This section sets maximum penalties for parish ordinance violations, including fines, jail time, community service, and special higher penalties in some parishes and situations.
§1243. Maximum penalties A.(1) Except as otherwise provided in this Section, the maximum penalty which may be imposed for violation of any parish ordinance shall be a fine of five hundred dollars and imprisonment of thirty days in the parish jail. A maximum of one hundred hours of community service may be imposed for a violation of any parish ordinance in addition to, or in lieu of, any penalty provided for in this Section. (2) Notwithstanding the provisions of Paragraph (1) of this Subsection or any other law to the contrary, in the parish of East Baton Rouge, the maximum penalty which may be imposed for violation of any parish ordinance as codified in Title 11 or 13 of the Code of Ordinances for the parish of East Baton Rouge and the city of Baton Rouge shall be a fine of one thousand dollars and imprisonment of six months in the parish jail. Maximum penalties for violations of ordinances other than those provided for in this Paragraph shall be as established in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection. (3) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, in the parish of St. Bernard, the maximum penalty which may be imposed for a violation of any provision of Chapters 5, 12, 19, and 22, and Chapter 11, exclusive of Section 11-20(e), Section 11-20(f), and Article VI, as codified in the code of ordinances for the parish of St. Bernard shall be a fine of one thousand five hundred dollars or imprisonment of three months in the parish jail, or both. B.(1) In the parish of Jefferson, except as to properties zoned or used for industrial activities, the maximum penalty which may be imposed for violation of any parish ordinance shall be a fine of one thousand dollars and imprisonment of six months in the parish jail. Notwithstanding any provision of this Section to the contrary, in the parish of Jefferson, properties zoned or used for industrial activities may be subject to penalties for violation of parish ordinances not to exceed twenty-five thousand dollars upon the first violation and not to exceed fifty thousand dollars for a second or subsequent violation. (2) Notwithstanding the provisions of Paragraph (1), the governing authority of any such parish may provide for a fine not to exceed five thousand dollars and a sentence of imprisonment not to exceed six months in the parish jail for violation of any ordinance prohibiting the dumping of trash, debris, refuse, garbage, other solid and liquid waste, greases and oils, such as but not limited to cooking oil and fats, motor oil, antifreeze, truck and automotive fluids, paint, paint thinners, and gasoline into drainage culverts, lines, or canals, upon any public place within the parish, upon private property within the parish not owned by the person accused of the violation, upon property owned or controlled by the parish, or in or on the waters within the parish, whether from a vehicle or otherwise, including but not limited to any public highway, public park, beach, campground, forest land, recreational area, trailer park, highway, road, street, or alley. Notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary, this Paragraph shall not apply to any activity permitted or authorized by a state or federal program and also shall not apply to any activity during the servicing of scheduled pickup routes pursuant to commercial, municipal or local government contracts, or en route to an authorized pickup station, transfer station or disposal facility by persons owning or operating duly licensed commercial vehicles engaged in the collection and transportation of solid waste, construction or demolition debris or wood waste as such terms are defined by the rules and regulations of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. C. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, a civil penalty of up to one thousand dollars a day may be imposed for each violation of any parish ordinance regulating the use of publicly owned waste treatment works or discharges to publicly owned waste treatment works if the violator is a non-domestic user of the treatment works. Amended by Acts 1981, No. 522, §1, eff. July 19, 1981. Acts 1984, No. 297, §1; Acts 1985, No. 310, §1, eff. July 9, 1985; Acts 1991, No. 265, §1; Acts 1992, No. 34, §1; Acts 1995, No. 239, §1; Acts 1997, No. 675, §1; Acts 2003, No. 780, §1, eff. June, 27, 2003; Acts 2011, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 20, §1, eff. June 12, 2011; Acts 2017, No. 117, §1; Acts 2024, No. 547, §1; Acts 2025, No. 482, §1.