St. Tammany Parish, LA Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Offense name
- Drug-traffic loitering, § 28-362
- Requires
- Remaining in public + intent to solicit drug activity
- Mere presence
- Not a violation, § 28-363(b)
- Enforcing agencies
- Sheriff, state police, municipal police
- Default penalty
- $300 fine plus court costs, § 1-9
Summary
St. Tammany Parish's loitering ordinance is narrow: it does not criminalize loitering in general but specifically bars remaining in a public place while soliciting or enticing someone into illegal drug activity, evaluated through listed behavioral factors like flagging down passing cars.
A person is guilty of drug-traffic loitering if he remains in a public place and intentionally solicits, induces, entices or procures another to engage in unlawful conduct contrary to R.S. 40:966 through 40:971.1.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 12 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
S. 1, the state's controlled dangerous substances law. Merely being present in public is not enough; § 28-363(b) expressly states a person is not guilty if he 'merely remains in a public place without also intentionally soliciting, inducing, enticing or procuring another' into drug activity. To help establish intent, § 28-363(a) lists circumstances an officer may consider: possessing drug paraphernalia in plain view, being a known drug trafficker (someone convicted of illegal drug activity within the last two years), repeatedly beckoning to or engaging passers-by, repeatedly hailing or waving down vehicle operators, circling an area by car while beckoning pedestrians, being subject to a court order to stay out of the area as a condition of release, probation or parole, or having been evicted for illegal drug activity and ordered to stay out of the affected area.
'Public place' is defined broadly in § 28-361 to include streets, sidewalks, parks, parking lots, transit stations, vehicles and building entrances. Enforcement under § 28-364 is assigned to the parish sheriff, the state police, and deputized municipal police officers within the parish.
Violations & Fines
Article XI does not print its own fine schedule, so a drug-traffic loitering conviction is treated as a misdemeanor under the parish's general penalty, § 1-9: a fine of $300.00 plus 22nd Judicial District Court costs, with repeated conduct on separate days chargeable as separate offenses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to just stand around in public in St. Tammany Parish?
What behavior can count as evidence of drug-traffic loitering?
Who enforces the loitering ordinance in the parish?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Tammany Parish
Compare St. Tammany Parish to another location·View the Louisiana public conduct overview
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