St. Tammany Parish, LA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Code of Ordinances § 38-162(c)
- Applies in
- Unincorporated parish only
- Prohibited items
- Junk, wrecked vehicles, discarded machinery
- Covered spaces
- Sidewalk space, neutral ground, alley, roadway
- Enforcing agency
- Dept. of Environmental Services
Summary
St. Tammany Parish's solid waste code bars anyone in the unincorporated parish from storing or abandoning junk, wrecked vehicles or discarded machinery on neutral grounds, alleys, sidewalk space or roadways, keeping those public spaces clear for pedestrian and vehicle use.
A person and/or entity may not place major appliances, or white goods in mixed municipal solid waste, or dispose of major appliances, or white goods in or on the land. It is further prohibited to store or abandon junk, wrecked or used automobiles, or motor vehicles, or any other junk, discarded or abandoned machinery of metal, tin or other discarded items on a lot of any subdivision approved by the parish for residential use, or on any neutral ground, alley, sidewalk space or roadway within the unincorporated areas of the parish.
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
Sec. 38-162(c) of the Code of Ordinances, part of the solid waste special-issues article, prohibits placing major appliances or white goods in mixed municipal solid waste, and separately makes it unlawful to store or abandon junk, wrecked or used automobiles, motor vehicles, or any other junk, discarded or abandoned machinery of metal, tin or other discarded items on a residential subdivision lot, or on any neutral ground, alley, sidewalk space or roadway within the unincorporated areas of the parish. Because the parish code covers only the unincorporated area, the same debris sitting on a sidewalk inside Covington, Mandeville, Slidell or another incorporated municipality falls under that city's own code, not this section.
The rule sits alongside related right-of-way provisions in Chapter 36: Sec. 36-4 separately bars commercial advertising signs, snipe signs, posters and similar items from any parish highway, right-of-way, shoulder, street, roadway, emergency lane or median, and Sec. 36-9 sets out a graduated removal process for structures, obstacles and objects found in the right-of-way, distinguishing items of apparent value (owner notified by certified mail, five days to remove) from items with no apparent value, which the parish may summarily remove and dispose of. Enforcement of the sidewalk-space debris ban in Sec. 38-162(c) runs through the parish department of environmental services, the agency charged with administering Chapter 38 in the unincorporated parish.
Violations & Fines
Debris or junk left on a sidewalk, alley, neutral ground or roadway in the unincorporated parish is subject to removal action by the parish, and a violator can face the general Chapter 38 enforcement and penalty provisions applied to solid waste violations. Related right-of-way obstacles handled under Sec. 36-9 can be summarily removed and disposed of without compensation once the applicable notice period, five days for items of apparent value, lapses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I store a junk car on the sidewalk strip in front of my house?
Does this rule apply inside Covington, Mandeville or Slidell?
What happens to objects left in the parish right-of-way?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Tammany Parish
Compare St. Tammany Parish to another location·View the Louisiana sidewalk & pedestrian rules overview
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