New Orleans, LA Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)

Section 18-340 of the Code of the City of New Orleans prohibits dispensing, distributing or feeding any bird or fowl, or throwing or placing bread, breadcrumbs, seed, bird food, popcorn or similar food on the ground, within the area bounded by Decatur Street, St. Peter Street, Royal Street and St. Ann Street in the Vieux Carré. The ban targets the Jackson Square pigeon population and is enforced jointly by the New Orleans Police Department and the Vieux Carré Commission, whose inspectors carry citation authority for this section specifically.

Enforcement is by summons rather than arrest: an officer or Vieux Carré Commission agent issues the summons on discovery of a violation, and the case is returnable to municipal court, where the defendant is served by affidavit. 00 per violation, one of the lowest fine ceilings in the Code, reflecting the ordinance's age. The only exception is for feeding programs the department of health authorizes in writing, including distribution of bird food containing birth-control chemicals to manage the pigeon population; any informational signage explaining such a program must be approved by both the Vieux Carré Commission and the superintendent of the parkway and parks commission.

The Jackson Square rule sits alongside two related citywide provisions: Section 18-339 bars letting pigeons run at large anywhere in the city, and Section 18-11 makes it unlawful to feed any animal confined in a cage or enclosure at a city zoo, park or other public place without authorization. Together, these sections show New Orleans regulates bird and animal feeding by location and context rather than through a single blanket wildlife-feeding ban; there is no general prohibition on feeding deer, geese or stray animals citywide outside these specific zones and confinement scenarios.