Terrebonne Parish, LA Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Parish Code § 2-543 places the pruning duty on the property owner. Every owner of a tree overhanging any street or right-of-way in the parish must prune the branches so they do not obstruct the light from a street lamp or block the view of a street intersection, and so that a clear space of 8 feet is maintained above the surface of the street or sidewalk. The same section obligates owners to remove all dead, diseased or dangerous trees, and broken or decayed limbs that constitute a menace to public safety.

The parish itself retains a backstop right: under § 2-543, the parish may prune any tree or shrub on private property when it interferes with the spread of light from a streetlight, blocks visibility of a traffic control device or sign, or interferes with use of a parish servitude. Related duties sit nearby in the same article: § 2-541 gives the parish authority to plant, prune, maintain and remove trees within public rights-of-way, and § 2-542 bars topping, defined as cutting limbs back to stubs larger than 3 inches in diameter within the tree's crown so as to disfigure it, except for storm-damaged trees or where utility conflicts make other pruning impractical.