Lafayette, LA Code Violation Reporting: How to Report (2026)

Section 34-571, part of Division 8 (Citizen Participation) of the Stormwater Ordinance, encourages all citizens to report to the city-parish any spills, releases, illicit discharges, illicit connections, or other instances of someone discharging pollutants into the MS4 or waters of the state, along with any other violation of the article they become aware of. The section requires that all citizen reports received by telephone, in writing, or in person be kept on file for three years, and directs that complaints be referred to other appropriate local, state, or federal agencies when necessary.

This gives residents a documented path, rather than an informal one, to flag illegal dumping into storm drains, construction sites tracking mud into the street, or a business discharging wastewater where it shouldn't. Because the public works director administers the article under Section 34-404, citizen reports feed directly into the same office that can issue a violation notice, declare a public nuisance under Section 34-548, or pursue injunctive relief under Section 34-549. The three-year retention requirement means a paper trail exists if the same address or business is reported more than once, supporting an escalated enforcement response for repeat violations under the mitigating- and aggravating-factor framework in Section 34-547.