New Orleans, LA Local Ordinances Guide

New Orleans is a mid-sized city in Orleans Parish, Louisiana, with about 384000 residents. Like most cities its size, it has a set of local rules that may differ significantly from neighboring municipalities. Here is an overview of 139 ordinances across 39 categories that affect daily life in New Orleans.

Special Events & Permits

Parklets: New Orleans requires a city-issued parklet permit before any business converts a parking lane space into customer seating. The department of safety and permits reviews applications against strict siting, safety and design standards, and parklets are banned outright in the Vieux Carré and on a stretch of Magazine Street..

Also covered: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (restrictive), Commercial Filming on Public Right-of-Way (limited), Parade Permits (restrictive). See the full special events & permits guide for New Orleans for details.

Rental Inspections

Inspection Programs: New Orleans requires every rental housing unit in Orleans Parish to hold a valid certificate of compliance before occupancy. City Code § 26-660 makes it unlawful to rent without one, and § 26-661 forces citywide self-certified registration renewed every two years, with the department empowered to inspect and deny certificates..

Also covered: Tenant Complaint Process (moderate). See the full rental inspections guide for New Orleans for details.

Fence Regulations

Height Limits: New Orleans' Building Code sets structural and safety rules for every fence: posts spaced no more than eight feet apart and embedded in concrete under § 427.1, no razor wire or barbed wire in residential districts under § 427.2, and no electrified fencing anywhere in the city under § 427.3..

Also covered: Retaining Walls (moderate), Material Restrictions (moderate). See the full fence regulations guide for New Orleans for details.

Landscaping Rules

Tree Removal & Heritage Trees: New Orleans requires written approval from the Department of Parks and Parkways before anyone cuts, prunes, treats or removes a tree on city property or in the public right-of-way. The rule, rewritten in March 2025, covers only city-owned trees: private-property tree removal falls under the separate Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance..

Also covered: Weed Ordinances (moderate), Tree Trimming (moderate), Composting (moderate). See the full landscaping rules guide for New Orleans for details.

Short-Term Rentals

Repeat Violator Strikes: New Orleans makes short-term rental permit revocation automatic, not discretionary, once a hearing officer finds three separate violations of any one of fifteen listed duties - including insurance, guest records, health-and-safety standards and noise - within a 12-month period. Revocation carries a five-year bar that's recorded against the property itself, following the address even if it changes owners..

Also covered: Short-Term Rental Permits (restrictive), Insurance Requirements (moderate), Short-Term Rental Parking Rules (limited). See the full short-term rentals guide for New Orleans for details.

Building Safety

Lead Paint: Before disturbing lead paint in an occupied building, a New Orleans owner or contractor must warn tenants at least three business days ahead and hand every tenant the EPA pamphlet "Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home." Bidders on the job must also be told about any lead findings, under Code §82-318..

Also covered: Electrical Permits (moderate), Elevator Maintenance (moderate), Carbon Monoxide Detectors (moderate). See the full building safety guide for New Orleans for details.

Swimming Pools & Spas

Fencing & Safety Requirements: New Orleans requires every pool, defined broadly as any structure holding water deeper than 18 inches or covering more than 150 square feet, to be surrounded by a fence or barrier at least six feet high with a self-closing, self-latching gate, under City Code § 26-448(3). The city can fill in a noncompliant pool after an eight-day notice..

Also covered: Pool Permits (moderate). See the full swimming pools & spas guide for New Orleans for details.

Animal Ordinances

Exotic Pets: New Orleans Code § 18-7 flatly bans keeping any wild or exotic animal as a pet inside city limits, and § 18-8 bars offering one for sale as a pet. The only carve-out is a sale between accredited zoos or educational institutions that meet state and federal rules..

Also covered: Chickens & Livestock (moderate), Bird Protection (moderate), Mandatory Spay/Neuter (strict). See the full animal ordinances guide for New Orleans for details.

