Tree Removal Permits in Baton Rouge, LA

Verified against Baton Rouge city sources · last checked 2026-08-06

Do you need a permit?

No permit required for most private trees

Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish share one government and one rulebook, and that rulebook puts its tree provisions in the Unified Development Code rather than the Code of Ordinances. UDC Chapter 18 applies to residential property only when you are building three or more dwelling units or a parking lot of ten or more spaces, so an ordinary house is outside it, and the only removal permit in the chapter is for trees "growing within the public right-of-way or other public property." Two things still bind you. If your parcel is larger than five acres, land clearing pulls you into a tree preservation requirement. And anyone you PAY to cut a tree needs both a state arborist license and a separate 100-dollar City-Parish arborist license - the city-parish has had its own since 1990.

Size threshold

None for an ordinary residential lot. The thresholds that exist are for large parcels: UDC Section 18.2.4 provides that "Land clearing on property five acres or larger, excluding commercial timber harvesting, shall only be required to prepare a Landscape Plan to comply with Section 18.6.1, Minimum Tree Preservation," and Section 18.6.1.A requires "the minimum preservation or mitigation of at least 20% of existing healthy trees with a 24 inch diameter or greater measured at DBH, as identified in Table 3.B, Significant Tree Species." The tree-credit table at Section 18.6.3 uses DBH bands starting at 6 inches, and singles live oaks out for the richest credit: "Live Oak Trees, 24 inches or greater - 1 tree for every inch of preserved Live Oak."

What's protected in Baton Rouge

Trees and shrubs on public land. UDC Section 18.5.A: "A permit from the Development Department is required to remove any tree or shrub growing within the public right-of-way or other public property."
Significant trees 24 inches DBH or greater on parcels over five acres, under the Minimum Tree Preservation rule at Section 18.6.1. Section 18.6.1.B sets the mitigation rate: "For mitigation of removed significant trees, each tree removed beyond the 80% allowance, the owner or developer shall plant two replacement native Class A trees."
Live oaks, which get preferential treatment in the tree credit table at Section 18.6.3 - one credited tree for every inch of preserved live oak at 24 inches or greater, against a flat 10 trees for every other species at that size.
City-Parish trees near a construction site. Section 18.6.5.A requires tree protection fencing "around all trees belonging to the City-Parish that are within twenty feet of the developing property."

How to apply in Baton Rouge

1
For a tree on an ordinary residential lot there is no application.
2
For a tree in the public right-of-way or on other public property, apply to the Development Department for a removal permit under UDC Section 18.5.A. Section 18.5.G sets a useful default: "If no action is taken by the Development Department within 10 working days of the submission of a permit request, the permit will automatically be issued. All denials of permit requests by the Development Department shall be accompanied by written reasons for the permit denial."
3
Section 18.5.F lists the findings that support approval - growth that cannot be corrected by proper trimming, damage from the elements or age or disease, an insecure root system, interference with street use, root interference with subsurface sewer or utility facilities, or "Any other conditions which the Development Director finds such removal will be in the public interest."
4
If your parcel is larger than five acres and you are clearing land, prepare a Landscape Plan meeting Section 18.6.1, Minimum Tree Preservation. Section 18.3.1.A requires it to be "prepared by a Professional Landscape Architect licensed in the State of Louisiana" bearing the seal and signature.
5
To hire a tree service: confirm the state arborist license at the LDAF published list, then confirm the City-Parish license. Section 9:492 gives you an easy field check - "All vehicles used in tree service shall be clearly marked with the name and city or parish license number of the person holding a valid arborist's license from the city or parish and the state."

