Gretna, LA Noise from Specific Sources: Bar & Nightclub Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Gretna Code of Ordinances § 12-7
- Quarterly permit fee
- $100.00 per quarter
- Special event permit fee
- $100.00 per event
- Revocation standard
- Preponderance of evidence, public nuisance finding
- Noise factor
- Noise increase is a listed revocation ground
- Hearing body
- City council, after public hearing
Summary
In the City of Gretna, a bar or nightclub's live-entertainment permit can be revoked if the city council finds, after a public hearing, that the venue's operation created a public nuisance, including a noise increase affecting the surrounding neighborhood, under Code of Ordinances § 12-7. Permits run quarterly at $100.00 or per event at $100.00, and the council weighs noise alongside police service calls and other regulatory history.
(c)The city council shall have the authority, following a public hearing after notice has been provided by any means to the permit holder, to revoke any license for live entertainment if said city council finds by a preponderance of the evidence the existence of one or more factors outlined below and that said factors have the effect of creating a public nuisance, necessitating revocation of said permit.(d)The following non-exclusive criteria are established for use by the council when considering the revocation of a validly issued permit for live entertainment:(1)A history of service calls from the city police department;(2)A history of regulatory violations with the city;(3)An adverse impact on the surrounding neighborhood as measured by an increase in traffic, noise, and/or litter;
Full Breakdown
00-per-event special event permit for date-specific entertainment. Subsection (c) lets the city council revoke a live-entertainment permit after a public hearing, on notice to the permit holder by any means, if the council finds by a preponderance of the evidence that one or more listed factors exist and that those factors created a public nuisance. Subsection (d) lists the non-exclusive criteria the council can weigh: a history of police service calls to the location, a history of regulatory violations with the city, an adverse impact on the surrounding neighborhood measured by an increase in traffic, noise, and/or litter, and any other factor that would hurt nearby residents' quality of life.
That means a venue whose live music or entertainment raises the neighborhood's noise level can lose its permit even without a separate decibel citation, because § 12-7(d)(3) treats the noise increase itself, alongside traffic and litter, as grounds the council can act on. The permit requirement traces back to the general business-permitting scheme in § 12-1, which puts the mayor's approval and the zoning official's sign-off ahead of any occupational license or business permit, and permit closures for any business are separately available under § 12-2 where the conduct amounts to a public nuisance.
Violations & Fines
A live-entertainment permit revocation follows a public hearing where the city council finds, by a preponderance of the evidence, that a noise increase or other listed factor created a public nuisance, under § 12-7(c)-(d). Operating without the required quarterly or special-event permit at all is a separate violation of § 12-7(b). Beyond permit loss, the Code's general penalty at § 1-8 caps a fine at $500.00, with each continuing day of a violation charged as its own offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Gretna revoke a bar's live entertainment permit over noise complaints?
What kind of permit does a Gretna nightclub need for live music?
What has to be proven before the council revokes a live entertainment permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Gretna
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