Data centers and data warehousing are permitted only in zoning districts whose permitted-use tables list those uses, including the AML Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics District.

An AML data center may not exceed 1,000,000 square feet of ground-floor building area, excluding specified detached, incidental, and projecting structures; other potentially applicable districts impose lower maximum building sizes.

Building-height limits apply by district, including 100 feet in the AML District, 65 feet in the I-1 through I-3 Industrial Districts, and 35 feet for buildings in HC-1 through HC-4 districts located within 100 feet of residentially zoned property.

New lots in applicable commercial and industrial districts, including AML, generally must contain at least 20,000 square feet, and lots served by central water and sewer in applicable industrial and AML districts generally must be at least 80 feet wide.

Buildings in applicable commercial and industrial districts, including AML, generally may cover no more than 50 percent of the lot, subject to additional parking and landscaping requirements.

An AML data center abutting a residential zoning district must provide a 75-foot buffer. If at least 80 percent of the frontage across the street between two consecutive intersections is residential, residential setback rules apply, including an additional one foot of setback for each foot of building height over 25 feet.

Where applicable commercial districts adjoin residential districts, transitional yards are required; development in the Highway 21 Planned Corridor Overlay may also require 100-foot setbacks from the property line.

An AML data center development must submit an engineering report addressing the feasibility of low-impact development and green infrastructure.

Covered development projects require Development Plan Review, including a completeness review and a detailed site plan showing uses, buildings, parking, access, landscaping, lighting, drainage, utilities, trash facilities, and other site features. Phases not identified in the original application require separate review.

Commercial, industrial, and institutional developments must submit predevelopment and post-development drainage plans, paving materials, as-built plans, fill information, culvert or outfall elevations, and required state approvals.

Construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, moving, demolition, occupancy changes, and regulated electrical, mechanical, plumbing, or gas work for a data center require a building permit before work begins.

A commercial data-center building-permit application must include construction documents, a lot-fill form, applicable prior approvals, any required land-clearing permit, a state fire marshal review letter, a subcontractor list, permit fees, and other information required by the Director.

Commercial new-construction permits require a $300 nonrefundable application fee plus $0.31 per square foot, and commercial plan review requires $150 plus $0.01 per square foot. Work begun before permit issuance incurs an additional fee equal to 100 percent of the usual fee.

A building permit becomes invalid unless work begins within 180 days, is not suspended or abandoned for 180 days after commencement, and is completed within two years; written extensions may not exceed 90 days per extension.

A data center may not proceed past required inspection points without approval, construction must remain accessible and exposed for inspection, and occupancy requires completed electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and gas systems and approval of final grade and building inspections.

All new nonresidential development requires a landscape plan prepared and sealed by a Louisiana-licensed landscape architect, along with required street, side-yard, rear-yard, parking-lot, pond, screening, and other landscaping.

New nonresidential development must use at least 60 percent native plant material and, unless an approved alternative applies, install an irrigation system meeting specified low-volume irrigation, drip-irrigation, controller, sensor, and backflow-prevention requirements.

A lot or parcel may not have more than 70 percent of its surface area covered by impervious material.

Nonresidential development generally requires a land-clearing permit before tree removal or land-clearing work, and the permit is valid for only two years.

Commercial and industrial developments must submit a tree survey prepared by a Louisiana-licensed land surveyor or landscape architect and identify and protect applicable mature trees.

For nonresidential development, no more than 50 percent of identified protected live oak and cypress trees may be removed. Approved removals that cause noncompliance require replanting in plantable soil within six months or may require payment into the Parish Tree Bank Program.

Site-lighting work requires a permit. Commercial development involving outdoor lighting must submit fixture information, a luminaire schedule, and, when required, a photometric plan, and must comply with fixture-height, shielding, footcandle, glare, and light-trespass limits.

Parking lots with more than 10 spaces require Department of Planning and Development approval, and lots with more than 8 spaces or more than 2,500 square feet require interior landscaping, including landscape islands and trees.

Off-street parking must be provided as required for the use and may not be used for storage or other purposes. Parking areas with more than 15 spaces must include at least one accessible parking stall, subject to additional State Fire Marshal requirements.

