Council imposes temporary moratorium on new billboards, seeks zoning changes
June 11, 2026 | Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana
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The Plaquemines Parish Council voted June 11 to place a temporary moratorium on new permit applications for billboards and large outdoor advertising structures received after May 28, 2026, while staff and the zoning board study permanent changes to the parish's sign regulations.
Council member Schultz said he had mistakenly believed recent changes only affected Highway 23 but had since learned billboard permits were allowed more broadly under the current zoning code. The temporary ordinance as amended says permit applications received after May 28 shall not be accepted while the zoning ordinance language is reviewed; it preserves the continued processing of applications submitted before that date and explicitly exempts customary on-premise business signs and displays below 100 square feet.
Several council members pushed for stronger protections in specific districts. Miss McCarti asked for a permanent prohibition within District 5 (from the Intracoastal Canal to the Mississippi River along Woodland Highway) and for monument-sign restrictions; legal staff warned that a permanent ban would require formal zoning-text amendments and public hearings before the zoning board to avoid legal challenges.
Council members and staff agreed to organize stakeholder meetings with district representatives, the parish attorney, and planning staff to draft the necessary zoning amendments and return them to the zoning board and council for formal consideration.
What happens next: staff will meet with interested commissioners and the zoning board to draft permanent ordinance language; the temporary moratorium remains in effect while the zoning process proceeds.
Council member Schultz said he had mistakenly believed recent changes only affected Highway 23 but had since learned billboard permits were allowed more broadly under the current zoning code. The temporary ordinance as amended says permit applications received after May 28 shall not be accepted while the zoning ordinance language is reviewed; it preserves the continued processing of applications submitted before that date and explicitly exempts customary on-premise business signs and displays below 100 square feet.
Several council members pushed for stronger protections in specific districts. Miss McCarti asked for a permanent prohibition within District 5 (from the Intracoastal Canal to the Mississippi River along Woodland Highway) and for monument-sign restrictions; legal staff warned that a permanent ban would require formal zoning-text amendments and public hearings before the zoning board to avoid legal challenges.
Council members and staff agreed to organize stakeholder meetings with district representatives, the parish attorney, and planning staff to draft the necessary zoning amendments and return them to the zoning board and council for formal consideration.
What happens next: staff will meet with interested commissioners and the zoning board to draft permanent ordinance language; the temporary moratorium remains in effect while the zoning process proceeds.
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