Code Enforcement FAQs

Although residents would like the City to take immediate action against violators, there are laws that dictate the pace of enforcement. Once the property is inspected, the owner is given a Notice of Violation with a hearing date. This notice is sent by certified mail and is posted on the property. The owner must be given thirty days from the postmarked date of the notice to make repairs. At the hearing they will be found innocent or guilty of having a public nuisance or blight. If they are found guilty they can be charged between $100 and $500 a day.

If the owner begins repairing their house, the department sets progress benchmarks and will give them an extension as long as they meet the benchmarks. The department understands that Hurricane Katrina placed serious financial burdens on many residents, but it still requires residents to make these repairs in a timely manor. If the owner is not making repairs, the City can pass the property on to the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA) for expropriation. NORA needs to work through the Civil District Court to do this and it generally takes 4 to 6 month. Once a property is expropriated, City contractors will make repairs to it. The City can also try to sell the property through a Sheriff’s sale.

There are over 40,000 unoccupied properties in the City with code violations. The Code Enforcement Department will eventually address all of these properties, but in the mean time it can only target a finite number of properties each month.

The department addresses complaints based on their urgency. Properties that are in danger of collapsing or are posing serious health risks to the community are targeted first. Residents can register a complaint by calling the 311 department. Residents can also go to them main page of the code enforcement website to view a master list of properties that are already in the City’s system.

The majority of the department’s inspections are done through “sweeps.” During a sweep the department inspects every property within the sweep area, which is generally 6 by 6 blocks. The first areas that are being swept are the Target Areas and Housing Opportunity Zones (for a map of these areas, go to the main page of the Code Enforcement Website). The department is also inspecting properties based on complaints, requests from the City Council, and properties that are a danger to the community.

Yes. The department is committed to eventually inspecting every property in New Orleans.

If a property is found guilty at a code enforcement hearing, it can be charged a $75 hearing fee, a $500 blight fee and $100 to $500 a day. The City can also move to demolish or seize the property.

Yes. The City is required to pay fair market value for the property. However, this price will be significantly lower than the owner could get if the owner repaired the property and sold it themselves.

Generally, the Code Enforcement Department enforces housing standards. The department inspects all aspects of the property, including grass, debris, walls, roofs, driveways, sheds, porches and drainage. For a complete explanation of the City’s housing standards, go to “The City’s Housing Standards” section of the main page of the code enforcement tab.

Lots without structures on them are usually inspected and prosecuted by the Health Department. The Health Department also works with the Mosquito and Pest Control to address unsecured and unhealthy pools. Zoning violations are handled by the Safety and Permits Department. The numbers for all of these departments are in the “Useful City numbers” section of the code enforcement main page.