Fishers, IN Tree Protection: Heritage & Protected Trees (2026)
Key Facts
- Program type
- Optional, opt-in for developers
- Protects
- Wooded areas, specimen trees
- Incentive
- Landscape credit toward UDO requirement
- If opted in
- Fencing 3 ft outside dripline required
Summary
Fishers offers developers an optional specimen-tree and wooded-area preservation program with landscape credits, in exchange for construction fencing and retention standards once a builder opts in.
Applicability. This section is presented as an option for the development community in all zoning districts applying for an Improvement Location Permit or approval of a Development Plan or Primary Plat. Intent. (1) To prevent the unnecessary cutting, removal or killing of trees in wooded areas. (2) To prevent the unnecessary cutting, removal or killing of specimen trees.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ordinance No. 051826E, passed 5-18-26; and Resolution No. R051826C, passed 5-18-26; and State legislation current through Indiana Legislative Service, 2026 Acts, Pamphlet #1).
Full Breakdown
Section 162.02, sitting outside the Unified Development Ordinance, gives developers an optional path when applying for an Improvement Location Permit, Development Plan or Primary Plat: preserve wooded areas and specimen trees and earn in-kind landscape credit toward the UDO's planting requirements. If a builder opts in, designated tree conservation areas bar removing trees over six inches DBH except in limited cases, require orange construction fencing at least three feet outside a specimen tree's dripline before work begins, and can trigger a root-aeration system or similar protection if more than 30% of the drip line is disturbed.
Violations & Fines
Section 162.02 is opt-in, not mandatory; a builder who elects the natural-area credit and then violates the resulting tree conservation plan must replant trees matching the caliper of what was removed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fishers' specimen-tree protection mandatory?
What do developers get for preserving trees?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fishers
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