New Orleans, LA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Section 146-494(a) makes it unlawful to obstruct or cause to be obstructed any public space parallel to a sidewalk, including linear streets, public rights-of-way, public alleys, or building entrances and windows, in a way that prevents free and proper use. Subsection (b) gives the Department of Police specific authority: when an outdoor act or activity draws a crowd that makes pedestrian passage "inordinately difficult" or impedes access to the right-of-way, police may order the person(s) responsible to stop, and failure to obey immediately subjects them to arrest.

The subsection separately bars unauthorized installation of sports or athletic equipment, basketball goals, training apparatus, or homemade athletic devices, in the right-of-way. The section carves out exceptions for people watching a parade and for permitted sidewalk uses authorized under Division 4 (sidewalk cafés, A-frame signs, displays). It also contains a Jackson Square-specific regime: performers and vendors operating under city permit around Chartres, St. Ann and St. Peter Street malls must maintain defined "clear lanes", for example 20 feet out from the Cabildo, St. Louis Cathedral and Presbytere facades on Chartres Street, to preserve pedestrian access, enforced with police cooperation. A separate clause lets Central Business District commercial tenants display one portable accessory sign under the Division 4 sidewalk-use permit process.