Animal Ordinances in Louisiana (2026)

Louisiana is open range by default, but La. R.S. 3:2803 bars owners from letting cattle, horses, swine, poultry and…

Lake Charles allows chickens, ducks, geese, and rabbits only if penned at least 50 feet from any residence or…

In unincorporated Bossier Parish, the Police Jury bans swine within 500 feet of any other residence under Code Section…

Unincorporated Caddo Parish allows up to eight hens, but no roosters, only in the R-A, R-E, R-1-12, R-1-10, and R-1-7…

Jefferson Parish's animal code sets no fixed limit on backyard chickens or other fowl kept on private property, but…

Lafayette allows backyard chickens, turkeys, geese, guineas, ducks and pigeons under § 10-191, but they cannot run at…

Chickens, ducks and other fowl are legal across the City of Lafayette and unincorporated parish under Sec. 10-191, but…

New Orleans allows backyard hens: the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance permits up to six chickens as an accessory use…

Ouachita Parish regulates horses, cattle, sheep, goats, swine, donkeys and mules, not chickens or other fowl, which…

Outside Alexandria, Pineville and the parish's other towns, it is unlawful for a chicken or any other kind of poultry…

Shreveport allows up to eight hens per lot in the R-A, R-E, R-1-12, R-1-10, and R-1-7 zoning districts. Roosters are…

In unincorporated Tangipahoa Parish, anyone raising chickens or hogs must keep new coops and pens at least 500 feet…

Terrebonne Parish bans letting a horse, mule, hog, pig, sheep, goat, ox, cow or other livestock run loose anywhere in…

Unincorporated St. Tammany Parish allows chickens, other poultry and livestock as a "Household Agriculture" accessory…

Dogs and cats in East Baton Rouge Parish must be confined to the owner's property, on a secure chain or tether, or on a…

Sec. 5-58 of the parish code makes it unlawful for any person to permit a dog to run at large in unincorporated…

Bossier Parish lets the Sheriff, a constable, or any citizen seize a dog running loose on a public road, street, or…

Caddo Parish forbids letting a dog run at large on unenclosed land or trespass on another's property, and requires most…

In Jefferson Parish, no dog may be on any street, alleyway, highway, common, or public square unless under the…

Lafayette bans dogs from running at large anywhere in the city under § 10-121, whether tagged or untagged, on public or…

Dogs must be under direct control on a leash of no more than 15 feet whenever off the owner's escape-proof property, in…

Lake Charles requires every dog to be securely confined by fence, enclosure, building, leash, or approved tether, and…

City Code § 18-14 requires every cat and dog to stay inside a secure four-foot fence or on a proper tether unless the…

All unincorporated Ouachita Parish is a designated dog control zone under Section 3-43(a). Away from its owner's…

Shreveport Code § 14-36 bans letting a dog run at large on unenclosed land or trespass onto anyone else's property…

St. Tammany Parish bans letting any animal run loose, free or at large on a street, sidewalk or unenclosed land, or…

Every dog in unincorporated Tangipahoa Parish must be properly restrained or supervised on and off its owner's property…

In Terrebonne Parish, every dog, cat and other domestic animal must stay under restraint at all times, on a leash, in a…

Tangipahoa Parish has no breed ban: its ordinance classifies dogs as dangerous or vicious by behavior. Two unprovoked…

Ascension Parish does not regulate by breed; instead Sec. 5-83 imposes mandatory confinement, muzzling, tagging and…

Caddo Parish classifies dogs as dangerous or vicious based on individual conduct, not breed, and section 8-2 expressly…

Lafayette has no breed-specific ban; instead § 10-262 defines 'dangerous' and 'potentially dangerous' animals by their…

Lake Charles has no breed-specific ban; instead Sec. 4-38 imposes strict confinement, muzzling, and microchipping on…

Ouachita Parish has no breed ban; instead Section 3-47 lets the animal control authority declare an individual dog…

St. Tammany Parish doesn't restrict pets by breed; instead it declares an individual animal "dangerous," "potentially…

Terrebonne Parish does not ban dogs by breed; instead it declares a dog dangerous or vicious case by case based on…

Bossier Parish does not restrict dogs by breed; instead, Code Section 14-50 defines an 'aggressive dog' by conduct…

Jefferson Parish's animal code is breed-neutral: it does not ban pit bulls or any specific breed. Instead, any dog can…

New Orleans has no breed ban. City Code § 18-294 expressly says the municipal court judge classifying a dog as…

