Jefferson Parish, LA Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

Under Sec. 37-19(a), no person or contractor other than a parish-licensed tree service operator or landscaper may plant, prune, trim, remove or decorate any tree or vegetation on parish public property without a Department of Parkway permit, unless the planting was already approved through a site plan review or other parish program. Property owners and their agents may trim trees on the public strip between their private line and the street right-of-way without a permit, but by doing so they assume full liability for any resulting damage and must indemnify the parish; they still need a permit to plant or remove anything there besides grass, flowers or shrubs under three feet tall, per Sec.

37-19(b). Removal always requires a permit (Sec. 37-19(f)). 00 fee per permit for trees or shrubs under four inches in trunk diameter; a separate permit and fee apply to each tree four inches or larger. Residential property owners who plant or remove their own trees pay no fee, but the approval and indemnification requirements still apply, per Sec. 37-19(f)(4). Trees on the parish's 'desirable trees list' cannot be removed unless the tree is dead, diseased, infested, or damaging or interfering with public works or utilities (Sec.

37-19(h)). The Department of Parkway can condition a removal approval on replacing the tree with an approved variety to preserve the ornamental tree system on the street or block (Sec. 37-19(g)). If a permit application is denied, the department must give a written list of reasons, and the applicant may ask the director of the Department of Public Works to reconsider within 30 days of the written refusal (Sec. 37-19(i)-(j)). Sec. 00 parish license fee.