Gretna, LA Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

Sec. 50-6 of the Gretna Code of Ordinances governs the removal or severe cutting of trees and shrubs located on city property, meaning property the city owns or maintains, including streets, sidewalks, rights-of-way, public parks and cemeteries. No private citizen or organization may ever remove or cut a tree or shrub on city-controlled property themselves; if a removal or major-branch request is approved, the city schedules and performs the work itself. A request must go to the mayor's office in writing, handwritten in ink or typewritten, giving the exact location with measurements from the nearest curb, sidewalk or fixed landmark, a description of the tree's type and approximate size, and a detailed explanation of why the requestor believes it should be cut or removed.

The mayor's office reviews the request after considering the tree commission's (also called the tree board) recommendation, and may refuse a removal or severe-cutting request without posting neighborhood notice; a requestor can appeal that refusal to the city council within 30 days of the mailing of the decision. If the mayor's office instead grants the request, city council approval is still required after notice is posted at the work site and both corners of the adjacent block, at least ten days before the council meeting, followed by a public hearing.

Emergency situations that put citizens or city property in immediate physical danger waive the tree-board review and council approval step entirely. Violating the section, including cutting without approval, is punished under the general penalty, § 1-8, and the violator must also pay to repair or replace the tree or shrub, valued under the International Society of Arboriculture's guide.