Caddo Parish, LA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

Section 40-14 governs any person, homeowners' association, or residential developer that wants to build an access gate or other improvement intended to restrict or regulate vehicular access on a public residential street, treating the structure as an encroachment on the parish right-of-way. The requesting party must first file with the department of public works, and the request must be accompanied by a petition signed by 100 percent of the affected property owners plus three copies of a scaled plat showing the proposed encroachment, its design, and construction materials.

An application fee set by the parish commission is required, and public works must circulate the request to the sheriff, the metropolitan planning commission, the relevant fire district and affected utilities for comment. The parish commission cannot approve the encroachment without first introducing an ordinance naming the burdened street and attaching the request, petition and agency comments; approval also requires an indemnity and hold-harmless agreement and proof of at least $1,000,000 in commercial general liability coverage ($2,000,000 aggregate), $1,000,000 in business auto coverage, and $1,000,000 in employer's liability and workers' compensation coverage, renewed annually by January 2.

Approved gates must allow uncontrolled access between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. daily and be compatible with the electronic tag readers used by City of Shreveport and parish emergency vehicles. Existing gated communities had 180 days from the ordinance's effective date to come into compliance, and noncompliance with the annual insurance requirement is grounds for revoking the approval and removing the encroachment at the owner's expense.