Caddo Parish, LA Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)

UDC § 8.4 requires off-street loading spaces for any use that receives or distributes materials or merchandise by truck or other commercial vehicle, sized according to Table 8-2: Off-Street Loading Requirements (§ 8.4.A). In a multi-tenant development, the requirement is calculated tenant by tenant, so a single large commercial tenant over 20,000 square feet can trigger a loading space even if the rest of the center stays under that threshold. No matter how large the use, no structure is required to provide more than five loading spaces (§ 8.4.D).

Structures at least 50 years old as of the Code's effective date that never had a loading area are exempt from the requirement (§ 8.4.B). Placement and design come from § 8.7: every loading space has to sit on the same lot as the use it serves, it cannot project into the public right-of-way, and it is barred from the front yard entirely (§ 8.7.A). Each space has to measure at least 12 feet wide and 35 feet long, with 15 feet of vertical clearance (§ 8.7.B), and it must be paved with a durable, all-weather or pervious surface that can carry the expected loads (§ 8.7.C).

Where a loading area is visible from a public right-of-way or backs up to a residential district, it has to be screened by a solid fence or masonry wall between six and eight feet tall, or an approved dense evergreen hedge (§ 8.7.G). The parish's separate noise ordinance also makes it unlawful to create loud or unreasonably disturbing noise while loading or unloading a vehicle at a place of business (Code of Ordinances § 32-52(f)(9)).