Noise Ordinances in Shreveport, LA

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

Vehicle Noise

Shreveport bans vehicle sound amplification devices, including car stereos, whose noise is plainly audible more than 50 feet from the vehicle in any direction, under Code of Ordinances § 58-29(c). A companion clause in § 58-29(b) targets any unreasonably disturbing vehicle stereo or handheld-device noise, and vehicles on traffic ways must run adequate mufflers to keep their exemption under § 58-30(5).

Key details: Audibility limit: Not plainly audible past 50 feet. Muffler requirement: Adequate muffler required to keep exemption. Handheld device noise: Also barred if unreasonably disturbing. First-offense penalty: Up to $500 fine, 30 days jail. Governing sections: § 58-29(b)-(c); § 58-30(5).

A vehicle stereo or exhaust violation is enforced under § 58-35 like any other Division 1 noise offense: up to a $500.00 fine and 30 days in jail for a first conviction, up to $750.00 and 60 days for a second, and up to $1,000.00 and 90 days for a third, with civil remedies including injunctive relief also available to the city.

Decibel Limits

Shreveport's noise ordinance sets hard decibel ceilings measured at the receiving property line: 55 dBA daytime and 50 dBA nighttime for residential property, 60 dBA around the clock for commercial property, 70 dBA around the clock for industrial property, and a stricter 50/45 dBA standard for noise-sensitive receivers such as schools, hospitals and churches, under Code of Ordinances § 58-28(d).

Key details: Residential limit: 55 dBA day, 50 dBA night. Commercial limit: 60 dBA day and night. Industrial limit: 70 dBA day and night. Noise-sensitive receiver: 50 dBA day, 45 dBA night. DED / permitted bar limit: 75 dBA to 12:59 a.m., 70 dBA after.

A first conviction under this division carries a fine up to $500.00, up to 30 days in jail, or both. A second conviction raises exposure to a fine up to $750.00 and up to 60 days. A third conviction carries a fine up to $1,000.00 and up to 90 days, under § 58-35. The city may also pursue civil remedies, including injunctive relief, independent of any criminal citation.

Quiet Hours

Shreveport bars anyone from running sound equipment audible beyond a residential property line between 10:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. under Code of Ordinances § 58-29(d). The curfew applies on top of the ordinance's flat nighttime decibel ceilings and yields only to a loudspeaker permit issued under § 58-31.

Key details: Curfew hours: 10:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m.. Applies to: Sound equipment audible past property line. Only exception: Loudspeaker permit under § 58-31. First-offense penalty: Up to $500 fine, 30 days jail. Governing section: Code of Ordinances § 58-29(d).

Violating the nighttime sound-equipment curfew is enforced the same as any other Chapter 58, Division 1 offense under § 58-35: a fine up to $500.00 and up to 30 days in jail for a first conviction, up to $750.00 and 60 days for a second, and up to $1,000.00 and 90 days for a third, plus available civil remedies.

Leaf Blower Rules

Shreveport does not regulate leaf blowers by name and bans no equipment type. Leaf blowers fall under the noise ordinance's exemption for landscaping and yard maintenance equipment, which is allowed only inside set hours and only with a muffler.

Key details: Gas blower ban: None in Shreveport. Weekday window: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.. Weekend and holiday window: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.. Plainly audible bar: 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.. Equipment condition: Muffler required.

Noise violations carry up to $500 or 30 days for a first offense, $750 or 60 days for a second, and $1,000 or 90 days for a third.

Barking Dogs

Shreveport Code § 14-17 bans keeping any animal that unreasonably disturbs neighbors, naming excessive barking specifically. Most nuisance complaints give an owner 24 hours to correct the problem after notice, but for excessive barking the code requires an immediate fix the moment animal control or police give notification.

Key details: Governing section: § 14-17(a). Barking cure period: Immediate upon notification. Other nuisance cure period: 24 hours after notice. Enforcing agency: Caddo Parish Animal Services. General penalty: Up to $1,000 fine, 60 days jail.

Section 14-17 carries no stand-alone fine, so a citation defaults to Chapter 14's general penalty, § 14-3, tied to § 1-14: up to $1,000 and up to 60 days in jail, with each day of continued violation charged as a separate offense. Because the barking remedy is immediate, a second complaint after notice can support a citation without the 24-hour cure period that applies to other nuisance violations.

Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound

Shreveport rewrote its noise law in November 2023 with hard decibel limits by property type. Any loudspeaker used out of doors or on a vehicle requires a city permit, and enforcement runs through a designated police noise enforcement officer.

Key details: Residential limit: 55 dBA day, 50 dBA night. Nighttime hours: 10:01 p.m. to 6:59 a.m.. Entertainment District cap: 75 dBA until 12:59 a.m.. Car stereo rule: Plainly audible beyond 50 feet. Event sound permit: $10, capped at 65 dBA.

First offense up to $500 or 30 days; second up to $750 or 60 days; third up to $1,000 or 90 days, plus civil injunctive relief.

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

Construction Hours

Shreveport exempts construction, maintenance, repair, demolition and excavation noise from its noise ordinance only between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on weekdays and 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekends and federal holidays. Work outside that window loses the exemption and falls under the general prohibited-noise and decibel rules of §§ 58-29 and 58-28.

Key details: Weekday construction hours: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.. Weekend/holiday construction hours: 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.. Yard equipment hours (separate rule): 7 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays, to 8 p.m. weekends. Government/utility work: Exempt with no time window, § 58-30(13). First-offense penalty: Up to $500 fine, 30 days jail.

After-hours construction noise that falls outside every exemption is enforced under § 58-35: up to a $500.00 fine and 30 days in jail for a first conviction, up to $750.00 and 60 days for a second, and up to $1,000.00 and 90 days for a third, plus available civil remedies including injunctive relief.

The Bottom Line

Shreveport's noise ordinances rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Shreveport is broadly strict or permissive.

This guide is based on Shreveport's current municipal code. Local rules can and do change, so check the individual ordinance pages for the latest details, penalties, and FAQs.