New Orleans, LA Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)

Sec. 146-611(a) requires that monuments, statues, plaques or other structures honoring an event or individual be removed from public outdoor display only when required under this section's process, not at will. The council can act on its own motion or on request of a city elector, and under subsection (b) may by ordinance order removal upon finding the object is a nuisance because it honors ideologies conflicting with equal-protection guarantees or honors those who killed city or state employees, has become or may become a site of violent demonstrations threatening life or property, or costs more to maintain and secure than its historical or architectural significance justifies.

Before voting, subsection (c) requires the council to solicit recommendations from the city planning commission (when the City Charter requires it), the historic district landmarks commission, the Vieux Carré Commission where applicable, other historical offices or societies, the chief administrative officer, the city attorney, the police superintendent and the director of property management, plus public hearings coordinated through the human relations commission. A removed object may be relocated indoors to a museum, stored, donated if it has no monetary value, or otherwise disposed of under law (subsection (d)).

If the city attorney believes an ordinance-directed removal would conflict with federal or state law or a court order, subsection (e) requires the attorney to seek a court ruling and suspends the removal obligation until a favorable judgment issues. Subsection (f) is a separate, faster track: notwithstanding the hearing process, the council may by simple motion compel immediate removal or relocation of any monument, statue, plaque or work of art from city-owned or -controlled property.