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee: No fee applies to an ordinary homeowner because no permit applies. The fee that does exist is on the contractor: Code Section 9:495(a), "The license fee for an arborist's license shall be one hundred dollars ($100.00) per year. Licenses issued hereunder shall expire December 31 following the date of issue." UDC Section 18.5 sets no fee for the public right-of-way tree removal permit.
Penalties: The penalty that actually exists here is on unlicensed tree work, and it is criminal. Code Section 9:491: "It shall be unlawful for any person to solicit or engage within the parish or city in the business of servicing trees unless such person shall have first procured a license to do so from the office of the director of finance... Any person doing business in violation of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, may be fined two hundred dollars ($200.00) or sentenced to sixty (60) days in jail or both, at the judge's discretion." On the development side, UDC Section 18.6.5.C and E make the sanction procedural rather than monetary - loss of tree preservation credits and "suspension of all work until a revised Landscape Plan is approved."
Ordinance: City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge Unified Development Code, Chapter 18 - Landscape and Trees, in the December 2025 edition. The UDC is not printed inside the Code of Ordinances: Ord. No. 10771, Section 1, adopted November 20, 1996, "removed the provisions of Title 7, pertaining to planning and zoning, from the Code," and Code Section 7:1 now says only that "A copy of the Unified Development Code is on file in the offices of the planning commission and council administrator-treasurer." Arborist licensing is Title 9, Chapter 11, Sections 9:490 through 9:496, from Ord. No. 9025, adopted December 13, 1989, effective January 1, 1990. Code of Ordinances current through Ordinance No. 19834, passed April 22, 2026 (Supp. No. 103).

Worth knowing

The homeowner exemption is written into the definition rather than stated as an exemption, which makes it easy to miss. Code Section 9:490(a) defines an Arborist as "Any person servicing trees for a fee on established residential or commercial property containing less than acreage other than one working on his own improved property in the parish or in the city, but specifically excluding persons engaged in clearing of rights-of-way for public utilities." Work on your own improved property is outside the definition entirely. (The phrase "containing less than acreage" appears exactly that way in the code; it reads as a drafting error and is quoted rather than repaired.)
The City-Parish license stacks on top of the state license, it does not replace it. Section 9:491: "This requirement is in addition to any other local licenses, and also in addition to the license required by the Horticulture Commission of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture." Section 9:493(a) requires the application to be "accompanied by a photostatic copy of that person's license issued by the Louisiana Horticulture Commission."
Timber harvesting is carved out twice. Section 9:496: "This chapter shall not apply to any business or occupation of land clearing or harvesting of timber for resale." UDC Section 18.2.4 excludes "commercial timber harvesting" from the five-acre land clearing rule.
The city-parish points homeowners at Louisiana civil law rather than at a permit. Its Environmental and Landscape page lists, under "LANDSCAPE REQUIREMENTS AND INFORMATION," a document titled "Louisiana Civil Code: Trees on Private Property" - the neighbor-law rules on encroaching branches and roots, not a municipal permit.
Emergency utility pruning is allowed without a permit but has a 15-day paperwork tail. UDC Section 18.5.B.3: "Pruning or digging measures that are necessary to restore power or to abate the imminent danger to human life are authorized. A report of any such emergency work, if it involved pruning or digging within the root system of a tree or shrub, must be filed with the Development Department within 15 calendar days following such work."
A tree you preserve for credit becomes a five-year obligation. UDC Section 18.6.2.C: "If a preserved tree dies within five years of development completion or certificate of occupancy, it is the responsibility of the owner to replace that tree with the number of caliper inches credited on a matching basis within six months."
The tree protection fencing signs must be bilingual. UDC Section 18.6.5.D requires signs reading "Tree Protection Zone. No entry unless authorized by the City-Parish Development Department" and specifies they "shall be in both English and Spanish."

What we could not confirm

We would rather tell you what we don't know than guess. Call the office below to confirm these before you cut.

— Whether an ordinary Baton Rouge homeowner truly needs nothing. UDC Chapter 18 does not reach a one- or two-unit residential lot and Section 18.5 reaches only public land, but neither document states an affirmative "no permit is required for private trees," and no homeowner-facing city page was found that answers the question in those words.
— The fee, if any, for the UDC Section 18.5 permit to remove a tree in the public right-of-way. The UDC sets none and the published Permit and Inspection Fees page was not confirmed to list one.
— The adopting ordinance number and date for the December 2025 edition of UDC Chapter 18. The chapter PDF carries the December 2025 footer; the UDC Amendments appendix was not read.
— Whether the City-Parish arborist license is currently being issued and enforced. The chapter dates to 1989 and Municode shows no amendment; no current license roster was found on brla.gov.
— Whether BREC, the separate Recreation and Park Commission for East Baton Rouge Parish, has its own tree rules for park land. BREC is a distinct body from the City-Parish government.
— The email address for the Environmental and Landscape section. The city publishes a phone and fax but a general "Email Us" form only.
— Whether any Baton Rouge historic district or overlay adds a tree approval on top of the UDC. Chapter 10 of the UDC, Overlay Districts, was not read.

