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Limbwright Tree Removal Services
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Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Tree Removal and Tree Service in Baton Rouge

Baton Rouge does not broadly regulate removal of private yard trees, but the city-parish can order an owner to deal with a dead or dangerous tree that threatens neighboring lots. Trees on public property are protected, and anyone doing tree work for hire in Louisiana needs a state arborist license.

Call (844) 955-1716
County
East Baton Rouge Parish
Tree rules
Baton Rouge Code of Ordinances Sec. 2:151 (nuisance trees); public tree protections; Louisiana arborist licensing
Key local rule
Owners may be ordered to remove or trim dangerous nuisance trees within ten days of notice
Electric utility
Entergy Louisiana and DEMCO
Main hazards
Hurricanes and tropical storms, water oak decay, heavy rain, old live oaks over streets

Can Baton Rouge make me remove a tree?

Yes, if it is a dangerous tree considered a nuisance under Sec. 2:151 of the city-parish code, usually a dead, dying or decaying tree or one whose limbs are damaging other lots. The owner gets ten days after notice to act. If they do not, the city-parish can do the work and bill the owner.

Nuisance trees
Dead, dying, decaying, or damaging neighboring property.
Ten days
To remove or trim after notice.
Healthy private trees
Not broadly regulated for removal.

Gustav, Ida and inland hurricanes

Baton Rouge is 80 miles from the Gulf, but hurricanes reach it with force. Hurricane Gustav in September 2008 brought down thousands of trees across the city and left most of the parish without power for days. Many people in Baton Rouge still compare every storm to Gustav.

Hurricane Ida in August 2021 tracked just east of the city and caused heavy tree damage in the parishes around it. Saturated soil from long rain events lets even large trees uproot in winds that would not topple them in dry conditions.

Water oaks, now reaching the end of their lives across much of the city, account for a large share of the trees that fail.

Trees that define Baton Rouge

Worker in an aerial lift bucket cutting the top of a pine above a neighborhood
Image for illustration.
Live oaks
Along the LSU campus, the Garden District and Highland Road, many over a century old.
Water oaks
Fast-growing and short-lived; the most common failures in storms.
Bald cypress
In low, wet areas and along bayous.
Loblolly pines
Tall pines over houses in suburbs east of the city.
Southern magnolia
Large evergreen shade in older yards.

Public trees, state roads and licensing

Removing trees from public property without a permit is illegal. Trees along state highways, such as Florida Boulevard, are in state right-of-way, where prior written approval from the state is needed to cut or trim them.

Louisiana licenses arborists through the Department of Agriculture and Forestry. A Baton Rouge homeowner hiring tree work should confirm the company's state license, which also requires insurance.

Signs worth a call before storm season

  • Water oaks with hollow trunks

    Decay that weakens the base.

  • Dead limbs over a neighbor's roof

    Could become a nuisance tree order.

  • Mushrooms at the root flare

    Root rot in saturated soils.

  • Pines with thinning crowns

    Stress and beetle activity.

If you get a nuisance tree notice

  1. Read the deadline

    Ten days to act.

  2. Hire a licensed arborist

    State license and insurance.

  3. Do the work

    Removal or trimming as required.

  4. Keep proof

    Photos and invoice to close the matter.

Baton Rouge tree questions

Can I cut a live oak in the street in front of my house?

No. Trees on public property and state right-of-way need approval before any cutting.

Does my tree company need a license?

Yes. Louisiana requires a state arborist license for tree work for hire.

My neighbor's dead tree is over my house. What can I do?

Talk to the neighbor first. The city-parish can treat dead or damaging trees as nuisances under Sec. 2:151 and order action.

Who removes city street trees?

The city-parish. Neighbors have objected when old oaks were removed quickly after complaints, so ask questions early.

Are live oaks protected in Baton Rouge?

Live oaks on public property and in public right-of-way are protected from unauthorized cutting. Private live oaks are not broadly regulated, though some subdivisions and historic districts have their own rules.

South Louisiana pages

Reach a tree service in Baton Rouge

Call to be connected with an independent tree company that works in the Baton Rouge area, or leave your number and one will call you back.

(844) 955-1716

Call availability varies by area and time of day

Limbwright is a referral service. Your call goes to an independent tree service company that sets its own schedule and terms. Ask for proof of insurance and a written scope before work starts. How this works

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Call availability varies by area and time of day

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