What States Have Purple Paint Laws?

Last reviewed: October 17, 2026. This article is general information, not legal advice. Trespass law is set by each state and changes, so read your state's current statute or ask a local attorney before relying on paint marks.

In some states, a stripe of purple paint on a tree or fence post carries the same legal weight as a "No Trespassing" sign. Cross it without permission and you can be charged with trespass, even though nothing is written down.

Short answer: What states have purple paint laws? Among the statutes we have read, Texas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Tennessee treat purple paint marks as notice against trespass, North Carolina accepts them for posting land against hunting, fishing and trapping, and Kansas uses them to post land for hunting, trapping and fishing by written permission only. Florida, Idaho and Montana use orange paint instead, and Maine leaves the color to an agency rule. Each state sets its own size, height and spacing rules, and marks that don't meet them may not count.

What the law actually says

Texas Penal Code § 30.05(b)(2)(D) Notice includes "the placement of identifying purple paint marks on trees or posts on the property, provided that the marks are: (i) vertical lines of not less than eight inches in length and not less than one inch in width; (ii) placed so that the bottom of the mark is not less than three feet from the ground or more than five feet from the ground; and (iii) placed at locations that are readily visible to any person approaching the property and no more than: (a) 100 feet apart on forest land; or (b) 1,000 feet apart on land other than forest land" Read Texas Penal Code ch. 30 (official)

Quoted from the official statute text and verified on October 17, 2026. Most other purple paint states use similar wording with their own measurements, shown below.

States where purple paint is legal notice

State	Statute	Mark size	Bottom of mark	Maximum spacing
Texas	Penal Code § 30.05	8 in. long, 1 in. wide	3–5 ft	100 ft (forest land), 1,000 ft (other land)
Missouri	RSMo § 569.145	8 in. line, or top 2 in. of a post	3–5 ft (line), 3 ft–5 ft 6 in. (post)	100 ft (line), 36 ft (post)
North Carolina	G.S. § 14-159.7	8 in. line	3–5 ft from the base	100 yards
Illinois	720 ILCS 5/21-3	8 in. line, or top 2 in. of a post	3–5 ft (line), 3 ft–5 ft 6 in. (post)	100 ft (line), 36 ft (post)
Indiana	IC 35-43-2-2 (FindLaw copy)	8 in. line on a tree, or top 2 in. of a post	3–5 ft (tree), 3 ft–5 ft 6 in. (post)	100 ft (trees), 36 ft (posts)
Pennsylvania	18 Pa.C.S. § 3503 (FindLaw copy)	8 in. long, 1 in. wide	3–5 ft	100 ft
Tennessee	Tenn. Code § 39-14-405 (FindLaw copy)	8 in. long, 1 in. wide	3–5 ft	No set distance; must be reasonably likely to be noticed

Details that change the rules

Texas has different spacing for forest land and other land, and defines "forest land" as land on which the trees are potentially valuable for timber products.
Missouri and Illinois let you either paint a line on trees or mark the top of posts. If a mark would be visible from both sides of a shared fence, all the owners or lessees must agree first. Indiana has a similar shared-fence rule.
North Carolina measures spacing in yards, not feet: no more than 100 yards apart, including along a stream or shoreline when the aim is to prohibit fishing. Its purple paint rule is part of the law on hunting, fishing or trapping on posted land (G.S. § 14-159.6 and 14-159.7). For ordinary second-degree trespass, G.S. § 14-159.13 asks whether the property was posted "in a manner reasonably likely to come to the attention of intruders." See our guide to dumpster diving in North Carolina for how that works.
Illinois offers purple marks as an alternative to other posting, but the option doesn't apply to property in a municipality of over 2,000,000 inhabitants.
Pennsylvania says the purple paint option "shall not apply in a county of the first class or a county of the second class."
Tennessee requires at least one sign at a major point of entry, with language explaining that purple paint "signifies 'no trespassing.'" Paint alone is not enough.