Sources

Who to contact in Baton Rouge

Environmental and Landscape section, Permits and Inspections, Department of Development, City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge. The arborist license itself is issued by the Director of Finance, not Development - Code Section 9:493(a) has the finance director forward the application to the Department of Public Works for review.

Environmental and Landscape: 225-389-3205 (fax 225-389-3249). City-Parish main line: 225-389-3000. Official page

300 N Tenth Street, Baton Rouge, LA. Mailing address: P.O. Box 1471, Baton Rouge, LA 70821.

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Size threshold

What's protected in Baton Rouge

Trees and shrubs on public land. UDC Section 18.5.A: "A permit from the Development Department is required to remove any tree or shrub growing within the public right-of-way or other public property."

Significant trees 24 inches DBH or greater on parcels over five acres, under the Minimum Tree Preservation rule at Section 18.6.1. Section 18.6.1.B sets the mitigation rate: "For mitigation of removed significant trees, each tree removed beyond the 80% allowance, the owner or developer shall plant two replacement native Class A trees."

Live oaks, which get preferential treatment in the tree credit table at Section 18.6.3 - one credited tree for every inch of preserved live oak at 24 inches or greater, against a flat 10 trees for every other species at that size.

City-Parish trees near a construction site. Section 18.6.5.A requires tree protection fencing "around all trees belonging to the City-Parish that are within twenty feet of the developing property."

How to apply in Baton Rouge

1
For a tree on an ordinary residential lot there is no application.
2
For a tree in the public right-of-way or on other public property, apply to the Development Department for a removal permit under UDC Section 18.5.A. Section 18.5.G sets a useful default: "If no action is taken by the Development Department within 10 working days of the submission of a permit request, the permit will automatically be issued. All denials of permit requests by the Development Department shall be accompanied by written reasons for the permit denial."
3
Section 18.5.F lists the findings that support approval - growth that cannot be corrected by proper trimming, damage from the elements or age or disease, an insecure root system, interference with street use, root interference with subsurface sewer or utility facilities, or "Any other conditions which the Development Director finds such removal will be in the public interest."
4
If your parcel is larger than five acres and you are clearing land, prepare a Landscape Plan meeting Section 18.6.1, Minimum Tree Preservation. Section 18.3.1.A requires it to be "prepared by a Professional Landscape Architect licensed in the State of Louisiana" bearing the seal and signature.
5
To hire a tree service: confirm the state arborist license at the LDAF published list, then confirm the City-Parish license. Section 9:492 gives you an easy field check - "All vehicles used in tree service shall be clearly marked with the name and city or parish license number of the person holding a valid arborist's license from the city or parish and the state."

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee

No fee applies to an ordinary homeowner because no permit applies. The fee that does exist is on the contractor: Code Section 9:495(a), "The license fee for an arborist's license shall be one hundred dollars ($100.00) per year. Licenses issued hereunder shall expire December 31 following the date of issue." UDC Section 18.5 sets no fee for the public right-of-way tree removal permit.

Penalties

The penalty that actually exists here is on unlicensed tree work, and it is criminal. Code Section 9:491: "It shall be unlawful for any person to solicit or engage within the parish or city in the business of servicing trees unless such person shall have first procured a license to do so from the office of the director of finance... Any person doing business in violation of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, may be fined two hundred dollars ($200.00) or sentenced to sixty (60) days in jail or both, at the judge's discretion." On the development side, UDC Section 18.6.5.C and E make the sanction procedural rather than monetary - loss of tree preservation credits and "suspension of all work until a revised Landscape Plan is approved."

