Do You Need a Permit to Plant a Tree in New Orleans, LA?

Most articles about tree planting permits are written for nobody in particular, which makes them useless the moment you actually need an answer. Permit rules are local by definition, and in the New Orleans area they change depending on which side of a property line the tree sits on and which parish you are in. There is also a Louisiana law that applies to every single planting hole regardless of permits, and it is the one homeowners most often skip. This guide covers what applies around New Orleans, what recently changed, and where to confirm it, drawing on the kind of situations Big Easy Tree Removal runs into on local properties.

The Short Answer for New Orleans

Planting a tree on your own private property in New Orleans generally does not require a city planting permit. Planting in the public right-of-way, including the strip between the sidewalk and the street and any neutral ground, falls under the Department of Parks and Parkways and generally requires their approval.

The catch is that homeowners routinely misjudge which category their planting spot falls into. The grassy strip in front of a house looks like part of the yard, is mowed by the homeowner, and is frequently not private property at all. Planting there without checking is the single most common way a well-intentioned project turns into a problem.

Removal is a separate question from planting, and it is regulated more tightly. If your project involves taking a tree out before putting a new one in, confirm the removal rules first, because those are where the real restrictions live.

Where the Tree Goes Decides Everything

Two practical points come out of that table. First, find your actual property line before you dig, using your survey or title documents rather than the mowing pattern. Second, a servitude can restrict planting on land you genuinely own, so ownership alone does not settle the question.

The 2025 Tree Protection Ordinance

The New Orleans City Council approved a Tree Protection Ordinance on March 27, 2025. Historically, city tree protections in New Orleans applied to publicly owned and publicly maintained trees rather than trees on private property, and expanding those protections had been under discussion for several years before the ordinance passed.

Because this is recent and because ordinances of this type can change what is covered, what documentation is required, and what triggers review, treat any general article about New Orleans tree rules, including this one, as a starting point rather than the final word. Confirm the current requirements for your address directly with the New Orleans Department of Parks and Parkways before scheduling work.

That call is worth making even when you are confident. Permit questions are answered free. Removing or damaging a protected tree without approval is not the kind of mistake you can undo, and enforcement can involve penalties and replacement obligations.

The Louisiana Dig Law Nobody Mentions

Louisiana law requires anyone excavating, including a homeowner digging a planting hole, to notify Louisiana 811 before starting. Notice must be given at least 48 hours and not more than 120 hours in advance, excluding weekends and holidays.

This is the requirement most tree planting guides omit entirely, and it is not optional or limited to contractors. The Louisiana Underground Utilities and Facilities Damage Prevention Law applies to individuals as well as companies, and amendments strengthening the system took effect on August 1, 2026, including expanded participation requirements and expanded enforcement authority.

The practical reason to comply is underneath your yard. Gas, water, electric, and communications lines run shallower than most people assume, and older New Orleans neighborhoods carry a mix of infrastructure installed across many decades with records of varying quality. Striking a gas line with a post hole digger is a genuine hazard, and failing to provide notice can leave the person digging liable for the damage.

The process itself is free and simple. You contact Louisiana 811 with the location and intended work, member utilities mark their buried facilities, and you dig with the marks in front of you. Two days of lead time is a small thing to build into a planting schedule.

Outside Orleans Parish

Rules stop at jurisdictional boundaries, and the New Orleans metro area crosses several. A requirement that applies in Orleans Parish should never be assumed to apply in Jefferson or St. Tammany Parish, and incorporated municipalities set their own rules on top of parish rules.

If your property is in Metairie, Kenner, Gretna, Harahan, River Ridge, Slidell, Covington, Mandeville, Laplace, or Hammond, the authority to ask is the local parish or municipal office rather than New Orleans Parks and Parkways. Properties near a boundary deserve particular care, since the answer can differ across the street.

Three questions settle almost every case. Is the planting spot inside my property line or in the public right-of-way? Does a utility or drainage servitude cross that spot? And which office has jurisdiction at this address? Answer those before buying the tree, not after.

Rules That Are Not Permits

Plenty of what constrains tree planting around New Orleans never appears in an ordinance at all.

• Deed restrictions and HOA covenants. These are private agreements and can be stricter than city rules, sometimes limiting species or placement outright.
• Utility clearance. Older New Orleans neighborhoods carry overhead conductors along many streets, and planting a large species directly beneath one commits that tree to repeated hard pruning for life. Offsetting a big tree laterally, and reserving the space under the line for small ornamentals, is a placement decision no permit will make for you.
• Sight lines at corners. Plantings that block visibility at an intersection or a driveway can create both a hazard and a liability.
• Servitudes of view and boundary issues. A mature canopy overhanging a neighbor’s property is a recurring source of disputes that spacing at planting prevents.
• Drainage. Planting in a drainage path or a detention area can obstruct flow, which matters a great deal in a city that depends on managed drainage.

None of these require a permit. All of them can force a tree out later, which makes them worth checking at the same time you check the permit question.

Timing is the other thing no permit covers. Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, and a tree planted in late spring goes into it with roots still confined to the original ball, in soil that saturates ahead of storms. Late fall through winter is the better window in this climate, and building the approval process into that schedule rather than around it saves a season. Mature live oaks on a property deserve the same forward planning: assessing canopy condition before storm season is far easier than dealing with a damaged tree after one.

When to Call a Tree Service

• You are unsure whether the spot is right-of-way. Getting this wrong before planting is much cheaper than after.
• A tree has to come out before the new one goes in. Removal rules are stricter than planting rules and should be confirmed first.
• Overhead lines or a servitude cross the area. Placement needs to account for both, permanently.
• A protected or mature tree is involved. Work near an established tree may trigger review and documentation.
• You want the right species for the spot. Species choice is what determines whether the placement still works in twenty years.

Where an existing tree is the obstacle, an assessment sometimes finds it can be kept. Where it genuinely has to go, tree removal handled with the right approvals in place avoids the compliance problem entirely.

Planting Guidance From Big Easy Tree Removal

Big Easy Tree Removal is locally owned and operated and works across Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Tammany Parishes, so questions about which authority applies at a given address are routine here rather than unfamiliar. We can help you think through placement, species, and clearance, and point you to the office that has the final say on your specific property.

To talk through a planting or a removal before you commit, request a free estimate or call 504-732-1166.

We serve New Orleans, Metairie, Kenner, Gretna, Harahan, Slidell, Covington, Laplace, and throughout Louisiana.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a permit to plant a tree in my own yard in New Orleans?

Generally no city planting permit is required for a tree fully inside your property line. Louisiana law still requires you to notify Louisiana 811 before digging.

Do I need permission to plant between the sidewalk and the street?

Generally yes. That strip is typically public right-of-way under the New Orleans Department of Parks and Parkways, even though the adjacent homeowner maintains it.

How far ahead do I have to call 811 in Louisiana?

At least 48 hours and not more than 120 hours before digging, excluding weekends and holidays. The requirement applies to homeowners, not just contractors.

Did New Orleans tree rules change recently?

Yes. The City Council approved a Tree Protection Ordinance on March 27, 2025, so confirm current requirements with Parks and Parkways rather than relying on older guidance.

Do the same rules apply in Metairie or Slidell?

No. Jefferson Parish, St. Tammany Parish, and individual municipalities set their own requirements, so check with the authority for that specific address.

What happens if I remove a protected tree without approval?

Enforcement can include penalties and replacement requirements. Confirm the rules with the applicable authority before removal, since this is not a reversible mistake.