Environmental Rules in Shreveport, LA (2026)
6 verified environmental rules for Shreveport, Louisiana, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Stormwater Management
Shreveport's stormwater quality ordinance bans any discharge to the city storm drainage system, Cross Lake or its tributaries that is not composed entirely of stormwater, and lists specific banned substances from motor oil to soapy washwater.
Nothing but stormwater in the storm drain
Heavy RestrictionsShreveport, La., Code of Ordinances § 34-164
No person shall introduce or cause to be introduced into the city's storm drainage system, Cross Lake or any tributary of Cross Lake any discharge that is not composed entirely of stormwater, except for discharges within any of the following classes
Erosion Control
Shreveport requires an erosion and sedimentation control permit from the Department of Engineering and Environmental Services before clearing, grading, excavating or filling anywhere in the city or the Cross Lake watershed, with only narrow exemptions.
Permit required before any land-altering activity
Heavy RestrictionsShreveport, La., Code of Ordinances § 34-125(1)
The erosion control plan shall include, at a minimum, the following: a description of temporary and permanent structural controls; temporary and final stabilization; an erosion control inspection schedule providing for site inspections at least every two weeks and after each rain event of ½-inch or more; and a list of measures to minimize off-site tracking of sediment by vehicles.
Coastal Development
Shreveport sits on the Red River in northwest Louisiana, far outside the state Coastal Zone, so no Coastal Use Permit is required. Development near water is instead controlled by the city's floodplain, drainage and erosion ordinances.
No coastal permits. Red River floodplain rules instead
Few RestrictionsShreveport, La., Code of Ordinances § 34-67(5)a
Encroachments, including fill, new construction, substantial improvements and other development shall be prohibited unless a technical evaluation demonstrates that encroachments shall not result in any increase in flood levels during the occurrence of the base flood discharge.
Flood Zones
Before any construction or development begins in a Shreveport area of special flood hazard, the owner must get a development permit from the director of public works under Sec. 34-46. The application must show elevations, structure floodproofing certification, and any watercourse alteration, tracking the flood maps in the 2014 FEMA study for Caddo Parish.
Shreveport Requires a Flood Development Permit First
Some RestrictionsShreveport Code of Ordinances § 34-46
A development permit shall be obtained before construction or development begins within any area of special flood hazard established in section 34-30. Application for a development permit shall be made on forms furnished by the director of public works, who may require submission of plans drawn to scale showing the nature, location, dimensions and elevations of the area in question; existing or...
Boat Dock Permits
Property owners along Cross Lake need a city permit before building a pier, boathouse or dock within the lake's 172-foot contour line, under Code of Ordinances section 78-357(a). Applications go through the permits and inspections office with a sketch showing location, dimensions and construction plans, and anything built without one is subject to city demolition at the owner's expense.
Shreveport's Cross Lake Piers and Docks Need a Permit
Some RestrictionsShreveport Code of Ordinances § 78-357(a)-(c), (e)
Piers, boathouses and docks for the exclusive use of their owners, or such other persons as have the consent of such owners, will be authorized within the 172-foot contour line of Cross Lake only by a permit issued by the city. Such permits shall be subject to the limitations set forth in this article. ... Application for a permit under this section must be accompanied by a sketch showing the l...
Flood Elevation Requirements
New and substantially improved residential structures in Shreveport's special flood hazard areas must have their lowest habitable floor built at least one foot above the base flood elevation under Sec. 34-67(2). Nonresidential buildings get the same one-foot freeboard or must be certified floodproof by a licensed engineer or architect instead.
Shreveport Sets a One-Foot Flood Elevation Freeboard
Some RestrictionsShreveport Code of Ordinances § 34-67(2) (Ord. No. 136, 2016, 1-10-17; Ord. No. 64, 2021, 5-11-21)
New construction and substantial improvement of any residential structure shall have the lowest habitable floor including equipment or mechanical items elevated to a minimum of one foot above the base flood elevation.