FEES

New Orleans City Code ch. 70, art. V

in effect

New Orleans City Code § 70-551 Checks returned unpaid by banks; penalty.

Sec. 70-551. - Checks returned unpaid by banks; penalty. If a check used to make payment for an obligation to the city is returned unpaid for any reason by the bank on which it is drawn, such shall constitute a failure to pay the obligation and a specific penalty shall be imposed on the person in addition to and not in place of other penalties provided by law. This specific penalty shall be an obligation to be collected and accounted for in the same manner as if it were part of the original item, in payment of which the check was given and may be enforced in a separate action or in any instituted for the collection of such item. The specific penalty imposed under this section shall be an amount equal to the greater of one percent of the check or $15.00. This penalty may be waived if this is a first offense and the check is satisfied within five working days of its receipt. After receipt of three such checks which are returned unpaid during any two-year period, the director of the department of finance shall require payment of the original amount, interest or penalties due by the person to be paid by certified check, money order or cash. (Code 1956, § 1-15)

New Orleans City Code § 70-552 Distraint cost penalty.

Sec. 70-552. - Distraint cost penalty. Whenever the director of the department of finance or his authorized agent uses the distraint procedure to enforce the collection of any charge, there shall be imposed with respect to the charge for the collection of which the distraint procedure is used, a specific penalty of $10.00 to compensate for the costs of the distraint procedure. This specific penalty shall be in addition to any penalty assessed as provided by law and shall be an obligation to be collected, and accounted for in the same manner as if it were part of the original amount due, and may be enforced either in a separate action or in the same action for the collection of the original amount due. (Code 1956, § 1-16)

New Orleans City Code § 70-553 Annual review of fees and charges.

Sec. 70-553. - Annual review of fees and charges. (a) No later than October 31 of each calendar year, the director or chief executive officer of each charter department, board, agency, or commission of the city shall transmit to the council and to the chief administrative officer a proposed schedule for each permit, license, fee, or charge for services rendered under the jurisdiction of the entity. (b) The schedule shall adjust fees and charges to account for inflation or other relevant factors and shall indicate the amount of revenue anticipated for each adjusted fee or charge. (c) Additionally, the director shall indicate if any fees or charges are limited by state law or if, in his judgment any specific fees or charges should not be increased and, if so, the reasons. (d) The chief administrative officer is authorized to establish procedures to implement the provisions of this section. (Code 1956, § 1-17)

New Orleans City Code § 70-554 Delinquency fees; interest on unpaid fees; changes.

Sec. 70-554. - Delinquency fees; interest on unpaid fees; changes. (a) Whenever any section of this Code or any other ordinance of this city or any statute requires the payment to the city of any sum for the issuance of any license or permit or for the performance or doing of any service by or function of the city, and such payment is not paid in full on or before the date due under any applicable law, regulation, or custom, then the provisions of this section shall apply. (b) In addition to the sum due and any civil or criminal penalties imposed by this section or any other applicable law, the debtor shall pay legal interest on any delinquent balance, including delinquency fees, charges or penalties, during the period which said balance remains unpaid. (c) Unless a greater penalty, charge or delinquency fee is assessed by any other section of this Code or any other applicable law, in which case such greater sum shall be paid, the debtor shall, in addition to the sum originally due, pay a delinquency fee of 33⅓ percent of the sum originally due, in addition to: (1) An applicable interest of 15 percent per annum. (2) Any other penalties which may be applicable. (3) Any other charges which may be applicable. (d) Every applicant for issuance or renewal of a permit or license issued by the city shall certify in writing under oath, on forms provided by the department of finance, that he is not indebted to the city for any sum due for the prior issuance of any license or permit or for the performance of any service by or function of the city. No permit or license shall issue nor any further service or function be performed in the absence of such certification. (e) The department of finance shall provide and shall cause copies of this section or an abstract thereof to be posted in public view in all offices where payment is received for city fees or where application is made for performance of services or functions of the city. (Code 1956, § 1-18; M.C.S., Ord. No. 17,018, § 1, 5-4-95)

New Orleans City Code § 70-555 Payment of capital of ground rents.

Sec. 70-555. - Payment of capital of ground rents. Any person holding property within the city subject to ground rent payable to the city at the rate of six percent per annum upon the capital debt secured by such property, may release himself from such ground rent by full payment of it, and of the capital thereof, into the city treasury. (Code 1956, § 2-55)

New Orleans City Code § 70-556 Release of mortgage on property.

