Jefferson Parish, LA Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

Section 20-101 defines loitering broadly as remaining in one spot for no obvious reason, lingering, dawdling, or otherwise spending time idly, when done in a way that intentionally obstructs a public street, sidewalk, highway, or building; interferes with a business lawfully operating on or facing that public space; or blocks the entrance to a public place, building, or business against the express wishes of whoever owns, leases, or manages it. A No Loitering sign posted near an entrance, in English, with letters at least one and three-fourths inches tall, counts as proof of the owner's wishes without any further evidence needed.

Public place is defined to include the front or immediate area of a store, shop, restaurant, or tavern, along with public grounds, parks, and areas the general public can access for business, entertainment, or other lawful purposes. Critically, the ordinance does not make loitering itself a crime the instant it happens: Section 20-101(b) only makes it unlawful to continue the conduct after a law enforcement officer has ordered the person to move on or disperse. Anyone, alone or with others, who keeps loitering after that order, or who refuses to obey it, is in violation.

That structure gives officers discretion to warn first, and ties the actual offense to disobeying the order rather than to the underlying loitering behavior alone.