a trunk diameter at breast height (DBH) of twelve inches or greater, or the proposed residential development covers more than one acre. The stated purpose of the permit is to force a review of site development alternatives that would encourage keeping existing, significant trees standing.

A developer who wants credit toward the article's landscaping requirements must also submit a tree preservation plan under Section 9.08(b), which earns credit on a sliding scale set out in Table IX-1: five credits for a preserved tree with a fifty-foot-or-greater drip line or twenty-six-inch-or-greater trunk diameter, down to two credits for a six-to-ten-foot drip line or three-to-eight-inch trunk. Chinese Tallow, Black Willow, Cottonwood, Camphor, and other short-lived or invasive species earn no more than one credit regardless of size. Once a building permit issues, any tree not designated for preservation on the approved plan may be removed, but a preserved tree that dies within eight years must be replaced on a matching Class A or B basis within six months. During construction, Section 9.08(c) requires a five-foot protective fence at the drip line of every tree marked for preservation.