Fire Regulations

Outdoor Burning: New Orleans prohibits outdoor burning of waste or other combustible material by default, allowing it only in the narrow situations the Fire Prevention Code enumerates, and only where it creates no public nuisance and complies with air-control and other governing regulations..

Also covered: Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (moderate), Fireworks (restrictive), Smoke Detectors (moderate). See the full fire regulations guide for New Orleans for details.

Trash & Recycling

Illegal Dumping: New Orleans treats illegal dumping as a vehicle-forfeiture offense: any motor vehicle used to dump or haul illegally dumped material is impounded and subject to forfeiture, with a $5,000 fine for dumping into the drainage system alone..

Also covered: Recycling Rules (moderate), Dumpster Rules (moderate), Yard Waste Collection (moderate). See the full trash & recycling guide for New Orleans for details.

Filming & Production

Street Closures: The Film Office can approve closing a city street or other public right-of-way for filming under Code of Ordinances § 30-1703(a)(2), but only after consultation with and approval by the department of public works, and every decision is discretionary and cannot turn on the content of the film..

Also covered: Location Permits (moderate), Production Noise (moderate). See the full filming & production guide for New Orleans for details.

Mobility & Curb Rules

Red-Light Cameras: New Orleans runs a civil, not criminal, automated traffic enforcement program covering red-light signals, school-zone speed, and school-bus stop-arm violations. The Police Department mails notices within 30 to 60 days, penalties run $45.00 to $300.00 depending on the offense, and owners can contest liability before the parking adjudication bureau with a further appeal to traffic court..

Also covered: Shared E-Scooter Rules (restrictive), Bike Lane Rules (moderate), TNC Pickup Zones (moderate). See the full mobility & curb rules guide for New Orleans for details.

Environmental Rules

Flood Zones: New Orleans adopts FEMA's Flood Insurance Rate Maps by ordinance to define its Special Flood Hazard Areas, and Chapter 78 of the Code bars any new construction, substantial improvement or land-use change in the city without a building permit issued under that article and Chapter 26..

Also covered: Flood Elevation Requirements (moderate), Boat Dock Permits (moderate), Stormwater Management (moderate). See the full environmental rules guide for New Orleans for details.

Public Conduct

Public Marijuana Use: New Orleans outright bars smoking marijuana anywhere outside a private home or residence under City Code § 66-73.1, part of the Smoke Free Air Act. The ban reaches every street, park, vehicle and outdoor public space citywide, and it applies even indoors in homes used for childcare, daycare or as a health care facility..

Also covered: Loitering Rules (moderate), Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (restrictive), Aggressive Panhandling (restrictive). See the full public conduct guide for New Orleans for details.

Historic Preservation

Historic-Cultural Monuments: New Orleans lets the city council remove monuments, statues or plaques from public property after a nuisance-finding hearing, not by staff decision alone. The council must solicit input from the city planning commission, the historic district landmarks commission and the Vieux Carré Commission before voting to declare a monument a nuisance and order it down..

Noise Ordinances

Decibel Limits: New Orleans caps ambient noise by zone and time of day under City Code § 66-202's Table 1: residential areas can't exceed 60 dBA (L10) / 70 dBA (Lmax) by day, dropping to 55/60 dBA overnight; commercial areas run 65/75 dBA by day and 60/65 dBA at night; and industrial zones are capped at 75/85 dBA around the clock, measured at the property boundary..

Also covered: Vehicle Noise (moderate), Barking Dogs (moderate), Aircraft Noise (moderate). See the full noise ordinances guide for New Orleans for details.

Property Maintenance

Property Blight: New Orleans can declare an occupied home or building 'blighted' or a public nuisance under City Code § 26-237.1 if its condition endangers health, safety or property through fire hazard, dilapidation, or neighborhood-depreciating neglect. A hearing officer makes the finding after a Chapter 6 administrative hearing, and the order must cite the specific code violations behind it..

