SPEED REGULATIONS

New Orleans City Code ch. 154, art. VI

in effect

New Orleans City Code § 154-531 General limit.

Sec. 154-531. - General limit. It shall be unlawful for the driver of any vehicle to exceed a speed limit of 25 miles per hour upon the streets of the city, except as provided in this article on through streets or upon boulevards or upon those streets or parts designated in section 154-533. (Code 1956, § 38-73(a))

New Orleans City Code § 154-532 Thirty, 35 mph speed zones.

Sec. 154-532. - Thirty, 35 mph speed zones. It shall be unlawful for the driver of any vehicle to exceed a speed limit of 30 miles per hour upon any through street designated in schedule II, section 154-1193, or for the driver of any vehicle to exceed a speed limit of 35 miles per hour upon any boulevard of the city except upon the streets or parts of streets designated in section 154-533. (Code 1956, § 38-73(b))

New Orleans City Code § 154-533 When not operative.

Sec. 154-533. - When not operative. The speed limits set out in sections 154-531 and 154-532 shall not be operative where otherwise posted by the traffic engineering division of the city and set out in schedule III, section 154-1194. Such speed limits shall also not be operative on all urban extensions and state maintained highways within the city, where they shall be the same as the speeds posted and designated by the state department of highways. (Code 1956, § 38-73(c))

New Orleans City Code § 154-534 School zones.

Sec. 154-534. - School zones. (a) Within the limits of all school zones where authorized signs designating them as school zones are posted at the entrance and exit of the school zone, and within 100 feet upon every designated approach to and within those intersections designated as "School Crossings" and where authorized signs designating such "School Crossings" are posted, it shall be unlawful for the driver of any vehicle to exceed a speed limit of 20 miles per hour one hour before and one hour after the beginning of a school day and one hour before and one hour after the end of a school day. (b) When and where so designated by a traffic engineer, motorists shall be given proper warning by flashing beacons or other appropriate systems that the speed limit described in subsection (a) is being enforced. (c) A traffic engineer shall ensure operability of all authorized flashing beacons erected as described in subsection (b), including that such beacons flash during the hours required by this section. If such flashing beacons are inoperable, or do not flash as intended, violations of this section shall not be enforced. (d) This regulation shall only apply on school days during the specified time periods when children are in school. (Code 1956, § 38-73(d); M.C.S., Ord. No. 24948, § 1, 7-12-12; M.C.S., Ord. No. 29369, § 1, 3-9-23; M.C.S., Ord. No. 30250, § 1, 3-13-25)

New Orleans City Code § 154-535 Playground zones.

Sec. 154-535. - Playground zones. The city traffic engineer shall erect caution signs in the vicinity of all playgrounds; he shall also mark whatever crosswalks in playground zones that he may deem necessary. Notwithstanding any other speed regulations of this article, no person shall drive a vehicle, while in a playground zone, at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions and having regard to the actual and potential hazards then existing. In every event, speed shall be so controlled as may be necessary to avoid colliding with any person, vehicle or other conveyance upon or entering a roadway. (Code 1956, § 38-73(e))

New Orleans City Code § 154-536 Alleys.

Sec. 154-536. - Alleys. It shall be unlawful for the driver of any vehicle to exceed the speed of ten miles per hour in all public alleys. (Code 1956, § 38-73(g))

New Orleans City Code § 154-537 Parks.

Sec. 154-537. - Parks. It shall be unlawful for the driver of any vehicle to exceed the speed of 20 miles per hour on any roadway within the boundaries of any park in the city unless otherwise posted. (Code 1956, § 38-73(i))

New Orleans City Code § 154-538 Lake Forest Boulevard.

Sec. 154-538. - Lake Forest Boulevard. It shall be unlawful for the drivers of any vehicle to exceed a speed limit of 20 miles per hour upon Lake Forest Boulevard from Read Boulevard to Deer Park. (Code 1956, § 38-73(l))

New Orleans City Code § 154-539 Minimum speed regulations—Generally.

Sec. 154-539. - Minimum speed regulations—Generally. No person shall drive a motor vehicle at such a speed as to impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic except when reduced speed is necessary for safe operation or in compliance with law. Where feasible and necessary the city traffic engineer may determine minimum speed limits applicable to certain streets, or portions of streets and such limits shall be binding on all drivers on such streets when signs are posted specifying such minimum speed limits. (Code 1956, § 38-73(f))

New Orleans City Code § 154-540 Same—U.S. Highway 90 Business, hours.

