Caddo Parish, LA Public Conduct: Aggressive Panhandling (2026)
Key Facts
- Buffer near bus stops/taxi stands
- 15 feet
- Buffer near building entrances
- 15 feet
- Banned from
- Drivers in moving traffic
- Accosting defined as
- Conduct causing fear of imminent harm
- Permit exemption
- Chapter 6 charitable solicitation permit
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 4404, Oct. 6, 2005
Summary
Caddo Parish bans solicitation that accosts a person or forces company on them, plus begging from drivers in traffic, within 15 feet of a bus stop, taxi stand, or building entrance, or from people waiting in line. Section 32-58 defines accosting as conduct that would make a reasonable person fear imminent harm.
It shall be unlawful for any person to solicit money or other things of value:(1)On private property if the owner, tenant or lawful occupant has asked the person not to solicit on the property, or has posted a sign clearly indicating that solicitations are not welcome on the property;(2)In any public transportation vehicle, or within 15 feet of any bus stop or taxistand;(3)From any operator of a motor vehicle that is in traffic on a public street; provided, however, that this subsection shall not apply to services rendered in connection with emergency repairs requested by the owner or passengers of such vehicle;(4)From any persons who are waiting in line for entry to any building, public or private...or(5)Within 15 feet of the entrance to or exit from a building, public or private...(c)It shall be unlawful for any person to solicit money or other things of value:(1)By accosting another; or(2)By forcing oneself upon the company of another.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 26 | Unified Development Code: Supplement 2).
Full Breakdown
Caddo Parish Code of Ordinances § 32-58 regulates panhandling, begging, and soliciting charitable donations of money or food to the poor across the unincorporated parish. It bars solicitation on private property once the owner, tenant, or lawful occupant has asked the solicitor to stop or has posted a no-solicitation sign, and it bars solicitation inside any public transportation vehicle or within 15 feet of a bus stop or taxi stand. The section also prohibits asking any driver for money while their vehicle is in traffic, except for genuine emergency roadside repairs the driver or a passenger actually requested.
Two more location bans cover people waiting in line to enter any building, public or private, and anyone within 15 feet of a building's entrance or exit. Separate from those location rules, subsection (c) targets the aggressive conduct itself: it is unlawful to solicit by 'accosting another,' defined as approaching or speaking to someone in a manner that would cause a reasonable person to fear imminent bodily harm or a crime against their person or property, and it is unlawful to solicit by 'forcing oneself upon the company of another,' defined as continuing to beg after a negative response, blocking a person's path, or otherwise acting to compel someone to give money.
The ordinance exempts organizations that hold a parish charitable-solicitation permit issued under chapter 6. The parish adopted the current version through Ordinance No. 4404 in October 2005, codified at former § 15-21, and the state law reference ties the section to Louisiana's vagrancy statute, R.S. 14:107, and the parish's general authority to punish vagrancy under R.S. 33:4874.
Violations & Fines
Section 32-58 sets no stand-alone fine, so a conviction falls under the parish's general penalty, § 1-8, a misdemeanor punishable by up to $500.00, up to 30 days in the parish jail, or both. Because the ordinance separately bans accosting, blocking a person's path, and soliciting after a posted no-solicitation sign, a single incident that combines conduct types can support more than one citation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone panhandle from cars stopped at a Caddo Parish intersection?
What makes panhandling 'aggressive' under Caddo Parish's ordinance?
Can a charity collect donations on a Caddo Parish street corner?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Caddo Parish
Compare Caddo Parish to another location·View the Louisiana public conduct overview
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