Business Licensing & Operations, New Orleans

If you live in New Orleans or are thinking about moving there, business licensing & operations are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. New Orleans has 7 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of business licensing & operations, and some of them might surprise you.

Tattoo & Body Modification

New Orleans bans tattooing outright on Bourbon Street between St. Ann and Canal Streets, part of a Vieux Carré ordinance that also bars massage, adult activity and souvenir/T-shirt sales in that stretch, with fines up to $2,000 for repeat violations.

Key details: Banned corridor: Bourbon St., St. Ann to Canal. Activity banned: Tattooing, massage, adult activity. First-offense fine: Up to $1,000 / 6 months. Repeat-offense fine: Up to $2,000 / 6 months.

A first violation is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 or up to six months' imprisonment, or both; a second or subsequent violation carries a fine of up to $2,000 or up to six months' imprisonment, or both, under § 166-154. Each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. New Orleans actively enforces its tattoo & body modification requirements.

Towing Companies

New Orleans caps non-consent tow fees at the Louisiana Public Service Commission's mandatory tariff and gives vehicle owners a ten-day right to an administrative hearing before NOPD's towing and recovery unit to challenge the tow.

Key details: Fee cap authority: LA PSC non-consensual towing tariff. Hearing request window: 10 calendar days of notice. First-offense fine: $100–$500. Enforcing agency: NOPD towing and recovery unit.

Failing to comply with §§ 162-1010 through 162-1016 is a municipal-court offense: a fine of $100 to $500 for a first violation in a year, $250 to $500 plus 60 hours of roadside litter-collection community service (and up to six months in jail) for a second, and $400 to $500 per violation plus 90 community-service hours (and up to six months in jail per violation) for three or more (§ 162-1033). A conviction also bars the company from the NOPD towing allocation list for one year.

Secondhand Dealers

New Orleans requires every junk dealer, anyone buying, selling, or gathering scrap metal, wiring, or other secondhand property for resale, to hold a current Occupational License from the parish under Code of Ordinances Sec. 130-39, plus a written purchase-and-sale record for every transaction, keyed to seller ID, submitted for police inspection and preserved for at least three years.

Key details: Governing section: Code of Ordinances § 130-39. License required: current parish Occupational License. Records retention: 3 years, written purchase/sale ledger. Copper/scrap hold period: 7 days, 30 if theft reported. First violation penalty: $500 fine and/or 6 months jail.

Operating without the required Occupational License, failing to keep the mandated purchase-and-sale ledger, or filing false information is a misdemeanor under Sec. 130-39(f). A knowing and willful violation carries a fine of $500.00, up to six months' imprisonment, or both; for a second offense the court may also order the dealer to stop doing business as a junk dealer for up to 30 days.

Massage Establishments

New Orleans requires a City Council-authorized annual license from the Department of Health to operate any massage establishment. Owners submit fingerprints, photos, a three-year address and employment history, $1,000,000 in liability coverage, and pass a police-and-permits investigation before the director may issue the license.

Key details: License authority: Director, Dept. of Health. Establishment application fee: $100.50 ($50 refunded if denied). Therapist permit fee: $50.00. Liability insurance required: $1,000,000.00. License term: 1 year from issuance.

Operating a massage establishment or practicing as a massage therapist without the required license or permit is a misdemeanor under § 30-936. The director of health may deny, suspend or revoke a license for a disqualifying conviction, a material misstatement in the application, or failure to cooperate with the police investigation; licenses not renewed before expiration lapse automatically one year after issuance.

This is one of the stricter rules in New Orleans's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Pawnbrokers

New Orleans licenses pawnbrokers through its occupational license tax code rather than a standalone permit article: Sec. 150-963(d)(1) sets a $300.00 minimum annual license tax based on gross receipts plus loans made, and bars any pawnshop from locating within 300 feet of a licensed gaming establishment or riverboat docking facility, measured by sidewalk or straight-line distance.

Key details: Governing section: Code of Ordinances § 150-963(d)(1). Minimum annual license tax: $300.00. Location ban: 300 ft of gaming establishment/riverboat dock. Record retention: 2 years, § 130-105. Police reporting: daily, next business day, § 130-106.

No occupational license may issue to a pawnbroker sited within 300 feet of a gaming establishment or riverboat dock. Beyond the tax code, pawnbrokers who fail to keep the required transaction records under Sec. 130-105 or fail to report daily to the superintendent of police under Sec. 130-106 are subject to the Code's general penalty, Sec. 1-13: up to $1,000 and six months in jail for a first offense.

Tobacco Retail License

New Orleans doesn't issue a dedicated tobacco retail license, but City Code §§ 66-75 and 66-77 tightly control where a retailer can operate: no tobacco sales within 300 feet of any park, church, library, school or childcare facility, and no tobacco retailer may open at all inside a residential or park-and-recreation zoning district. Stores already open when each rule passed are grandfathered.

Key details: Dedicated tobacco retail license: none: location rules only. Buffer distance: 300 ft from parks, schools, churches, libraries, childcare. Zoning ban: residential & park/recreation districts. Distance measured: by sidewalk walking distance (§66-76). Grandfather trigger: reopening after 6+ months closed.

Operating a tobacco retail business within the 300-foot buffer, or opening one inside a residential or park-and-recreation zoning district without grandfathering, is a misdemeanor under §66-40: $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second, and $500 for a third or more within 12 months, plus possible suspension or revocation of any city permit or license tied to the premises. Each day of continued operation counts as a separate violation.

Compared to other cities, New Orleans takes a harder line on tobacco retail license. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Adult Entertainment

New Orleans bars adult bookstores from operating within 2,000 feet of any church, school or playground under City Code § 54-257, measured along the sidewalk from property line to property line. Separately, Chapter 30 requires every escort service to hold a $500.00 license investigated by the police superintendent before the department of finance may grant it.

Key details: Bookstore buffer distance: 2,000 feet from church/school/playground. Buffer measurement: Walking distance via sidewalk. Escort license fee: $500.00 ($250 refundable if denied). Escort investigation window: 30 days, police superintendent. License grant window: 60 days after application.

Operating an adult bookstore inside the 2,000-foot buffer, or running an unlicensed escort service in New Orleans, is enforced under § 54-257 and §§ 30-501 through 30-506; noncompliant bookstores in place before the ordinance had 30 days to relocate or close. An escort service license may be denied or revoked for a disqualifying conviction, a material misstatement on the application, or failure to cooperate with the police superintendent's investigation.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. New Orleans actively enforces its adult entertainment requirements.

The Bottom Line

New Orleans is tougher than many cities when it comes to business licensing & operations. Out of the 7 rules covered here, 4 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in New Orleans, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

Keep in mind that New Orleans can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.