What Purple Paint on Trees Really Means in Louisiana

Lafayette, Louisiana (KPEL-FM) - With (hopefully) slightly cooler temperatures making their way to Acadiana and Louisiana soon, folks allover The Pelican State will be venturing outdoors for camping, hunting, hiking, and more.

While out and about in the Louisiana woods you might just come across a tree or structure with purple paint on it.

The purple paint is there for a very serious reason, and if you do see purple paint in the woods you need to turn around and leave.

Official Rules for Purple Paint in Louisiana

If you’re walking through the woods in Louisiana and notice purple paint on a tree or fence post, it’s not just decoration.

The markings are part of Louisiana’s Purple Paint Law.

Former Governor John Bel Edwards signed the law in 2018, making Louisiana one of several states that use purple paint to mark private property boundaries.

Read More: New Louisiana Laws In Effect For 2025

Other States with Purple Paint Laws

Other states with similar laws include Kansas, Arizona, Montana, Arkansas, Idaho, Florida, Maine, North Carolina, Missouri, and Illinois.

The rule was created to help landowners in rural areas avoid the hassle of replacing stolen or weather-damaged signs.

Why Louisiana Uses Purple Instead of Signs

According to Snopes, purple was chosen because it’s highly visible, even to most people with colorblindness.

In short, purple paint in the woods is the legal equivalent of a "No Trespassing" sign and if you see purple paint, turn around immediately.

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Louisiana’s law is specific: purple paint marks must be vertical lines at least eight inches long, one inch wide, and placed three to five feet off the ground.

On wooded property, the marks should be no more than 100 feet apart. On non-wooded land, the purple paint marks should be no more than 1,000 feet apart.

So if you see purple paint in the woods, it’s not a joke.

It’s a clear warning you’re approaching private property, and stepping past it could mean breaking the law.

READ MORE: New Louisiana Hit and Run Law Carries Serious Penalties

Official Rules for Purple Paint in Louisiana

Here is the official wording of Louisiana's "Purple Paint Law" -

Although not required by this Section, notice that entrance upon any structure, watercraft, movable, or immovable property owned by another is prohibited may be indicated by either of the following:

            (1) A sign or signs posted on or in the property at a place or places where such sign or signs may be reasonably expected to be seen.

            (2) The placement of identifying purple paint marks on the trees or posts on the property, provided that such marks are:

            (a) Vertical lines of not less than eight inches in length and not less than one inch in width.

            (b) Placed so that the bottom of the mark is not less than three feet from the ground nor more than five feet from the ground.

            (c) Placed at locations that are readily visible to any person approaching the property and no more than one hundred feet apart on forest land, as defined in R.S. 3:3622, or one thousand feet apart on land other than forest land.