New Orleans, LA Special Events & Permits: Parklets (2026)

Under Sec. 146-588, using a public parking space or parking lane to extend a licensed business is unlawful without a parklet permit, and Sec. 146-589 limits permits to validly licensed businesses adding customer seating adjacent to their storefront. Sec. 146-592's siting rules are exacting: parklets must sit at least 15 feet from hydrants, 20 feet from stop signs, crosswalks and corners, three feet from driveways, and one foot from utility access points, and are barred from bus zones, cab stands, fire lanes, handicapped spaces and any street posted above 30 mph.

No parklet may be permitted anywhere within the Vieux Carré (bounded by Canal Street, North Rampart Street, Esplanade Avenue and the Mississippi River) or on Magazine Street between Washington and Louisiana Avenues. Design rules under the same section require ADA-compliant transitions, a minimum 60-pound-per-square-foot deck live load, an 18-inch buffer (32 to 42 inches high) from the travel lane, offset wheel stops, and a retroreflective edge marker; the design advisory committee's standard template avoids further design review, but a custom design needs the committee's public-meeting approval.

Permits run one year (Sec. 146-594) and must be posted alongside the business's occupational or alcoholic beverage license (Sec. 146-595). nightly (Sec. 146-597). Permits are automatically suspended for a week before and through the Carnival parade season on parade routes, and during street closures or council-declared Clean Zones (Sec. 146-598).