Caddo Parish, LA Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Parish buildings
- No smoking, always, parish-wide
- Posted areas
- No smoking where marked 'no smoking'
- Maximum fine
- $25.00 per violation
- Jail time
- None authorized under this section
Summary
Caddo Parish bans smoking or possessing a lit tobacco product inside any parish-owned or leased building, and, in the unincorporated area, inside any business, building or public facility clearly marked by its owner as a 'no smoking' area. Code of Ordinances § 32-51 caps the fine for violating either rule at $25.00.
It shall be unlawful for any person to smoke or possess any lighted tobacco product in any building or structure owned by or leased to the parish. (b) It shall be unlawful in the unincorporated portion of the parish to smoke or possess any lighted tobacco product in any portion of a business establishment, building or other public facility which is designated and clearly marked by the owner or operator as a "no smoking" area. (c) Any person who violates any provision of this section shall be subject to a fine not to exceed $25.00.
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
Section 32-51, dating to 1988 and last amended in 2004, has two separate smoking bans. Subsection (a) makes it unlawful for anyone to 'smoke or possess any lighted tobacco product in any building or structure owned by or leased to the parish,' a rule that applies parish-wide, inside and outside Shreveport, wherever the parish itself owns or leases the space. Subsection (b) is narrower and geographic: within the unincorporated portion of the parish only, it is unlawful to smoke or possess a lit tobacco product 'in any portion of a business establishment, building or other public facility which is designated and clearly marked by the owner or operator as a "no smoking" area.' That means the ban only reaches areas an owner has actually posted; unmarked private space, and outdoor spaces like patios or parks that are not so designated, are not covered by § 32-51 itself, though Louisiana's own Smokefree Air Act, R.S.
40:1300.251 et seq., independently restricts smoking in many enclosed public places statewide, including in Caddo Parish. Subsection (c) sets the penalty for either violation at a flat fine of not more than $25.00, far below the Code's general $500.00 misdemeanor penalty, and the section does not authorize jail time or make repeat violations a separate daily offense the way the parish's weed and nuisance ordinances do.
Violations & Fines
Smoking or possessing lit tobacco in a parish-owned or leased building, or in a posted 'no smoking' area of a business or public facility in the unincorporated parish, violates § 32-51 and carries a fine capped at $25.00 per offense, the lowest penalty ceiling set anywhere in Chapter 32. The section does not provide for jail time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I smoke on a parish park bench in Caddo Parish?
What is the fine for smoking in a banned area?
Does this rule apply inside Shreveport city limits?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Caddo Parish
Compare Caddo Parish to another location·View the Louisiana public conduct overview
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