DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part of the
legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute part of the law
or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 631 Original 2020 Regular Session Duplessis
Abstract: Provides relative to the authority of municipalities and parishes with respect to civil fines
and adjudication procedures for blighted or abandoned property and violations of local
ordinances.
Present law authorizes any municipality or parish to prescribe civil fines for blighted property,
abandoned property, or violation of public health, housing, fire code, environmental, and historic
district ordinances. Further authorizes any municipality or parish to establish an administrative
adjudication hearing procedure for violations of such ordinances.
Proposed law retains present law and adds that the provisions of present law are intended to be a
grant of supplemental authority to achieve the objectives, and to do so in the manner, provided in
present law. Further provides that nothing in present law shall be construed as a limitation on any
other power or authority a parish or municipality may have:
(a)To adopt and enforce ordinances for the health, safety, and welfare of its people.
(b)To establish and use administrative adjudication procedures for violations of public health,
housing, fire code, environmental, building code, zoning, historic district, permitting,
vegetation, and nuisance ordinance.
(c)To enforce health, safety, and welfare laws and ordinances and seek to eliminate blighted
property, unsafe structures and equipment, unlawful structures and structures unfit for human
occupancy, housing violations, or public nuisances in any court of competent jurisdiction.
(Adds R.S. 13:2575(A)(3))