Sec. 70-556. - Release of mortgage on property. The director of finance may release any mortgage or lien held by the city upon any property described in section 70-555 upon showing that the payment required in such section has been made. (Code 1956, § 2-56)

New Orleans City Code § 70-557 City departments, agencies, boards and commissions—Fees for maps and documents.

Sec. 70-557. - City departments, agencies, boards and commissions—Fees for maps and documents. All city departments, agencies, boards and commissions not otherwise authorized under other sections of this article shall charge for copies of records and maps in accordance with the following schedule: (1) Copies of documents (letter or legal size, per page): $0.50. (2) Copies of square plat: $1.00. (3) Duplicate copies of square plats, each: $0.50. (4) Copy of square plat (mailed): $1.00. (5) Copies or prints of city maps (per square foot or portion thereof): $0.40. (6) Copies of this Code: $150.00. (7) Supplements to Code: $30.00. (8) Copies of home rule charter: $10.00. (9) Copy of traffic code: $9.15. (10) Copy of minimum standards housing code: $2.25. (11) Department heads, with the approval of the chief administrative officer, may establish a fee for department or board procedure manuals or similar documents for a fixed price which shall not exceed but may be less than the maximum price per page established elsewhere in this section. The chief administrative officer shall review such fees annually. (12) Copies of video tapes or audio tapes, per copy: $30.00. (Code 1956, § 62-24.1)

New Orleans City Code § 70-558 Same—Monthly report and remittance.

Sec. 70-558. - Same—Monthly report and remittance. City departments, agencies, boards and commissions shall submit a monthly report to the director of the department of finance showing all fees collected pursuant to the provisions of section 70-557, and all monies shown as collected in such monthly report shall be remitted by the respective city departments, agencies, boards and commissions, to the director of the department of finance, to be credited to the general revenues of the city. (Code 1956, § 62-24.2)

New Orleans City Code § 70-559 Subdivision regulations.

Sec. 70-559. - Subdivision regulations. The city planning commission shall charge $10.00 for each copy of subdivision regulations. (Code 1956, § 62-24.3)

New Orleans City Code § 70-560 Department of safety and permits—Fees for building, mechanical, and gas codes.

Sec. 70-560. - Department of safety and permits—Fees for building, mechanical, and gas codes. The department of safety and permits shall charge for copies of codes, according to the following schedule: (a) New Orleans amendments to Standard Building Code: $20.00. (b) Standard Mechanical Code: $20.00. (c) Standard Gas Code: $20.00. (d) Zoning ordinance text: $40.00. (e) Zoning ordinance map set: $20.00. (f) Mailing for any of the above, each: $3.00. (Code 1956, § 62-24.4; Ord. No. 19,970, § I, 12-14-00)

New Orleans City Code § 70-561 Same—Monthly report and remittance.

Sec. 70-561. - Same—Monthly report and remittance. The city planning commission and department of safety and permits shall submit a monthly report to the director of the department of finance showing all fees collected pursuant to the provisions of sections 70-559 and 70-560, and all monies shown as collected in such monthly report shall be remitted by the respective commission and department, to the director of the department of finance, to be credited to the general revenues of the city. (Code 1956, § 62-24.5)

New Orleans City Code § 70-562 Same—Fees for appeals and variances to the board of zoning adjustments.

Sec. 70-562. - Same—Fees for appeals and variances to the board of zoning adjustments. (a) The city planning commission shall collect upon application for appeals and variances to the board of zoning adjustments fees according to the following schedule: (1) Residential, including additions: a. Single- and two-family dwellings: $250.00. b. Small multi-family/townhouse dwellings (3—6 units): $250.00. c. Large multi-family/townhouse dwellings (7+ units): $750.00. (2) Non-residential/mixed-use buildings and uses: a. 0—4,999 square feet of gross floor area: $300.00. b. 5,000—24,999 square feet of gross floor area: $750.00. c. 25,000+ square feet of gross floor area: $1,000.00. (3) Accessory, including structures, signs, and lot dimension variances: $250.00. (4) Subdivision-related variances: Base fee + $25.00 for each proposed lot. (5) Extension requests: a. Administrative: $100.00. b. Non-administrative: An amount equal to 50% of original fee. (6) Decision of director of safety and permits appeals: $250.00. (7) Rehearing: An amount equal to 50% of original fee. (b) The city planning commission shall submit reports to the director of the department of finance showing all fees collected pursuant to this section and all monies shown as collected in such reports shall be remitted by the director of the city planning commission to the director of the department of finance to be credited to the general fund of the city. (Code 1956, § 62-24.6; M.C.S., Ord. No. 23442, § 1, 4-2-09; M.C.S., Ord. No. 29940, § 1, 6-6-24)