East Baton Rouge Parish has no breed ban. Sec. 14:208 classifies a dog as potentially dangerous, dangerous or vicious…

Shreveport's code has no breed-specific ban. Section 14-2 defines a 'vicious dog' by what it has done: an attack, a…

Every beekeeper in Louisiana must register every colony and apiary with the Department of Agriculture and Forestry on…

Caddo Parish allows accessory apiaries only in the rear yard, at least 10 feet from any lot line and the house, and…

City-Parish Code Chapter 10 lets residents keep honeybees but sets real limits: hives must sit at least 25 feet from a…

Lake Charles caps backyard hives by lot size under City Code Sec. 4-108: two colonies on a quarter acre or less, rising…

Shreveport's UDC lets residents keep bees as an accessory use, but only in the rear yard, 10 feet off the lot line and…

Caddo Parish bans keeping tigers, wolves, primates, poisonous snakes, alligators, raccoons, foxes and dozens of other…

Lake Charles bans owning, keeping, possessing or harboring any wild and exotic animal within city limits under Sec…

New Orleans Code § 18-7 flatly bans keeping any wild or exotic animal as a pet inside city limits, and § 18-8 bars…

Shreveport Code § 14-6 lists tigers, wolves, primates, venomous snakes, alligators and dozens of other wild or exotic…

Owning, possessing, selling or keeping any wild or exotic animal as a pet is prohibited across unincorporated…

Terrebonne Parish bars anyone from owning, possessing, selling or keeping an exotic or wild animal unless a parish…

Keeping a wild or exotic land animal, reptile, or bird in unincorporated Bossier Parish requires permission from the…

Lafayette City Code § 10-122(d) makes it a crime to knowingly bring a wild or exotic animal that could threaten public…

Bringing a wild or exotic animal that threatens public safety into the City of Lafayette or unincorporated parish is a…

Owning, keeping or exhibiting a wild or exotic animal anywhere in unincorporated St. Tammany Parish requires a permit…

Jefferson Parish flatly bans keeping the most dangerous wild or exotic species (Class 1, such as big cats, bears…

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries holds exclusive authority over wildlife management. State regulations…

Feeding an alligator within 500 feet of a residence is a misdemeanor in unincorporated St. Tammany Parish under Code of…

New Orleans makes it unlawful to feed pigeons or any bird within the four-block area around Jackson Square bounded by…

Jefferson Parish prohibits intentionally feeding waterfowl (ducks, geese, and other amphibious birds) by making food…

Shreveport has no ordinance that bans feeding wild animals. Keeping wildlife as a pet is prohibited under section 14-6…

Louisiana has no standalone animal-hoarding statute. Hoarders are charged under simple cruelty to animals, La. R.S…

Caddo Parish caps outdoor dogs at four per dwelling, with a litter of pups under five months old excluded from the…

East Baton Rouge Parish does not set a fixed cap on the number of dogs or cats per household in its general pet rules…

Jefferson Parish's animal code sets no fixed limit on the number of dogs or cats a household may own. Instead, all…

Lafayette City-Parish code makes it a nuisance to let animals foul a property with odor, flies or vermin that reaches…

Lake Charles caps outdoor pet-keeping at three dogs or cats over six months old per property under Sec. 4-45's private…

Shreveport Code § 14-16(4)(h) caps outdoor dogs at four per dwelling, with an exception for a litter of pups under five…

Terrebonne Parish caps commercial dog breeders and sellers at 20 unspayed/unneutered dogs over six months old at any…

Cats may roam free throughout the City of Lafayette and unincorporated parish, Sec. 10-121 exempts them from the…

Every cat owner in unincorporated Ascension Parish must register the animal with the parish and affix a registration…

East Baton Rouge Parish exempts managed community cat colonies from licensing and at-large rules under Sec. 14:113, but…

Jefferson Parish licenses cats like dogs and regulates outdoor feeding of feral or community cats. On residentially…

New Orleans exempts sterilized, ear-tipped "community cats" from licensing and confinement, but every privately owned…

Unincorporated Rapides Parish treats free-roaming cats differently depending on ownership. A sterilized, ear-tipped…

St. Tammany Parish exempts community cats from licensing and at-large enforcement under Code of Ordinances Sec. 10-670…

Cat owners in unincorporated Tangipahoa Parish may license a cat over six months old with animal control by submitting…

Terrebonne Parish exempts community cats from licensing, stray and at-large rules and applies no stray-hold period so…

