BATON ROUGE, La. - A Unified Development Code for Baton Rouge is in place to protect and enhance the community's environmental, economic and aesthetic resources consistent with the goals of the City Parish Comprehensive Land Use and Development Plan.

The provisions of this code apply to all new commercial, industrial, multi-family, religious, educational, institutional and public & semi-public land uses that are developed after January 19, 1994. It also applies to development that requires the issuance of a building permit for a building addition amounting to more than fifty percent of existing street facade.

Some interesting landscape standards include: all single trunk trees must have a minimum of 2 1/2 inch caliper immediately after planting. Two multi-trunk trees with a minimum 1 inch caliper per trunk may be substituted for each single trunk tree. A minimum of 100-square feet for each Class "A" tree or 50-square feet for each Class "B" tree of non-paved area is required for each tree where it is planted. In addition, vehicular areas are required to have a minimum of 5 percent of the total vehicular use area landscaped.

Failure to maintain plant materials and planting areas as determined through periodic inspection by the Director of Landscape and Forestry may subject the owner to a fine of $50-per-day for each day that the required landscaping is not maintained.

For more information on the City of Baton Rouge Unified Development Code, go to www.ci.baton-rouge.la.us.