A commercial establishment in the Planned Corridor Overlay that abuts residentially zoned property and customarily produces noise at or above 70 dB(A) may operate only between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Major commercial developments may be required to provide joint or cross vehicular access, with any required cross-access easement recorded and supported by a fully executed agreement.

A legal nonconforming data-center use or building may lose its nonconforming status if the use ceases for more than six months, and a nonconforming use generally may change only to a similar or less intensive use.

Expansion of a legal nonconforming data-center use or building is limited to 25 percent of the existing area, must meet applicable setbacks and parking requirements, may not increase dwelling units, and may not create specified safety, drainage, traffic, or nuisance impacts.

If a legal nonconforming building is damaged by more than 50 percent of its replacement value, reconstruction generally must conform to the current zoning district; otherwise, reconstruction after qualifying damage must occur within one year.

The Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics (AML) zoning district expressly permits data centers and data warehousing, along with related distribution, warehousing, office, and research-and-development facilities.

The AML district permits building ground-floor areas up to 1,000,000 square feet and building heights up to 100 feet, subject to a minimum 20,000-square-foot lot, an 80-foot minimum lot width where central utilities are provided, 50% maximum lot coverage, and other district requirements.

The AML district permits supporting infrastructure, including electrical substations, stormwater retention or detention facilities, limited wastewater treatment facilities, and small wireless facilities, generally subject to applicable development-plan review.

The I-1, I-2, and I-3 industrial districts allow maximum building sizes of 40,000, 200,000, and 500,000 square feet, respectively, with building heights up to 65 feet, subject to other district standards.

The Planned Business Campus District permits buildings up to 250,000 square feet and 150 feet in height, subject to the district's other requirements.

The Regional Business Center Overlay allows qualifying planned commercial or office developments of at least 100 acres in the HC-3, PBC-1, PBC-2, or AML districts to satisfy land-use and development requirements across lot lines.

For a qualifying Regional Business Center Overlay request, the applicant does not have to show that the overlay is more suitable than the current zoning because the overlay does not replace the underlying zoning; a preapplication conference, concept plan, public review, and Council approval are still required.

An approved Regional Business Center Overlay incorporates the concept plan as a binding exhibit to the overlay ordinance, providing approved development standards tied to the specific project, subject to compliance and formally approved amendments.

Directional drilling for potable-water lines beneath roadways may be uncased when it complies with LADOTD standards and is approved by the utility company. Sewer force-main directional drilling may also be uncased under those conditions, with drilling logs required for as-built records.

Adjacent developments may use joint or cross access and shared parking under recorded agreements, and the Planning Commission may require cross-access for major commercial developments.

For nonresidential uses, required parking may be located on the same lot or within 100 feet of the main building if off-site or shared parking is secured by a recorded covenant or agreement.

A certificate of occupancy may be issued before required landscaping is complete if the Planning and Development Director approves an installation agreement and schedule backed by performance security such as cash or a letter of credit; the landscaping obligation generally lasts at least one year.

Lawful nonconforming buildings and structures may continue despite later zoning changes because the regulations are not retroactive and do not require removal or alteration of lawful existing structures.

A lawful nonconforming building or structure may be expanded by up to 25% if the expansion increases compliance where practicable, adds no dwelling units, meets applicable setbacks and parking requirements, and does not create specified public-safety, infrastructure, or nuisance impacts.

A lawful nonconforming use may continue and may change to a similar or less intensive use without a zoning change; a more intensive use requires rezoning.

A lawful nonconforming building or structure damaged by specified disasters may be reconstructed and reused as before if reconstruction occurs within one year and does not increase its square footage. If damage exceeds 50% of replacement value, reconstruction generally must comply with current zoning.

Existing public utility sites that are not expanding may remain in operation if they install a minimum eight-foot opaque perimeter fence instead of relocating or ceasing operation.

Proposed public utility sites in or adjacent to residential or commercial districts may be developed through plan review with natural-area preservation or replacement and required screening; if preservation is impracticable, specified perimeter tree planting and an opaque fence may be used instead.