Bossier Parish, LA Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Bossier Parish Code Sec. 78-1
- Outdoor buffer
- 30 feet from courthouse entrances
- Indoor scope
- Floors 1-5, corridors, restrooms, snack shop
- Fine
- $25.00 flat, Sec. 78-1(b)
- Designated area
- South side, front entrance
- Scope
- Courthouse complex only, not parish-wide
Summary
In unincorporated Bossier Parish, the Police Jury's only public-place smoking restriction targets the parish courthouse in Benton. Smoking is barred inside courthouse corridors, restrooms, stairwells and meeting rooms on floors one through five, and outdoors within 30 feet of both courthouse entrances, with one designated outdoor smoking area.
(a)It shall be unlawful for any person to smoke any form of tobacco:(1)In any corridor, restroom, stairwell or public meeting room on the first—fifth floors of the parish courthouse, and in the snack shop, Room No. 206, of the second floor of the parish courthouse. Department heads shall determine the smoking policy in offices under their control on each floor.(2)Outdoors within 30 feet of the east end employee entrance and the west end public entrance to the parish courthouse. A smoking area is designated on the south side of the courthouse building at the front entrance.(b)Any person found guilty of violating the provisions of this section shall be fined $25.00.
Full Breakdown
Bossier Parish Code Sec. 78-1 bans smoking any form of tobacco in courthouse corridors, restrooms, stairwells and public meeting rooms on the first through fifth floors of the parish courthouse, and in the second-floor snack shop, Room No. 206. Department heads set their own offices' smoking policy. Outdoors, the ban runs 30 feet from the east-end employee entrance and the west-end public entrance to the courthouse; the Code sets aside one designated smoking area on the south side of the building at the front entrance.
This is a facility-specific rule tied to courthouse operations, not a parish-wide outdoor smoking ordinance. The Police Jury's other outdoor-use rules, like the South Bossier Park regulations in Sec. 82-100, address alcohol, firearms, glass containers and noise but do not mention tobacco, so there is no ban on smoking on park grounds, trails or patios anywhere else in unincorporated Bossier Parish. A separate courthouse-security article, Sec. 78-2, covers weapons screening at the same complex but has no bearing on tobacco use. The smoking restriction traces to Code 1975 Sec.
16:81 and was amended twice, by Ord. No. 3700 in 2000 and Ord. No. 3813 in 2002, to reach its current 30-foot outdoor buffer and designated smoking-area language.
Violations & Fines
Violating the courthouse smoking ban is a flat $25.00 fine under Sec. 78-1(b), regardless of whether the violation happened indoors on a restricted floor or within the 30-foot outdoor buffer. The section sets its own fixed penalty rather than deferring to the general Code maximum in Sec. 1-13, so there is no jail exposure for a smoking violation here, only the fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Bossier Parish ban smoking in parks?
Where can I smoke at the Bossier Parish courthouse?
What is the fine for smoking in a banned area at the courthouse?
Does the ban cover the courthouse snack shop?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bossier Parish
Compare Bossier Parish to another location·View the Louisiana public conduct overview
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