Kenner, LA Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

Kenner's parkway rule, Section 9.09(d) of the Unified Development Code's Article IX landscaping regulations, splits right-of-way vegetation work into what an adjoining owner may do freely and what needs Public Works sign-off. Trimming trees, shrubs, or other plants growing on the strip of public property directly in front of or beside a residence, between the private property line and the street right-of-way, requires no permit. In exchange for that freedom, the trimming owner or their agent assumes full liability for any damage the trimming causes to public property and must fully indemnify the City, including court costs and attorney fees, for any resulting claims.

Planting or removing right-of-way vegetation is treated differently: a Public Works permit is required for any planting or removal project except for grass, flowers, or shrubs that stay under thirty inches in height, which remain permit-free. Residential property owners who live at the address pay no permit fee for this work, though the same liability and indemnification terms still apply to their permits. This parkway carve-out sits inside the City's broader Section 9.09(b) permit system, which otherwise requires anyone, including public utility companies, to get a Director of Public Works permit before cutting, trimming, removing, spraying, treating, or planting any tree, shrub, hedge, or other plant on a dedicated public right-of-way; the twenty-five-dollar-per-permit fee for smaller stock and the requirement of a separate permit for each tree four inches or greater in trunk diameter apply outside the owner-occupant exception.

Public utility companies must instead file an annual trim plan with the Planning Department by January 31 each year and use only Louisiana-licensed Utility Arborists.