Do you need a permit?
No permit required for most private trees
No. Bossier City has no tree ordinance and no tree permit. Its only tree rules sit in Article 13 of the Unified Development Code, and that article scopes itself in its own applicability section to "New nonresidential development in all districts" and "New multi-family residential development." A single-family homeowner is not in it. The nuisance article does not mention trees either - it reaches "noxious weeds and other rank vegetation" and sets weed and grass height limits, but nothing about cutting a tree. What still binds you is the state, not the city: Louisiana licenses arborists, so the company you hire needs a state licence even though you need no permit.
Size threshold
None for private property, because no permit applies there. Be careful with the diameter figures in Article 13 - they belong to development landscaping, and the article uses TWO different measurement conventions a few paragraphs apart. Section 13.8.4: "Unless specified otherwise, tree caliper shall be measured at a height of 12 inches above the ground." But the tree credit schedule in Section 13.8.5 says "Caliper width shall be measured at a point 4 feet above natural grade level." Neither is the 4.5-foot DBH convention used in most other states.
What's protected in Bossier City
- Trees on new nonresidential development, and on new multi-family residential development, where Article 13 requires street buffer trees at 1 tree per 30 feet of frontage and parking area trees at 1 per 10 spaces (Sections 13.8.1 and 13.8.2).
- Existing trees preserved on those development sites for landscaping credit under the Section 13.8.5 tree credit schedule, which runs from 1 credit at 3 to 6 inches caliper up to 7 credits above 32 inches. No credit is allowed for trees that are "dead, dying, diseased, or infested with harmful insects."
How to apply in Bossier City
- 1
For a tree on your own single-family lot there is no application. Article 13 does not apply to you.
- 2
Hire a Louisiana-licensed arborist. The state licence, not a city permit, is the thing to check before work starts.
- 3
If the job requires cutting a new driveway or entrance into a city street, apply separately to the Permits and Inspections Division at 318-741-8571 and expect the $200 driveway permit.
Fees, penalties, and the ordinance
- Fee
- No fee, because Bossier City has no tree permit for private property. If your work involves cutting a new driveway into a city street, that is a separate permit and Section 98-32 requires "The payment of $200.00 ... prior to issuance of a permit, $190.00 of which is to be a surety for proper workmanship."
- Ordinance
- Bossier City Code of Ordinances, Appendix A (Unified Development Code), Article 13 - Landscaping, Buffering, Screening and Fences. The tree credit schedule in Section 13.8.5 was adopted by Ord. No. 51-2020, 5-5-2020. The Code of Ordinances is codified through Ordinance No. 182-2025, adopted December 2, 2025 (Supp. No. 23).
Worth knowing
- Bossier City is the cleanest "no" in Louisiana so far, and it is a no by scope rather than by silence - Section 13.2 names the two categories the article covers and single-family is not among them.
- The nuisance article reaches vegetation but not trees. Section 46-91 lists "Noxious weeds and other rank vegetation" as a nuisance, and the weeds and grass division requires residential lots to be kept under one foot in height, with the city empowered to cut and bill the owner after seven days notice.
- Bossier City sits in Bossier Parish, and the Bossier Parish Police Jury and the Bossier Metropolitan Planning Commission maintain their own separate codes. If your address is outside the city limits, the city code is not the one that governs you.
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.
- — The general penalty for a Unified Development Code violation. Article 13 states at Section 13.6.3 only that "Lack of maintenance of required landscaping material shall constitute a violation of this chapter," without naming a fine, and no penalty section for the UDC was located.
- — Whether any street-tree or right-of-way tree rule exists outside the code. Chapter 98 (Streets, Sidewalks and Other Public Places) was read in full and contains no tree provision, but the city publishes no urban forestry page that would confirm the absence.
Sources
- Bossier City Code of Ordinances, App. A Unified Development Code, art. 13 - Landscaping, Buffering, Screening and Fences
- Bossier City Code of Ordinances ch. 46 - Environment, art. III Nuisances
- Bossier City Code of Ordinances ch. 98 - Streets, Sidewalks and Other Public Places
- City of Bossier City - Metropolitan Planning Commission (contact)
- City of Bossier City - Permits and Inspections Division (contact)