How to Get a Louisiana Arborist License

Last updated: August 24, 2026

Louisiana is one of the few states that genuinely licenses arborists, and it checks your insurance every single year. The LDAF Horticulture Commission runs it: a $150 exam you must pass at 70% and sit within 60 days of applying, then $125 a year for the license itself. Renewal is not just a check — you must show current general liability and workers compensation insurance and attend a continuing education seminar.

What Louisiana Actually Requires

• An arborist license to make recommendations or execute tree removal, pruning, trimming, cabling, fertilization and cavity work.
• Or a utility arborist license to recommend and execute removal of trees or portions of trees along utility rights of way — a separate credential with its own exam content guide.
• A passing exam score of 70% or higher, studied from the Arborists’ Certification Study Guide (third or fourth edition).
• The exam sat within 60 days of submitting your application. The Commission calls you to schedule it once your application arrives.
• A complete application mailed with payment to the Horticulture Commission in Baton Rouge before any exam is scheduled.
• A SEPARATE pesticide license if you spray, inject or treat anything. LDAF is explicit: “Your business must be licensed to apply pesticides, sell pesticides, or make pesticide recommendations.” That is a different credential from the arborist license — see below.

What It Costs

Item	Cost	Notes
Exam fee	$150	Pass mark 70%; Everblue charges extra for online testing
License fee	$125	Payable annually
General liability insurance	Required	Proof of current cover needed at every renewal
Workers compensation	Required if applicable	Checked at renewal alongside liability
Continuing education seminar	Varies	Annual; run by the LSU Ag Center and the Louisiana Arborist Association
Commercial Pesticide Applicator Certification	$50 exam	General Standards exam is free; $20 annual renewal
Ground Owner Operator License (the business)	$200	$500 if you are not a Louisiana resident
Louisiana LLC	$100	Articles of organization, filed through GeauxBiz

Coming From Another State

Can you transfer an out-of-state arborist license to Louisiana?

No. Louisiana does not offer reciprocity — if you were licensed in another state you still take the Louisiana exam. Holding an ISA Certified Arborist credential does not substitute either. What ISA certification buys you here is preparation, not exemption: the Horticulture Commission recommends the ISA Arborists’ Certification Study Guide, Fourth Edition (2022) for exam prep, and notes the Third Edition is being phased out.

So the route in is the ordinary one: $114 exam fee, a passing score of 70% or higher, then the $100 license fee — and an annual continuing education seminar to renew, offered through the LSU AgCenter and the Louisiana Arborist Association.

The one exception: the temporary license after a declared emergency

This is the provision worth knowing if you run a crew in a neighboring state, because in Louisiana it is not a hypothetical. After a declared emergency — a hurricane being the obvious case — Louisiana issues a temporary arborist license, and it is the only route that lets an out-of-state arborist work here without first sitting the state exam.

To get one you must present:

• proof of a license in another state, or proof of ISA Certification; and
• a certificate of insurance as provided in LAC 7:XXIX.117(E)(2).

Both clocks are ninety days, and they are not the same ninety days. The temporary license must be applied for within 90 days of the declaration of emergency, and once issued it runs for 90 days from the date of issuance. Miss the application window and the route closes even though the work is still there.

It does not roll over. If you want to keep doing tree-surgery work in Louisiana past the ninety days, you must obtain a full arborist license through the Commission’s normal procedures — exam included. Treat the temporary license as what it is: a way to work a storm response lawfully, and a runway to sit the exam if the work turns out to be worth staying for.

One thing the temporary license does not relax is the insurance. Louisiana ties the certificate of insurance to the license itself, as covered above — and the emergency route names the insurance rule explicitly. Have the certificate ready before the storm, not after, because ninety days is not long to arrange coverage, file, and mobilize.

Your Insurance Certificate Is Part of the License

Most trades treat insurance as a commercial decision. Louisiana treats it as a licensing condition. Annual renewal requires proof of current general liability insurance, and workers compensation insurance where applicable, before the Commission will renew you at $125.

So the policy is not something to arrange once you have a few jobs booked — letting it lapse costs you the license, not just the cover. Budget it from day one alongside the annual fee.

Two more Louisiana-specific conditions worth knowing. Arborist licensees must have a written contract with the property owner specifying the work and the compensation — a handshake job is a rule violation, not just bad practice. And renewal requires attending a continuing education seminar, offered by the LSU Ag Center and the Louisiana Arborist Association.

On logistics: from October 2025 testing moved off the district offices to in-person testing at LDAF’s Baton Rouge office plus a remote online option. If you are reading older guidance that tells you to test at a district office, it is out of date.

The Arborist License Does Not Cover Spraying

This is the part that catches people, and it is the difference between licensed and not. The arborist license from the Horticulture Commission covers removal, pruning, trimming, cabling, fertilization and cavity work. It does not cover applying pesticides. LDAF states it plainly: “Your business must be licensed to apply pesticides, sell pesticides, or make pesticide recommendations.”

