Kenner, LA Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Kenner enforces two separate clearance heights for street and yard trees under Section 9.05(c) of the Unified Development Code's landscaping regulations, part of Article IX. Where limbs hang over a sidewalk at the curb, the property owner must keep them trimmed to a minimum of six feet six inches above grade so pedestrians can pass safely. Where limbs hang over a public street, clearance must be at least fifteen feet above grade, or whatever taller clearance the current edition of the AASHTO Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets requires for that roadway, so trucks and emergency vehicles are not obstructed.

The same subsection flatly prohibits tree topping, the practice of indiscriminately cutting back a tree's crown to stubs, regardless of species or location. These maintenance duties sit alongside Kenner's broader permit system for public-property trees: under Section 9.09(b), nobody, including public utility companies, may cut, trim, remove, spray, treat or plant a tree or shrub on a dedicated public right-of-way or other public property without first obtaining a permit from the Director of the Department of Public Works, and the application fee is twenty-five dollars per permit for trees or shrubs under four inches in trunk diameter, with a separate permit required for each tree four inches or larger.

The landscaping article as a whole is enforced through the certificate-of-occupancy process: Section 9.02 blocks issuance of a certificate of occupancy for any lot until landscape requirements, including maintenance obligations like clearance trimming, are met, and failure to maintain compliance is cause for revocation plus fines under Article IV, Administration and Enforcement.