§2493.1. Housing court division; jurisdiction; powers of judge; environmental docket

A. The council of the city of New Orleans is hereby authorized to create, subject to the approval of the majority of the judges of the Municipal and Traffic Court of New Orleans, the Housing and Environmental Court Division of the Municipal and Traffic Court of New Orleans, hereinafter referred to as the "housing court division". In the ordinance creating the housing court division, the council shall designate the effective date of the creation of the court. The housing court division shall be assigned, and its jurisdiction shall be limited to, all violations of the provisions of the following:

(1) The Building Code of the city of New Orleans, Ordinance No. 17,525 C.C.S., as amended.

(2) The Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance of the city of New Orleans, Ordinance No. 4264 M.C.S., as amended.

(3) Chapters 28, 30, 37, 48, and 541 of the City Code of the city of New Orleans.

(4) The Fire Code of the city of New Orleans, Ordinance No. 4912 M.C.S.

B. All cases involving violations of the provisions of the Building Code, The Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, or Chapters 28, 30, 37, 48, and 54 of the City Code of the city of New Orleans, or the Fire Code presently pending before the Municipal and Traffic Court of New Orleans, shall be transferred to the housing court division for further proceedings in accordance with law.

C. Upon creation of the housing court division, one of the judges of the Municipal and Traffic Court of New Orleans now provided for by R.S. 13:2492 shall be assigned to serve as the judge of the housing court division of the Municipal and Traffic Court of New Orleans.

D.(1) The jurisdiction of the Municipal and Traffic Court of New Orleans, the Housing and Environmental Court Division of the Municipal and Traffic Court of New Orleans shall extend to the trial of violations of an ordinance of the city of New Orleans and the violations of state statutes which are not triable by a jury for criminal prosecutions provided in R.S. 14:107.3, and any other authority provided by law or home rule charter for the civil enforcement of health, safety, and welfare ordinances, including but not limited to the authority provided in R.S. 13:2575 for administrative adjudication for violations of public health, housing, fire code, environmental building code, zoning, historic district, permitting vegetation, and nuisance ordinances, as provided for and defined in R.S. 33:1374. In Orleans Parish, the public authority may enforce health, safety, and welfare statutes or ordinances or otherwise seek to eliminate blighted property, unsafe structures and equipment, unlawful structures and structures unfit for human occupancy, housing violations, or public nuisances additionally in the Municipal and Traffic Court of New Orleans.

(2) A separate environmental docket of the Housing and Environmental Court Division of the Municipal and Traffic Court of New Orleans is established into which the public authority, as defined in R.S. 33:1374, or other party, may request allotment or transfer of cases brought pursuant to R.S. 33:1374.

Added by Acts 1982, No. 128, §1, eff. July 11, 1982; Acts 2010, No. 472, §1; Acts 2014, No. 845, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2017.

1In par. (3) of subsec. A, as the enumeration appears in the original bill and enrolled Act.