Sec. 154-540. - Same—U.S. Highway 90 Business, hours. (a) It shall be unlawful for the driver of any vehicle to drive slower than 25 miles per hour on that section of U.S. Highway 90 Business (Greater New Orleans Mississippi River Bridge) between Camp Street and the West Bank Toll Plaza. (b) This minimum speed limit shall apply only between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. for east-bound traffic and only between the hours of 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. for west-bound traffic, excluding Saturdays and Sundays and those holidays which are specified elsewhere in this Code. (Code 1956, § 38-73(j))

New Orleans City Code § 154-541 Trucks, tractors or trailers—Generally.

Sec. 154-541. - Trucks, tractors or trailers—Generally. It shall be unlawful for the driver of any truck, tractor or trailer, whose combined weight of body and load exceeds five tons, to exceed a speed limit of 15 miles per hour upon any undivided street or upon any divided street which has only one moving lane of traffic on each side of the median, provided that said 15 mile per hour speed limit shall not apply to any truck route designation in section 154-1561, nor shall it apply to any street over which regularly scheduled transit passenger service is provided, nor to any street on which prima facie speed limits exist in accordance with section 154-1194, schedule III, nor to any state and federal highway, nor to the driver of any vehicle on an emergency call involving public safety and welfare. (Code 1956, § 38-73(h))

New Orleans City Code § 154-542 Same—Lake Forest Boulevard.

Sec. 154-542. - Same—Lake Forest Boulevard. It shall be unlawful for the drivers of any bus, truck, tractor or trailer, whose combined weight of body and load exceeds five tons, to exceed a speed limit of 20 miles per hour upon Lake Forest Boulevard, from Read Boulevard to Bullard Avenue. (Code 1956, § 38-73(k))

New Orleans City Code § 154-543 Same—Berkley Drive.

Sec. 154-543. - Same—Berkley Drive. It shall be unlawful for the drivers of any bus, truck, tractor or trailer to exceed 20 miles per hour on that section of Berkley Drive between Kabel Drive and Simpson Place. (Code 1956, § 38-73(m))

New Orleans City Code § 154-544 Prohibiting the use of radar detection units on certain city streets.

Sec. 154-544. - Prohibiting the use of radar detection units on certain city streets. (a) It shall be unlawful for any person to operate any device or mechanism to detect the emission of radio microwaves which are employed by police to measure the speed of motor vehicles for law enforcement purposes upon Louisiana Avenue between Tchoupitoulas Street and South Claiborne Avenue. (b) It is unlawful to use such device or mechanism commonly known as "fuzz busters" upon any such motor vehicle on Louisiana Avenue between Tchoupitoulas Street and South Claiborne Avenue. (c) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any receiver of radio waves utilized for lawful purposes to receive any signal from a frequency lawfully licensed by any state or federal agency. (Code 1956, § 38-73.1)

New Orleans City Code § 154-545 Regulation of speed by traffic signals.

Sec. 154-545. - Regulation of speed by traffic signals. The city traffic engineer may regulate the timing of traffic signals on any street so as to permit the movement of traffic in an orderly and safe manner at speeds slightly at variance from the speeds otherwise applicable on the streets or intersections and may erect appropriate signs giving notice thereof. (Code 1956, § 38-74)

New Orleans City Code § 154-546 Maximum speed regulation; Warbler Street.

Sec. 154-546. - Maximum speed regulation; Warbler Street. It shall be unlawful for the driver of any vehicle to exceed a speed limit of 20 miles per hour upon Warbler Street. (M.C.S., Ord. No. 19,149, § 1, 3-31-99)

New Orleans City Code § 154-547 Neighborhood slow zones.

Sec. 154-547. - Neighborhood slow zones. (a) The city traffic engineer may establish neighborhood slow zones in which it shall be unlawful for the driver of any vehicle to exceed the speed limits posted by the traffic engineering division of the city and set out in schedule XII, section 154-1203. (b) The traffic engineering division of the city shall erect signage at all entry points to a neighborhood slow zone with the zone's posted speed limit. (M.C.S., Ord. No. 28495, § 1, 9-17-20)

Source: City of New Orleans, Code of Ordinances and Home Rule Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/la/new_orleans/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICO_CH154TRVE_ARTVISPREFetched: 10/28/2026