Also covered: Vacant Lot Maintenance (moderate). See the full property maintenance guide for New Orleans for details.

Hotels & Lodging

Transient Occupancy Tax: New Orleans imposes a hotel occupancy privilege tax on every occupied guest room within the city, collected by the hotel operator and remitted to the Department of Finance. Sec.

Homelessness & Encampment Rules

Encampment Sanitation: New Orleans Code §§82-693–82-703 lets the Department of Health inspect and remediate homeless encampments on public property, generally requiring 24-hour written notice before personal property is removed, with an emergency exception for encampments deemed obstructions or immediate hazards..

Also covered: Sit-Lie Rules (restrictive). See the full homelessness & encampment rules guide for New Orleans for details.

Public Health Rules

Syringe Disposal: New Orleans makes it unlawful to dump medical waste, hypodermic needles or syringes into any public waterway, lake, bayou, drainage canal or other body of water in the city without department of sanitation or state/federal authorization, under City Code § 54-495. Because the section names no specific fine, the Code's general penalty at § 1-13 applies instead..

Also covered: Rodent Control (moderate). See the full public health rules guide for New Orleans for details.

Tree Protection

Parkway Planting: Nobody may plant a tree, shrub or plant on New Orleans city property, including neutral grounds and rights-of-way, without prior written permission from the Department of Parks and Parkways under Code § 106-217(a); once planted, it becomes city property..

Business Licensing & Operations

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..

Also covered: Tattoo & Body Modification (restrictive), Towing Companies (moderate), Secondhand Dealers (moderate). See the full business licensing & operations guide for New Orleans for details.

Local Taxes & Fees

Parking Tax: New Orleans taxes the right to park, store, or berth a vehicle or watercraft on someone else's property at three percent of the price paid, under Sec. 150-1191.

Also covered: Business Tax Classification (moderate). See the full local taxes & fees guide for New Orleans for details.

Noise from Specific Sources

Bar & Nightclub Noise: Commercial enterprises in the Vieux Carré Historic and Central Business Districts must keep loudspeakers inside the building and away from doors and windows, with tighter distance rules for bars holding a Class A alcohol permit. Violations cost up to $500 per instance..

Also covered: Low-Frequency Bass Limits (moderate), HVAC & Mechanical Noise (moderate). See the full noise from specific sources guide for New Orleans for details.

Hurricane Preparedness

Flood Elevation: New residential and non-residential construction in New Orleans must have its lowest floor at least one foot above the base flood elevation or three feet above the highest adjacent curb, whichever is higher, under Code of Ordinances § 78-81: the city's core defense against repeat hurricane flood losses..

Privacy & Surveillance

Facial Recognition Ban: New Orleans prohibits city officials from obtaining, retaining or using any face surveillance system, with a narrow carve-out letting NOPD request facial recognition only when investigating a specific list of violent felonies under a warrant-like approval process. Evidence from facial recognition alone can never establish probable cause for an arrest..

Also covered: License Plate Readers (moderate). See the full privacy & surveillance guide for New Orleans for details.

Parking Rules

Commercial & Oversized Vehicles: New Orleans bans parking or storing trucks, semitrailers, buses, tow trucks, dump trucks, and similar large commercial vehicles in every RD, RM, and RS residential district, in B-1, B-1A, and B-2 neighborhood business districts, in the Vieux Carré, and on St. Charles Avenue..

Also covered: Street Parking Limits (moderate), Loading Zones (moderate), Towing & Impound Rights (moderate). See the full parking rules guide for New Orleans for details.

Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors

Food Truck Permits: New Orleans caps mobile food truck permits at 100 citywide and requires Department of Finance approval plus sign-off from the State Department of Health and Hospitals and the Fire Department before one issues. Permits expire every December 31, cost $450.00 the first year, and must be visibly displayed on the truck's windshield..

Also covered: Vending Zones (restrictive), Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (restrictive). See the full food trucks & mobile vendors guide for New Orleans for details.

