Duluth UDC § 703.05

a. General Requirements. 1. Buffers shall be natural and free of encroachments except as authorized by a condition of zoning, special use or variance approval, or as authorized herein, and shall contain the existing tree cover and vegetation as well as any supplemental plantings or replanting as may be required. 2. Buffers shall be of such nature and density so as to screen activities, structures and use on the property from view from the normal level of a first story window on an abutting lot and shall further provide year-round effective visual screening. 3. Buffers required alongside property lines shall extend to a street right-of-way line unless otherwise required by the Planning and Development Director in order to observe the sight distance requirements contained in the Project Design and Construction Standards Article of this Development Code, or as authorized by a condition of zoning, special use or variance approval. 4. In situations where the required buffer width is partially or completely contained within an existing easement (e.g. power or natural transmission, etc.), the screening requirements of 703.03(b) of this Article shall be met. b. Supplemental Plantings. 1. Buffers in which vegetation is non-existent or is inadequate to meet the screening requirements of this Article shall be planted with supplemental plantings so as to provide a year-round effective visual screen. 2. Supplemental plantings and re-plantings shall consist of evergreen trees, shrubs, or combination thereof, native or adaptable to the region as submitted by a registered landscape architect. 3. All supplemental plantings shall be installed to allow for proper plant growth and maintenance. c. Non-Vegetative Screening (Structural Buffer). 1. Non-vegetative materials utilized to satisfy the screening requirements of this Article, in addition to the use of existing vegetation and/or supplemental plantings, may consist of walls, fences, earthen berms or any combination thereof. 2. If walls or fences are to be utilized, their placement and installation shall be so to cause minimal disturbance of existing vegetation and located to provide an effective visual screen. 189 | P a g e Article Seven. Landscaping, Buffers, and Tree Protection 3. Electric fencing shall be prohibited as a structural buffer.