HB 81 Louisiana House · 2026 Regular Session

PROPERTY: Provides relative to branches or roots of trees, bushes, or plants on neighboring property

HB 81 allows property owners to trim overhanging tree branches or roots from a neighbor's plants after sending a 30-day written notice via certified mail. It requires landowners to notify neighbors before trimming and specifies that they must cover their own trimming costs. If a landowner trims without proper notice, they could be liable for damaging the neighbor's plants. The bill directly affects property owners dealing with encroaching vegetation between adjacent lots.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Apr 2026

House Passage

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Feb 3, 2026 Last action Apr 20, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB81 Reengrossed → HB81 Engrossed · 3 edits · Apr 9, 2026

MINOR

The bill was finalized as Engrossed, removing the option for landowners to use commercial couriers for notifications and restricting branch trimming strictly to licensed arborists. It also replaced a clause allowing self-help removal without notice with a liability provision, ensuring landowners who violate the rules must pay for any damages caused to the neighbor's trees.

Scope change

The scope of permitted actions was narrowed; the ability to remove branches without a licensed professional or prior notice was eliminated in favor of a strict liability rule.

REQUIREMENT

The method for sending the 30-day written notification was changed to require certified mail only, removing the option to use commercial courier services.

ELIGIBILITY

The bill now explicitly states that branches and roots must be trimmed only by a licensed arborist, removing the previous allowance for landowners to perform the work themselves.

ENFORCEMENT

A clause permitting self-help removal without notice was removed and replaced with a requirement that landowners violating the notification rules are liable for any damages caused to the neighbor's property.

Floor votes · House Apr 9, 2026

How they voted

87–3

Passed · 15 other

Total votes 105

Apr 9, 2026

D Democratic33

28 Yea 5

84% Yea

R Republican72

59 Yea 3 Nay 10

81% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 20, 2026

Committee

Read by title. Recommitted to the Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development.

upper

Apr 20, 2026

Upper · Passed

Rules suspended. Recalled from Committee.

upper

Apr 9, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 87, nays 3. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

lower

Mar 30, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported with amendments (7-0).

lower

Mar 9, 2026

Committee

Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Civil Law and Procedure.

lower

Feb 3, 2026

Committee

Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Civil Law and Procedure.

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors