Business Licensing & Operations in Shreveport, LA (2026)
7 verified business licensing & operations rules for Shreveport, Louisiana, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Operating a sexually oriented business in Shreveport without a license is unlawful under chapter 72. Owners apply in person to the chief of police, submit a floor diagram, and pay a fee that runs from $100.00 to $1,000.00 a year depending on the type of business, while every employee needs their own $24.00 sexually oriented business employee card and background check.
Shreveport Licenses Adult Businesses; Fees Up To $1,000
Significant RestrictionsShreveport Code of Ordinances §§ 72-4(a)(1)-(2), 72-6(a)
(a)Sexually oriented business license.(1)It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a sexually oriented business in the city without a valid sexually oriented business license. Separate sexually oriented business licenses shall be required for each place of business of an operator.(2)An applicant for a sexually oriented business license shall file in person at the office of the chief of pol...
Tattoo & Body Modification
Shreveport's Unified Development Code treats tattoo parlors and piercing studios as a single 'Body Modification Establishment' use. Section 5.3 defines the use, and the Table 5-1 Use Matrix in Section 5.2 permits it by right in most commercial, downtown, and industrial-mixed-use districts, while requiring a special use permit in the R-MUV residential district and barring it elsewhere.
Shreveport Zones Tattoo Shops as Special Use
Some RestrictionsShreveport Unified Development Code §§ 5.2, 5.3
Body Modification Establishment. An establishment that offers tattooing services, body piercing, and/or non-medical body modification. Body modification establishment does not include an establishment that offers only ear piercing as an ancillary service.
Tobacco Retail License
Selling vapor products, e-cigarettes, vape juice or related devices in Shreveport requires a city permit from the police department before opening, split into a Class VS permit for dedicated vape shops and a Class VR permit for retailers where vaping products are a smaller share of sales. Operating even one day without a valid permit is its own separate violation.
Shreveport Vape Shops Need A City Permit
Significant RestrictionsShreveport Code of Ordinances § 11-22(a)-(c) (Ord. No. 81, 2025, 9-9-25)
Before engaging in the business of dealing in vapor products, vapor products shops and vapor product retailers shall obtain from the city a current permit to conduct such business. No person shall sell, barter, or exchange, vapor products or do any other act for which a permit is required without first having obtained such permit. Each day's conduct of business by a shop or retail dealer withou...
Secondhand Dealers
Anyone buying, selling or trading used property in Shreveport, from jewelry and tools to salvaged building components, is a secondhand dealer under Code of Ordinances Sec. 42-217 and must file a daily transaction record with the police department. Garage sales, antique dealers and licensed motor-vehicle dismantlers are exempt.
Secondhand Dealers Report Daily Sales in Shreveport
Some RestrictionsShreveport Code of Ordinances § 42-217(a), (d)
(a)Every person engaged in the business of buying, selling, trading in, or otherwise acquiring or disposing of used or secondhand property, including but not limited to jewelry, silverware, diamonds, precious metals, furniture, pictures, objects of art, clothing, mechanic's tools, carpenter's tools, automobile hubcaps, automotive batteries, automotive sound equipment such as radios, CB radios, ...
Pawnbrokers
Every pawnshop and pawnbroker operating in Shreveport must file a daily transaction record with the police department covering jewelry, clothing, firearms, furniture, auto parts and any other merchandise or junk taken in pledge, on top of the state license Louisiana law already requires under R.S. 37:1751 et seq.
Shreveport Pawnbrokers Must Log Every Transaction Daily
Some RestrictionsShreveport Code of Ordinances § 42-216 (Code 1971, § 25-1; Ord. No. 203, 2004)
All pawnshops and pawnbrokers within the city shall file a daily record with the police department of transactions made in jewelry, clothing, firearms, furniture, auto tires or accessories, and all other merchandise or junk of any kind. Effective January 1, 2005, all daily records shall be filed electronically to a law enforcement web site designated as an agent of the police department for the...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Shreveport flatly bars repairing or servicing vehicles or heavy machinery as a home-based business. The UDC also blocks storing tractor trailers, semi-trucks, or commercial construction equipment at a residence, closing off home auto-repair shops and residential equipment yards alike.
Vehicle Repair Banned as a Shreveport Home Occupation
Heavy RestrictionsShreveport Unified Development Code § 7.3.O.12-13 (Home-Based Business)
12.Repair and service of any vehicles or any heavy machinery is prohibited as a home occupation.13.Use or storage of tractor trailers, semi-trucks, or heavy equipment, such as construction equipment used in a commercial business, is prohibited.
Towing Companies
Any towing company that wants a spot on Shreveport's police rotational list needs a tow truck permit under section 102-140(a), issued separately for each vehicle and good for one year. Permits run $10.00 per truck plus separate fees for inspection, rotation-list maintenance and a criminal background check, and every permit expires at 11:59 p.m. on January 31 no matter when it was issued.
Shreveport Tow Truck Permit Costs $10 Per Vehicle
Significant RestrictionsShreveport Code of Ordinances § 102-140(a), (h)
In order to be placed on the city's rotational list a person must first obtain a tow truck permit from the city. Each towing company shall be permitted as a separate entity. ... Permits shall be issued for a period not exceeding one year and shall expire at 11:59 p.m., January 31, each year.