Shreveport, LA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Chapter 78's sidewalks article treats the public sidewalk as pedestrian space first: section 78-139 already requires special city council permission before anyone builds or places any structure or improvement on a sidewalk or public ground, with a narrow carve-out for sidewalk cafes and bistros that hold a separate permit in the D-1 Downtown district. Sections 78-140 and 78-141 fill in specific, unpermitted obstructions the general rule doesn't spell out: no painting, chalking or imprinting any letter, word, sign or picture on a sidewalk surface, and no leaving a keg, barrel, case, box or other movable property sitting on a sidewalk or alley, whether that's overflow storage from a business or debris from an event.

Section 78-142 adds a third obstruction rule aimed at people, not objects: it is unlawful to accost or stop passersby on a sidewalk, or from a doorway, stairway, window or opening abutting or adjacent to one, to solicit trade or patronage for a hotel, roominghouse, restaurant, store, theater, shoeshine parlor or any other business, cross-referenced to the peddlers and solicitors provisions starting at section 42-276. None of these three sections carries a stated exception for temporary events; a business wanting to display goods, store barrels or otherwise occupy sidewalk space needs the separate permit process in section 78-139 rather than relying on any listed exemption in the obstruction sections themselves.