For a tree business that matters more than it sounds. Oak wilt injection, a systemic for scale, a fungicide, a herbicide on stumps — all of it sits on the pesticide side of the line, not the arborist side. And note the third clause: making pesticide recommendations is itself licensed activity. Telling a customer what to spray, without applying it, is covered.

There are two pieces, and you generally need both:

• Commercial Pesticide Applicator Certification — the individual credential. $50 exam fee, with the General Standards exam free, and a $20 annual renewal. Category exams cover application in specific settings, so check which category matches tree and ornamental work before you book.
• Ground Owner Operator License — the business credential for ground-based application. $200 for Louisiana residents, $500 if you are not a Louisiana resident. Aerial and drone application is a separate Aerial Owner Operator License.

So a Louisiana tree business that treats as well as cuts is carrying two licenses from two parts of LDAF — the Horticulture Commission for the arborist license, and the pesticide program for the applicator side. Budget both, and confirm your category with LDAF before paying for an exam.

How to Get Licensed, In Order

1. Decide which license you need — arborist for general tree work, utility arborist for rights-of-way clearance.
2. Study the Arborists’ Certification Study Guide (3rd or 4th edition) and the Commission’s exam content guide.
3. Mail a complete application with payment to the Horticulture Commission, 5825 Florida Blvd., Suite 1003, Baton Rouge, LA 70806.
4. Sit the exam within 60 days and score 70% or better.
5. Bind general liability and workers compensation cover — you will have to prove both at renewal.
6. Register the business entity so the contract, insurance certificate and bank account all sit behind a company.

Staying Licensed

Louisiana arborist licenses renew annually at $125. Each renewal requires proof of current general liability insurance and workers compensation insurance if applicable, plus attendance at a continuing education seminar offered by the LSU Ag Center and the Louisiana Arborist Association. Arborist licensees must also work under a written contract with the property owner specifying the work and the compensation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a license to trim trees for money in Louisiana?

Yes. Louisiana requires an arborist license from the LDAF Horticulture Commission to make recommendations or execute tree removal, pruning, trimming, cabling, fertilization and cavity work. A separate utility arborist license covers removing trees or parts of trees along utility rights of way.

How much does a Louisiana arborist license cost?

A $150 exam fee and a $125 license fee, with the $125 payable annually to renew. Online testing through Everblue carries an additional charge on top.

What score do I need on the Louisiana arborist exam?

70% or higher. The exam is based on the Arborists’ Certification Study Guide, third or fourth edition, and the Commission publishes exam content guides for both the arborist and utility arborist licenses. You must sit the exam within 60 days of submitting your application.

Do I need a pesticide license as well as an arborist license in Louisiana?

If you apply pesticides, sell them, or make pesticide recommendations, yes. LDAF requires the business to be licensed for that separately from the arborist license. The individual Commercial Pesticide Applicator Certification costs $50 to sit (General Standards is free) and $20 a year to renew; the Ground Owner Operator License for the business is $200 for Louisiana residents and $500 for non-residents. Oak wilt injection, systemics, fungicides and stump herbicide all fall on the pesticide side.

Does Louisiana require arborists to carry insurance?

Yes, at renewal. Annual renewal requires proof of current general liability insurance and workers compensation insurance where applicable, alongside the $125 fee and attendance at a continuing education seminar. Arborist licensees also need a written contract with property owners specifying the work and the compensation.

Tree work sits alongside our full guide to starting a landscaping business in Louisiana, and the wider guide to starting a business in Louisiana.

Can you transfer an out-of-state arborist license to Louisiana?

No. Louisiana does not offer reciprocity, so an arborist licensed in another state must still pass the Louisiana exam, which costs $114 and requires 70% or higher, followed by the $100 license fee. An ISA certification does not exempt you either, though the ISA Arborists’ Certification Study Guide is the recommended preparation.

Can an out-of-state arborist work in Louisiana after a hurricane?

Yes, through a temporary arborist license issued after a declared emergency. You must present proof of a license in another state or proof of ISA Certification, plus a certificate of insurance under LAC 7:XXIX.117(E)(2). The temporary license must be applied for within 90 days of the emergency declaration and lasts 90 days from issuance. To continue beyond that you must obtain a full Louisiana arborist license through the normal procedure, exam included.

Sources

Source	What It Covers
LDAF — Arborist licensing	Arborist and utility arborist scope, 70% pass mark, $150 exam and $125 license fees, 60-day exam window, insurance and CE renewal conditions, October 2025 testing change
Louisiana Horticulture Commission	The commission that issues and renews the license
Louisiana Horticulture Law and Rules (Title 3)	The governing statute and rules
LDAF — Pesticide licensing	Business must be licensed to apply, sell or recommend pesticides; $50 applicator exam, $20 annual renewal, $200/$500 Ground Owner Operator License
LDAF — Licensing and permits	Application forms and payment instructions
Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry — Arborist Licensing	The absence of reciprocity, exam and license fees, the 70% pass mark and annual continuing education
Louisiana Horticulture Commission	The commission that administers arborist licensing, its law and rules including the temporary license and LAC 7:XXIX.117(E)(2) insurance requirement