Bossier Parish requires every cat running at large to carry a current rabies vaccination. In 41 named subdivisions, the…

Lafayette's Parish Council runs a community cat diversion program under § 10-120 that prioritizes trap-neuter-return…

Shreveport Code § 14-10 makes trap-neuter-return the city's preferred way to manage free-roaming cats. Once a community…

Caddo Parish requires every dog and cat to be spayed or neutered unless the owner qualifies for a listed exemption…

City Code § 18-306 requires every dog over six months old to be spayed or neutered unless the owner holds an intact-dog…

Shreveport does not require every pet spayed or neutered, but a second at-large impoundment does: Code of Ordinances…

St. Tammany Parish Code Sec. 10-671 bars owning, keeping or harboring an intact cat or dog anywhere in the parish…

Tangipahoa Parish requires sterilization in two specific circumstances: every dog or cat adopted from the animal…

East Baton Rouge Parish requires every animal adopted from the parish shelter to be spayed or neutered before it…

Jefferson Parish requires any animal impounded for the first time to be spayed or neutered at the owner's expense…

Lafayette does not require spaying or neutering pets generally, but § 10-267(5) mandates that any animal declared…

Owners of dogs and other animals officially classified as potentially dangerous or dangerous under Lafayette's animal…

Lake Charles's Pet Overpopulation Control article, Sec. 4-81, requires every dog or cat sold or released for adoption…

Ouachita Parish does not require every dog or cat owner to sterilize their pet. It does require it of anyone adopting…

Terrebonne Parish does not require every pet to be altered, but an impounded dog or cat that is not already spayed or…

East Baton Rouge Parish does not require microchips for every pet, but Sec. 14:208 mandates one, at the owner's…

Shreveport Code § 14-49(5) requires every horse kept inside city limits to carry a permanent ID marker: a microchip…

St. Tammany Parish doesn't require microchips for every household pet, but it does mandate them for specific…

Animal control requires a microchip in two circumstances: any dog or cat taken into an area open to the public must be…

Terrebonne Parish requires every owned dog and cat over three months old to carry an implanted microchip. Parish Code §…

Ascension Parish does not require microchipping of pets generally. Sec. 5-83(2) mandates a microchip, at the owner's…

New Orleans does not ban pet stores from selling dogs or cats, but § 18-15 requires all rabbits sold or adopted in…

Grooming shops and other commercial animal handling businesses in unincorporated Bossier Parish need an annual Police…

Grooming shops in East Baton Rouge Parish operate as a licensed "animal establishment" under City-Parish Code Title 14…

Anyone operating a grooming shop in Jefferson Parish needs an annual $100 permit from the Jefferson Protection and…

Shreveport's UDC classifies pet grooming facilities as part of the broader 'Animal Care Facility' zoning use, alongside…

Any grooming shop operating in unincorporated St. Tammany Parish needs an animal establishment permit from the parish…

Lafayette's zoning code classifies pet grooming shops as a "personal services" use, permitted by right in Mixed-Use and…

Ascension Parish's Unified Land Development Code permits animal hospitals and veterinarian offices, provided the…

In unincorporated Bossier Parish, a veterinary practice without outside kennels is a permitted use by right in B-3…

Jefferson Parish requires every veterinary clinic and animal hospital to keep animals indoors: Sec. 33-5.3.5.2 bans…

Lafayette's Development Code lists 'animal hospital (indoor)' as a defined land use requiring a licensed veterinarian's…

Terrebonne Parish classifies small-animal veterinary clinics as 'animal sales and services (limited),' a use permitted…

Jefferson Parish bans trapping, hunting, shooting or otherwise molesting any bird or wild fowl, or robbing their nests…

Lafayette's entire corporate limits are declared a bird sanctuary under City Code § 10-75, making it unlawful to hunt…

The City of Lafayette's corporate limits are designated a bird sanctuary: hunting, trapping, shooting or nest-robbing…

Baton Rouge City-Parish ordinance designates the corporate limits of the City of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as a bird…

Shreveport bans molesting, trapping, shooting or killing any native song or insectivorous bird, or destroying its nest…

City Code § 18-341 bans molesting, killing, trapping, hunting, or robbing the nests of any bird in a public square…

St. Tammany Parish has designated four residential subdivisions as bird and wildlife sanctuaries: Lake Village…

Terrebonne Parish has designated the entire former City of Houma corporate limits, plus four named subdivisions, as…

East Baton Rouge Parish exempts permitted wildlife rehabilitators from the parish's wild/exotic animal permit, but only…