Lafayette Parish, LA Animal Ordinances: Bird Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- Sanctuary area
- City of Lafayette corporate limits only
- Banned acts
- Hunt, trap, shoot, molest, rob nests
- Nuisance-bird exception
- Audubon/club consultation required first
- Cull supervision
- Lafayette Police Chief or appointee
- Not covered
- Unincorporated parish, other parish towns
Summary
The City of Lafayette's corporate limits are designated a bird sanctuary: hunting, trapping, shooting or nest-robbing any bird or wildfowl there is banned outright.
(a) The area embraced within the corporate limits of the City of Lafayette, as those limits now stand or as may be amended in the future, is hereby designated as a bird sanctuary. (b) It shall be unlawful to hunt, trap, shoot or attempt to hunt, trap, shoot or molest in any manner any bird or wildfowl or to rob bird nests or wildfowl nests.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 65).
Full Breakdown
Code Sec. 10-75 declares the entire area within the City of Lafayette's corporate limits a bird sanctuary. It's unlawful to hunt, trap, shoot or molest any bird or wildfowl, or rob bird or wildfowl nests, anywhere inside city limits. The rule doesn't extend to unincorporated parish areas or to Broussard, Carencro, Duson, Scott, Youngsville or Milton. A narrow nuisance exception lets authorities destroy congregating starlings or similar birds, but only after meeting with the Audubon Society, a bird club, garden club or humane society on three days' notice, and only if no other fix works: action then requires Police Chief supervision.
Violations & Fines
Enforced by police and animal care center officers under the chapter's general enforcement authority (Sec. 10-73); no separate fine schedule appears in Sec. 10-75 itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the bird sanctuary rule cover the unincorporated parish too?
Can a homeowner shoot nuisance birds like starlings on their own?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lafayette Parish
Compare Lafayette Parish to another location·View the Louisiana animal ordinances overview
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