Leaf Cleanup Laws In Louisiana You Didn’t Know About

(KMDL-FM) We are almost at the end of the leaf-dropping season in South Louisiana. I know fall or autumn is when we talk about the leaves turning colors and dropping from the trees, but it takes a little while for the "cooler weather" to arrive down here next to the Gulf.

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But now, since we've had our "brush with snow" for the year, we can soon start to focus on how bad the pollen is going to be this spring, but first, there are leaves, lots of leaves, that need to be dealt with.

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How Do You Handle Leaf Cleanup Where You Live?

If you live "out in the country," leaves are not an issue for you. You probably, if you even take the time to rake them, just pile them up and burn them. That's what we used to do back in the lawless times that were the 1970s.

But now with neighborhoods and HOAs and community standards and metro-code, the idea of burning a pile of leaves in your backyard just doesn't seem like it will be "received positively", if you know what I mean.

That's the issue that a lot of us have with leaves. I know that at my house, I don't have any large trees, but my next-door neighbor does. And as luck would have it, my backyard and swimming pool have apparently been designated by Mother Nature as the perfect capture zone for all of those fallen leaves.

If Leaves From a Neighbor's Tree Fall in Your Yard, Who Is Responsible For Raking?

According to Louisiana Law, the person who would be tasked with the cleaning of leaves and removal of limbs and acorns from my property that was caused by a tree not on my property would still be me. Yeah, according to Louisiana law, leaves, acorns, and branches that fall naturally are considered to be "acts of nature".  Thus, the tree's owner is not responsible for their cleanup.

Now, should there be a limb or tree roots extending into my property, I can then ask that those be removed or trimmed back, or I can remove them or trim them back myself with no prior permission.

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Now the law looks at trees differently if they are damaged or diseased; in those cases, a neighbor might be able to force another neighbor to take action, especially if the tree in question poses a threat to personal safety.

Oh, and no matter how frustrated you get at the leaves falling in your yard, it is against the law for you to rake or blow them back into your neighbor's yard. That will just get you into a lot of trouble, so it's probably best just to have a chat with your neighbor. I am sure in the world of "reasonable people," calmer thoughts and cooler heads will prevail.