Public Conduct in New Orleans, LA (2026)
5 verified public conduct rules for New Orleans, Louisiana, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Aggressive Panhandling
Within the Downtown Development District, New Orleans bans panhandling after 7:00 p.m. or before 6:00 a.m., within 30 feet of a sidewalk café, within 20 feet of an ATM or bank, and in any public park, under City Code § 54-412. The same section separately criminalizes touching, blocking or following a person who has refused a solicitation.
New Orleans Bans Aggressive Downtown Panhandling
Significant RestrictionsNew Orleans Code of Ordinances § 54-412
(d)It shall be unlawful to engage in an act of panhandling on any day after 7:00 p.m. or before 6:00 a.m.(e)It shall be unlawful to engage in an act of panhandling in an aggressive manner, including any of the following actions:(1)Touching the solicited person without the solicited person's consent;(2)Panhandling a person while such person is standing in line and waiting to be admitted to a com...
Loitering Rules
New Orleans makes it a misdemeanor to willfully obstruct the free, convenient use of any public sidewalk, street, alley, bridge or building entrance. City Code § 54-401 targets anyone who impedes, hinders or blocks passage on a public right-of-way, punishable by a fine up to $500.00 or six months in jail. The law exempts posted construction barricades and government safety work.
New Orleans Bans Obstructing Public Passages
Some RestrictionsNew Orleans Code of Ordinances § 54-401
(a)No person shall wilfully obstruct the free, convenient and normal use of any public sidewalk, street, highway, bridge, alley, road, or other passageway, or the entrance, corridor or passage of any public building, structure, watercraft or ferry, by impeding, hindering, stifling, retarding or restraining traffic or passage thereon or therein.(b)Whoever violates the provisions of this section ...
Outdoor Smoking Restrictions
New Orleans bars smoking and vaping in specific unenclosed public areas: within five feet of the Bloch Cancer Survivors Plaza and Lafayette Square, in outdoor sports arenas, stadiums, playgrounds and amphitheaters, and at outdoor places of employment including construction sites and vehicles. Owners who fail to enforce it face escalating fines up to $500, and individual violators face fines up to $50, enforced by the Department of Health and police.
New Orleans Outdoor Smoking and Vaping Ban
Significant RestrictionsNew Orleans City Code § 66-72
Except as permitted by section 66-73, smoking and vaping shall be prohibited in unenclosed areas in the following places: (1)In and within five feet of Richard & Annette Bloch Cancer Survivors Plaza.(2)In and within five feet of Lafayette Square.(3)In all outdoor sports arenas, stadiums, recreational areas with playground equipment, and amphitheaters, except when being used for concerts, fairs,...
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.
New Orleans Public Marijuana Smoking Ban
Heavy RestrictionsNew Orleans City Code § 66-73.1
Sec. 66-73.1. - Marijuana smoking prohibited outside of private residences. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Code to the contrary, smoking marijuana outside of a private home or residence shall be a violation of this article. Marijuana smoking shall not be permitted within a private home or residence that is being used for childcare or daycare or as a health care facility.
Public Alcohol Use
New Orleans bans carrying or drinking from an open glass container on public streets, sidewalks and parks within the French Quarter, the area bounded by Canal, Rampart, Esplanade and the Mississippi River, under City Code § 54-404. The same ban extends citywide to within one block of any Mardi Gras parade route for two hours before, during and after the parade.
New Orleans Open Glass Container Ban
Some RestrictionsNew Orleans Code of Ordinances § 54-404
(a)It shall be unlawful for any person to carry or drink from any opened glass container in or on any public street, sidewalk, park or public right-of-way in the area bounded by the upriver side of Canal Street, the lakeside of Rampart Street, the downriver side of Esplanade Avenue and the Mississippi River. ... (e)It shall be unlawful for any person to carry or drink from any opened glass cont...