Larger livestock — horses, cattle, goats, sheep, swine — require a one-acre minimum site under the New Orleans Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance and must be enclosed and kept without nuisance. Most residential lots are too small, so backyard livestock is effectively limited to small fowl and rabbits.
CZO Sec. 20.3.C.7 sets a one-acre minimum site size to keep livestock, with per-animal land ratios that make horses, cows, and similar animals impractical on typical city lots. All livestock must be kept within fences, corrals, barns, enclosures, or pens and given sanitary, sound shelter in accordance with City Code Ch. 18. Livestock that causes odor, noise, drainage, or pest infestation affecting another property is a public nuisance and an Ordinance violation. Small accessory animals (up to six hens, rabbits) are allowed without the acreage minimum.
Keeping livestock without the required lot size or enclosures violates the CZO. Nuisance conditions (odor, noise, pests) are Ordinance violations abatable by the City, with fines and orders to remove the animals.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Orleans Parish's livestock rules stack up against other locations.
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