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Council considers private-parking ordinance to let property owners post tow signs; members debate residential vs. commercial scope
Summary
Councilmember Daniels introduced a draft ordinance to allow property owners and businesses to post no‑parking/tow signage that would permit removal of violating vehicles at the vehicle owner's expense; council discussed limiting the rule to commercial properties and requiring sign-format standards under Planning and Zoning.
A proposal to create a parish ordinance allowing property owners and businesses to post private parking signs and remove improperly parked vehicles was introduced for discussion at the Sept. 8 meeting.
Councilmember Daniels said Louisiana state law permits removal of vehicles from private property, but local sign requirements and notice language affect whether towing can be charged to the vehicle owner. Daniels said she wants the parish to adopt simple sign rules so property owners can use signage that satisfies state requirements, including posted information about where a towed vehicle will be stored.
Council members generally expressed support for a limited commercial permitting framework but concern about expanding private tow authority to residential situations. Councilmember Jewell said he favors the measure for commercial properties, noting examples such as restaurant lots where people park and sell cars; he opposed a broad residential application. "All of the ordinances that I've seen in other parishes are specifically for the commercial side," Jewell said.
Another councilmember described a staff code-enforcement solution already used in one commercial lot where planning-and-zoning placed signs and chained areas to deter parking. Council discussion emphasized the need for clear sign language and regulation through the Department of Planning and Zoning so signage is standardized and not proliferated on residential lots.
The item (file number 20250250) opened for a public hearing; no members of the public spoke. The council did not adopt the ordinance at the meeting and asked to work with Planning and Zoning to craft a simple regulatory approach that protects commercial property owners while avoiding overreach into residential neighborhoods.