New Orleans City Code § 70-563 Same—Fees for certificates of use and occupancy and compliance.

Sec. 70-563. - Same—Fees for certificates of use and occupancy and compliance. The department of safety and permits shall collect upon application fees according to the following schedule. For purposes of this section, the term "nonprofit" shall mean an organization that is exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code, is a Louisiana nonprofit corporation in good standing with an Employer Identification Number issued by the Internal Revenue Service, or is a school operated by the Orleans Parish School Board or Recovery School District: (a) Home occupation: $190.00. (b) For single-family dwelling; condominium, timeshare building, transient vacation rentals, schools, universities, libraries; institutions of philanthropic nature; boathouses and docks; and any change in business, commercial, or industrial use without necessitating repairs; alterations or additions by owners or tenants of buildings, land, or portions thereof; and when otherwise not listed: (1) For events which are sponsored by nonprofits: $95.00. (2) All others: $190.00. (c) For two-, three- and four-family dwellings: $100.00. (d) For multiple-family dwellings, clinics, hospitals, apartment buildings, trailer courts, hotels, offices, stores, shops, storage and repair garages, trades or professions, all private or commercial uses and occupations not to exceed seven stores, and any change in business, commercial or industrial uses without necessitating repair, alterations or additions by owners or tenants of buildings, land or portions thereof, 1,000 square feet or more: $150.00. (e) For all industrial uses and occupancies permitted in general commercial, central business, special light industrial districts and heavy industrial districts: $150.00. (f) For construction trailers: $190.00. (g) For mural permits: $50.00. (Code 1956, § 62-24.7; Ord. No. 19,971, § I, 12-14-00; M.C.S., Ord. No. 23816, § 1, 12-1-09; M.C.S., Ord. No. 27266, § 1, 1-26-17; M.C.S., Ord. No. 28120, § 1, 6-6-19)

New Orleans City Code § 70-564 Same—Fees for zoning administration applications.

Sec. 70-564. - Same—Fees for zoning administration applications. The department of safety and permits shall collect upon application fees for zoning applications according to the following schedule. These fees shall apply per application, as determined by the department of safety and permits: (a) Zoning verification: $100.00. (b) Non-conforming use determination: $200.00. (M.C.S., Ord. No. 29462, § 1, 5-11-23)

New Orleans City Code § 70-565 Fees for collection of taxes and charges on behalf of other agencies.

Sec. 70-565. - Fees for collection of taxes and charges on behalf of other agencies. (a) Unless and except as authorized by a final, non-appealable order or judgment rendered by a court of competent jurisdiction, no fee or service charge may be imposed by the department of finance for the collection of any taxes, license and permit fees, or other similar moneys on behalf of the governmental organization expressly identified in subsection (b), unless and only during such times as, there is a multi-year cooperative endeavor agreement in effect between the city and the recipient body, approved by ordinance in accordance with section 9-314 of the Charter, that provides for the collection and sets forth the amount of the fee or service charge. (b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event the Orleans Parish School Board elects not to collect for itself ad valorem and sales and use taxes, the department of finance shall collect ad valorem and sales and use taxes dedicated to the Orleans Parish School Board without fees or charge through tax year 2026. It is the policy of the city, and the express finding of the council, that the foregoing collection activities are not a gratuitous donation of services, but are instead supported by the valuable consideration and benefits associated with resolving costly ongoing litigation and preventing future litigation, as well as the direct and indirect fiscal and social benefits to the city that come from maximizing funds available to provide educational programming for city youth. (M.C.S., Ord. No. 30291, § 1, 4-10-25; M.C.S., Ord. No. 30701, § 1, 7-9-26)

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_CH70FI_ARTVFEFetched: 10/28/2026