Ordinance

City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge Unified Development Code, Chapter 18 - Landscape and Trees, in the December 2025 edition. The UDC is not printed inside the Code of Ordinances: Ord. No. 10771, Section 1, adopted November 20, 1996, "removed the provisions of Title 7, pertaining to planning and zoning, from the Code," and Code Section 7:1 now says only that "A copy of the Unified Development Code is on file in the offices of the planning commission and council administrator-treasurer." Arborist licensing is Title 9, Chapter 11, Sections 9:490 through 9:496, from Ord. No. 9025, adopted December 13, 1989, effective January 1, 1990. Code of Ordinances current through Ordinance No. 19834, passed April 22, 2026 (Supp. No. 103).

Worth knowing

The homeowner exemption is written into the definition rather than stated as an exemption, which makes it easy to miss. Code Section 9:490(a) defines an Arborist as "Any person servicing trees for a fee on established residential or commercial property containing less than acreage other than one working on his own improved property in the parish or in the city, but specifically excluding persons engaged in clearing of rights-of-way for public utilities." Work on your own improved property is outside the definition entirely. (The phrase "containing less than acreage" appears exactly that way in the code; it reads as a drafting error and is quoted rather than repaired.)
The City-Parish license stacks on top of the state license, it does not replace it. Section 9:491: "This requirement is in addition to any other local licenses, and also in addition to the license required by the Horticulture Commission of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture." Section 9:493(a) requires the application to be "accompanied by a photostatic copy of that person's license issued by the Louisiana Horticulture Commission."
Timber harvesting is carved out twice. Section 9:496: "This chapter shall not apply to any business or occupation of land clearing or harvesting of timber for resale." UDC Section 18.2.4 excludes "commercial timber harvesting" from the five-acre land clearing rule.
The city-parish points homeowners at Louisiana civil law rather than at a permit. Its Environmental and Landscape page lists, under "LANDSCAPE REQUIREMENTS AND INFORMATION," a document titled "Louisiana Civil Code: Trees on Private Property" - the neighbor-law rules on encroaching branches and roots, not a municipal permit.
Emergency utility pruning is allowed without a permit but has a 15-day paperwork tail. UDC Section 18.5.B.3: "Pruning or digging measures that are necessary to restore power or to abate the imminent danger to human life are authorized. A report of any such emergency work, if it involved pruning or digging within the root system of a tree or shrub, must be filed with the Development Department within 15 calendar days following such work."
A tree you preserve for credit becomes a five-year obligation. UDC Section 18.6.2.C: "If a preserved tree dies within five years of development completion or certificate of occupancy, it is the responsibility of the owner to replace that tree with the number of caliper inches credited on a matching basis within six months."
The tree protection fencing signs must be bilingual. UDC Section 18.6.5.D requires signs reading "Tree Protection Zone. No entry unless authorized by the City-Parish Development Department" and specifies they "shall be in both English and Spanish."

What we could not confirm

We would rather tell you what we don't know than guess. Call the office below to confirm these before you cut.

— Whether an ordinary Baton Rouge homeowner truly needs nothing. UDC Chapter 18 does not reach a one- or two-unit residential lot and Section 18.5 reaches only public land, but neither document states an affirmative "no permit is required for private trees," and no homeowner-facing city page was found that answers the question in those words.
— The fee, if any, for the UDC Section 18.5 permit to remove a tree in the public right-of-way. The UDC sets none and the published Permit and Inspection Fees page was not confirmed to list one.
— The adopting ordinance number and date for the December 2025 edition of UDC Chapter 18. The chapter PDF carries the December 2025 footer; the UDC Amendments appendix was not read.
— Whether the City-Parish arborist license is currently being issued and enforced. The chapter dates to 1989 and Municode shows no amendment; no current license roster was found on brla.gov.
— Whether BREC, the separate Recreation and Park Commission for East Baton Rouge Parish, has its own tree rules for park land. BREC is a distinct body from the City-Parish government.
— The email address for the Environmental and Landscape section. The city publishes a phone and fax but a general "Email Us" form only.
— Whether any Baton Rouge historic district or overlay adds a tree approval on top of the UDC. Chapter 10 of the UDC, Overlay Districts, was not read.