Street frontage and front yard landscaping.
Indianapolis-Marion County Revised Code § 744-504
in effectSec. 744-504. - Street frontage and front yard landscaping.
In all zoning districts except residential lots in D-A, D-S, D-1, D-2, D-3 and D-4 the front yard shall meet the following standards:
A. The front yard shall be landscaped with at least one shade tree per 35 feet of street frontage. If overhead electric distribution lines are present, ornamental trees with a maximum mature height of 15 feet shall be planted and the number of trees planted shall be at least one ornamental tree per 20 feet of street frontage.
B. Trees required by the subsection above shall be planted in the amenity zone right-of-way, or where right-of-way design constraints prevent this, within ten feet of the front lot line.
C. For lots that have a front yard less than five feet in depth or where the sidewalk extends from the back of curb to the lot line, tree wells may be installed in the right-of-way to accommodate the required frontage trees, provided the sidewalk surface remains at least four feet wide at all locations. The opening in a tree well must be expandable or otherwise accommodate the mature diameter of the tree, and include sub-surface techniques to account for root growth and protection.
D. All planting in the public right-of-way shall meet the requirements of Chapter 701 and may be counted toward fulfilling the requirements of this article.
E. On lots adjacent to a landscaped median in the right-of-way, 50 percent of the vegetation in the median that meets a street frontage and front yard landscaping requirement may be credited towards the landscaping requirements of this Section 744-504.
F. Planting beds with shrubs, flowers, wildflowers, low grasses or sedges, excluding turf grass, shall comprise at least 20 percent of the area of a front yard.
G. In Dwelling Districts, the front yard is subject to limitations on front yard parking area width shown in Section 744-404.A.2., and the remaining front yard shall be landscaped in grass, shrubbery, trees or flowers, or in combination with other similar and suitable vegetative ground cover plantings.
(G.O. 64, 2015, § 2; G.O. 26, 2021, § 7)
Source: Consolidated City of Indianapolis and Marion County, Revised Code (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/in/indianapolis_-_marion_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TITIIIPUHEWE_CH744DEST_ARTVLASC_S744-504STFRFRYALAFetched: 10/27/2026