St. Tammany Parish, LA Tree Protection: Protected Tree Species (2026)
Key Facts
- Protected size
- Live oak 18" circumference (3 ft up)
- Permit authority
- Director, dept. of public works
- Response time
- 5 working days
- Development removal cap
- 50% of live oak/cypress on site
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor, § 1-9 ($300-$500 fine)
Summary
St. Tammany Parish singles out live oak trees for protection parish-wide: cutting, trimming, removing or damaging a live oak 18 inches or more in circumference on parish property or right-of-way requires prior written approval from public works. New development sites must also cap live oak and cypress removal at 50 percent.
Sec. 35-10. - Live oak trees protected. (a)Prohibited. It shall be unlawful for any person to cut, trim, remove, damage or deface any live oak tree, which has a circumference of 18 inches or larger when measured three feet from the ground, located on parish property or within parish rights-of-way, without first obtaining the consent and approval of the director of the parish department of public works... Sec. 600-3.3(C). Removal of Protected Trees, Cypress, and Live Oak. No more than 50 percent of all existing live oak trees and cypress trees on a site shall be removed for non-residential developments as identified in Exhibit 600-3-7.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 12 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Section 35-10 makes it unlawful for any person to cut, trim, remove, damage or deface any live oak tree with a circumference of 18 inches or larger, measured three feet from the ground, located on parish property or within parish rights-of-way, without first obtaining consent and approval from the director of the parish department of public works. The director must respond to a request within five working days, and once approval is granted, any trimming, maintenance or removal must be performed under the supervision of a professional licensed arborist.
In an emergency, the person acting must furnish the public works director a written statement of the reasons within 72 hours of taking action. Duly authorized parish, state or federal agents and employees, and individuals assigned to protect the citizens of the parish, are exempt. 3(B) requires multifamily developments of three or more units and all nonresidential developments to identify and protect existing, mature, non-invasive trees within required landscape areas, and requires a tree survey stamped by a Louisiana-licensed surveyor or landscape architect showing every protected tree's location, caliper and species.
3(C) then caps removal: no more than 50 percent of the live oak and cypress trees on a nonresidential site may be removed. 3(F) accepts mitigation payments, calculated by the department of planning and development, when on-site preservation is infeasible.
Violations & Fines
Any violation of section 35-10, covering unauthorized cutting, trimming, removal or defacing of a protected live oak on parish property or right-of-way, constitutes a misdemeanor punishable in accordance with section 1-9: a fine of $300.00 to $500.00, up to 30 days in jail, or both, with each day of a continuing violation a separate offense. On development sites, exceeding the 50 percent removal cap or clearing without an approved land-clearing permit exposes a developer to required tree replacement under section 600-3.3(H) and payment into the parish's Tree Bank Program.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I trim a live oak tree in the St. Tammany Parish right-of-way?
How much of a tree canopy can a developer clear in St. Tammany Parish?
What if a live oak on my property needs emergency removal?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Tammany Parish
Compare St. Tammany Parish to another location·View the Louisiana tree protection overview
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