Kansas: purple paint for hunting, trapping and fishing

Kansas puts its purple paint rule in its wildlife law rather than its general trespass law. Under K.S.A. 32-1013, a landowner may post land with purple paint marks (a vertical line at least eight inches long, bottom three to five feet high, readily visible) instead of signs. Land posted that way is treated as posted "by written permission only", which means it is unlawful to take wildlife there without carrying the owner's written permission.

States that use paint, but not purple

Florida: international orange, plus signs

Under Fla. Stat. § 810.011(5), a painted notice must be "painted in an international orange color and displaying the stenciled words 'No Trespassing' in letters no less than 2 inches high and 1 inch wide", with the bottom three to five feet from the ground, and no more than 500 feet apart on agricultural land. Painted notices must also be accompanied by compliant signs placed where people normally enter. Purple paint gives no notice in Florida.

Idaho: bright orange or fluorescent paint

Idaho Code § 18-7008 allows "conspicuous 'no trespassing' signs or bright orange or fluorescent paint". On unfenced, uncultivated land, the marks go at all property corners and where the land meets navigable streams, roads, gates and rights-of-way, posted so that a reasonable person would know it is private land.

Montana: fluorescent orange paint

Under Mont. Code Ann. § 45-6-201, notice can be written or "not less than 50 square inches of fluorescent orange paint" on a post, structure or natural object, and if metal fenceposts are used the entire post must be painted. It must be placed at each outer gate and normal point of access to the property.

Maine: the statute doesn't name a color

17-A M.R.S. § 402 allows paint marks made as "a conspicuous vertical line at least one inch in width and at least 8 inches in length", three to five feet from the ground and no more than 100 feet apart. Instead of fixing a color, it says the Bureau of Forestry "shall adopt rules to determine the color and type of paint that may be used to post property." Check the current rule before relying on any color in Maine.

A state we checked with no paint method

West Virginia: W. Va. Code § 61-3B-3 makes it trespass to enter property where notice is given "by actual communication to such person or by posting, fencing, or cultivation." The section doesn't set out a paint-marking method.

States we have not verified

Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, Oklahoma and other states are often described online as purple paint states. That may be right, but we haven't read and confirmed their current statutes, so we don't list them here. If you own land or hunt in one of them, check the state legislature's website or ask your state wildlife agency or county sheriff's office.

Common mistakes

Assuming paint works everywhere. In a state without a paint provision, marks may give no legal notice, and you'd need signs, fencing or direct communication instead.
Assuming purple is always the color. Florida, Idaho and Montana use orange, and Maine leaves it to a rule.
Skipping the signs. Tennessee requires a sign at a major entry point, and Florida requires signs alongside painted notices.
Ignoring the measurements. A mark that's too short, too low or too far from the next one may not count. If you're a landowner, measure. If you're a hunter or hiker, treat any purple stripe as a warning and find out where the boundary is.

What does purple paint on a tree mean?

In states with a purple paint law, a vertical purple stripe on a tree or post is legal notice that entry is forbidden, much like a No Trespassing sign. Crossing it without permission can lead to a trespass charge.

Which states have a purple paint law?

We have read the statutes for Texas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Tennessee, which recognize purple paint marks as notice against trespass; North Carolina, which recognizes them for posting land against hunting, fishing and trapping; and Kansas, which uses them for hunting, trapping and fishing by permission only. Other states are often listed online, so check that state's statute before relying on it.

Can I just paint my trees purple and skip signs?

It depends on the state. Tennessee also requires at least one sign at a major entry point explaining that purple paint means no trespassing. Florida requires orange paint with the words No Trespassing, accompanied by signs. Read your state's statute before relying on paint alone.

Does purple paint work in big cities?

Not always. Illinois says its purple-mark option doesn't apply in a municipality of over 2,000,000 inhabitants, and Pennsylvania's doesn't apply in counties of the first or second class.

What if the marks are too small or too far apart?

Each statute sets a minimum mark size, a height range and, in most states, a maximum spacing. Marks that don't meet those rules may not count as legal notice, which can make a trespass charge harder to prove.

What States Have Purple Paint Laws? A State-by-State Check of the Statutes