Tree Removal in Mandeville, LA

Mandeville protects its big trees more closely than a lot of homeowners realize. Since the city adopted Ordinance 25-11 in October 2025, taking out a live oak, bald cypress or southern magnolia of any real size is a permit question first and a saw question second. So tree removal in Mandeville starts with figuring out what the tree is, how big it is and what the city will want to see.

We take on tree removal across Mandeville, from a single pine over a roofline to a storm-hurt tree near the lake. Below is how the city’s rules, the lakefront weather and the job itself fit together. For the rest of what we offer here, visit our Mandeville tree service page.

What Ordinance 25-11 means for your yard

The short version of Mandeville’s tree ordinance: live oak, bald cypress and southern magnolia are protected in every zoning district once they reach six inches in diameter at breast height (DBH). For a live oak that size or larger, the ordinance says a tree removal permit “shall be obtained from the Landscape Inspector prior to cutting, clearing or removing” it, and the same applies to protected cypress and magnolias.

Other parts of the ordinance are worth knowing before you plan:

• Replacement trees. Permitted removals come with replacement planting requirements.
• Penalties. Removing a protected tree without a permit triggers inch-for-inch replacement, and fines can apply on top of that.
• Setback trees in low-density neighborhoods. In the R-1, R-1X and R-2 districts, the ordinance calls for keeping at least half of the trees over three inches DBH in the yard setbacks.
• The paperwork itself. The city’s tree removal application asks for the contractor’s arborist license number (a state license issued through LDAF) and, if you live in a neighborhood with an HOA, a letter from the association.

Other species can still be affected, for example by the setback rule, and your zoning matters, so confirm the details with the city’s Landscape Inspector before a large tree comes down. If your home is outside city limits in unincorporated St. Tammany Parish, city rules don’t apply there. Parish rules are different, and St. Tammany Parish Planning and Development can tell you what applies, along with any HOA covenants.

The lake and the weather

Mandeville’s lakefront is beautiful and exposed. The National Weather Service notes that Katrina’s surge reached Northshore communities including Mandeville in 2005. In 2021, Ida’s surge topped the seawall in Mandeville, and the NWS reported thousands of trees downed across the parish.

Storms like those can leave trees that look fine from the ground but carry hidden damage. A live oak on Lakeshore Drive can lose a big limb and keep a full crown. A pine can come through with a crack you only see from a ladder. Many of these trees can be kept with good pruning. The ones worth a hard look are trees that lean more than they used t