Outdoor Lighting

Light Trespass & Shielding: The CZO caps spillover light at your property line: no more than 0.5 foot-candle at a residential property line and 1.0 foot-candle at a non-residential or public right-of-way line. Fixtures must also be fully shielded to prevent glare onto neighbors..

Also covered: Dark Sky Rules (moderate). See the full outdoor lighting guide for New Orleans for details.

Building Setbacks & Zoning

Structure Height Limits: Maximum building height is set per district in the CZO. In the Historic Urban Neighborhood Two-Family (HU-RD2) district, the maximum building height is 35 feet.

Also covered: Lot Coverage Limits (moderate), Setback Rules (moderate). See the full building setbacks & zoning guide for New Orleans for details.

Home Business

Signage Rules: A New Orleans home occupation may display one home occupation sign in accordance with CZO Article 24; additional signs are prohibited. No exterior alteration that changes the residential character of the building is permitted..

Also covered: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (moderate), Home Daycare (moderate). See the full home business guide for New Orleans for details.

Water Use Rules

Leak Reporting Duty: New Orleans requires every owner, agent or occupant to promptly repair broken or leaking plumbing -- from toilets to sewer pipes -- under City Code § 26-117. The Department of Health enforces the duty, and must mail a 15-day notice before filing any charge for noncompliance..

Accessory Structures

ADU Rules: New Orleans permits accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in most residential districts under the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance. A detached ADU is an accessory structure, so within a required yard it is capped at 14 feet tall and must sit at least 3 feet from any lot line..

Also covered: Shed & Carport Rules (moderate), Garage Conversions (moderate). See the full accessory structures guide for New Orleans for details.

Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules

Encroachment Permits: Section 146-532 requires a sidewalk use permit for any private extension of a licensed business onto a sidewalk or public space. Section 146-542 makes the permit revocable at will, non-transferrable, and explicitly not a vested property right..

Also covered: Obstruction Rules (moderate), Sidewalk Repair (moderate). See the full sidewalk & pedestrian rules guide for New Orleans for details.

Rental Property Rules

Rental Registration: New Orleans' Healthy Homes Program bars anyone from renting out a residential unit, long-term or short-term, without first registering it and holding a certificate of compliance from the department of safety and permits, under City Code §§ 26-660 and 26-661..

Also covered: Repairs & Habitability (moderate). See the full rental property rules guide for New Orleans for details.

Sign Regulations

Political Signs: New Orleans limits political campaign signs on the public right-of-way to a tight window: Sec. 134-122(1) of the Code of Ordinances allows placement only 48 hours before an election and requires removal within 48 hours after the polls close, one of six inclusive exceptions to the city's general ban on right-of-way signage..

Also covered: Garage Sale Signs (moderate). See the full sign regulations guide for New Orleans for details.

Soliciting & Door-to-Door

Solicitor Permits: Canvassing, soliciting or handing out advertising leaflets on New Orleans streets, sidewalks or house-to-house for a commercial purpose requires a $50.00 department-of-finance permit per solicitor plus a $5.00 ID card per agent under Section 110-222. The permit is void in the Vieux Carré, the Convention Center zone and two riverfront zones..

Garage & Yard Sales

Frequency, Duration & Permits: New Orleans exempts private residential "garage sales" and "yard sales" from the secondhand-dealer permit scheme in Code of Ordinances Chapter 130. Sec.

Curfew Laws

Juvenile Curfew: New Orleans bars minors under 18 from public places and business premises during school hours (6:00 a.m.-3:15 p.m. on school days), nightly from 8:00 or 9:00 p.m.

Also covered: Park Curfew (moderate). See the full curfew laws guide for New Orleans for details.

What to Do With This Information

Whether you are renting, buying, or renovating in New Orleans, knowing the local rules upfront saves headaches later. Dig into the individual ordinance pages linked above for the complete picture, including fines and exemptions.