Central committee debates who can enforce city nuisance ordinances, seeks legal clarity

The City of Central Law Enforcement Committee discussed whether local nuisance ordinances — including a noise rule for loud music and property-related codes — can be enforced inside city limits and who would do the enforcing.

The matter arose after committee members asked for clarity on how Title 12 of Central’s code (nuisances) is applied and whether existing procedures under Title 15 (administrative hearings) or criminal statutes provide enforcement options. "So currently, for loud music and any of the nuisance ordinances we have, we will go out and make contact with the person. However, there's no summons. There's no nothing to my knowledge being done," Officer Dauthier of the Central Police Department said.

Why it matters: The committee said unclear enforcement creates gaps for residents who report late-night noise, tall grass or property violations and for council members trying to draft responsive ordinances. Without a confirmed enforcement mechanism, laws can exist on the books but be difficult to implement.

Committee discussion and key facts

- The committee reviewed the text of the municipal code and administrative-hearing provisions. A staff member read aloud language from the administrative hearings chapter stating that "all alleged violations of any city of central ordinance, including, but not limited to, ordinances regulating public health, environment, housing, building codes, fire codes, nuisances, zoning, licensing, permitting, and animals may be adjudicated pursuant to the provisions of this chapter." The staff member also noted that the chapter’s language is phrased "including but not limited to," which could require revision to make traffic or other items explicitly admissible.

- City Attorney Kyle (first reference as Kyle, City Attorney) and law-enforcement speakers said enforcement pathways vary: criminal statutes (for example, Louisiana Revised Statute 14:103, disturbing the peace) can be used now by police; civil ordinances may be handled through administrative hearings or a mayor’s/city court, but each path has legal and operational implications.

- Sergeant Waskom and other officers explained that surrounding municipalities such as Baker and Zachary have adopted parish ordinances or criminal-title provisions, and that enforcement practice differs across jurisdictions. One officer said parish sheriff civil divisions typically serve papers and handle civil processes, and a previous attorney-general opinion was cited in committee discussion as a complicating factor for enforcing parish ordinances inside city limits.

- A longtime resident who spoke during public comment recalled earlier city efforts to place ordinance violations before an administrative hearing court and said the city previously intended administrative hearings for civil ordinance adjudication.

What the committee did and did not decide

- No formal vote was recorded to change enforcement authority. Committee members agreed further legal research is needed before the council rewrites ordinances or changes enforcement practice.

- The committee identified two near-term options: (1) revise local ordinances to align explicitly with existing administrative-hearing procedures (for example, specifying that certain nuisance and permitting violations fall under Title 15 adjudication) or (2) pursue a mayor’s court/city court model for criminalizing and prosecuting certain offenses locally. Members cautioned that using non-law-enforcement personnel to stop vehicles or write traffic citations presents safety and liability risks.

Background and context

- Speakers referenced Title 12 (nuisances) and Title 15 (administrative hearings) of Central’s municipal code; Title 13 (criminal code) was cited as a model used by Baton Rouge, Baker and Zachary for criminalizing some offenses such as loud music or traffic violations so they can be prosecuted in local courts.

- Committee members repeatedly noted an attorney general opinion (requested separately) could clarify what the city legally may adopt and enforce and whether parish ordinances, as written, can be enforced inside Central’s municipal limits.

What’s next

Committee members asked staff to research statutory authority and implementation steps — including whether the chief of police has the statutory power to enforce civil ordinances under state law (discussed in the meeting as the Larson/Morrison-era municipal acts) — and to return with a recommendation on whether to revise code language or pursue a mayor’s court or other adjudicative mechanism.

Ending: The committee closed the item after members discussed follow-up research and implementation questions; no ordinance changes were adopted at the meeting.