Fishers, IN Tree Protection: Protected Tree Species (2026)
Key Facts
- Program type
- Voluntary, not mandatory
- Triggered by
- ILP, Dev Plan, or Primary Plat
- Priority habitat
- Rare/endangered species habitat
- Incentive
- Landscape credit per tree saved
Summary
Fishers has no mandatory tree or wildlife-habitat protection ordinance. City Code § 162.02 instead offers developers an optional incentive program: preserve specimen trees, critical species habitat, or riparian corridors during permit review and earn landscape credit under the Unified Development Ordinance.
(A) 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. ... (4) Other areas to be given priority for protection are: critical habitats which contain rare, threatened or endangered species, wooded 100-year floodways, wooded wetlands and wooded slopes, wooded or partially wooded stream corridors with drainage areas greater than 50 acres, and riparian areas.
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
The program applies only when a developer opts in while seeking an Improvement Location Permit, Development Plan, or Primary Plat approval. Fishers names critical habitat for rare, threatened, or endangered species, wooded 100-year floodways, wooded wetlands and slopes, and stream corridors with over 50 acres of drainage as priority areas, alongside specimen trees and wooded tracts generally. Preserving trees earns density and open-space credit toward UDO landscape requirements; nothing compels a developer to protect habitat outside these voluntary terms.
Violations & Fines
No violations or penalties attach: participation is voluntary. A developer who declines the natural-area option and clears habitat or trees outside a designated conservation area commits no violation of § 162.02.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Fishers require developers to protect trees or wildlife habitat?
What habitat gets priority under the program?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fishers
Compare Fishers to another location·View the Indiana tree protection overview
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