Louisiana Attorney General Opinions
Free plain-English summaries of attorney general opinions issued in Louisiana, with full citations and the original source on every page.
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Could Coushatta’s appointed police chief also work full-time as a public school teacher?
The AG concluded that Louisiana’s teacher exception allowed Coushatta’s full-time appointed police chief to also hold full-time school employment. It did not decide whether he could perform both…
Who decided whether a workers’ compensation medical director had a conflict in a treatment dispute?
The AG concluded that the Director of the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration had authority to make the final conflict-of-interest determination involving the medical director or…
Could annexed Timberlane residents vote on Jefferson Parish water and sewer millage renewals?
The AG concluded that Timberlane residents in the two named precincts could vote on renewals of Jefferson Parish water and sewer millages after the parish amended the districts’ boundaries. Existing…
Could a Louisiana museum keep and display a gravestone recovered after a cemetery was disturbed?
The AG concluded that a museum could possess and display a grave marker already separated from its grave without committing desecration, where the museum had not intentionally or criminally removed…
Could Tangipahoa Water District auction its surplus vehicles through a private auctioneer?
The AG concluded that Tangipahoa Water District could sell surplus vehicles at public auction under La. R.S. 49:125 and use a qualified licensed auctioneer, with the sale publicly advertised and…
Did new Greater Lafourche Port Commission employees have to join the state retirement system?
The AG concluded that new and future Greater Lafourche Port Commission employees had to participate in the Louisiana State Employees’ Retirement System unless a particular employee qualified for a…
Could Ascension Parish use public money to repair a bridge on private property over a drainage canal?
The AG concluded that the parish or drainage district could spend public funds on a privately located bridge only when the work benefited the parish rather than primarily the landowner, and the…
Who may arrange cremation or burial when a Louisiana family refuses to claim a body, and who pays?
The AG said a coroner could arrange disposition of unclaimed remains; local government bore the cost for an indigent decedent, while a nonindigent decedent's estate bore it. Cremation required…
Could an off-duty Louisiana police officer carry a firearm into a restaurant that served alcohol?
The AG concluded that the statutory firearm exception covered an on-duty officer entering an establishment that served alcohol, including for a meal, and an off-duty officer entering to perform…
Did Louisiana’s interior design board have to record or broadcast all its public meetings?
The AG concluded that the unelected interior design board did not have to record or broadcast all public meeting proceedings under Act 363 because it lacked authority to levy a tax. It could choose…
Could an elected Jackson Parish school board member also serve on the watershed district board?
The AG concluded that Louisiana’s dual officeholding law allowed an elected Jackson Parish school board member to serve at the same time in a part-time appointed seat on the Jackson Parish Watershed…
Could a rehired Baton Rouge court reporter rejoin the clerks of court retirement system?
The AG concluded that the reporter’s clerks-of-court retirement membership ended when she left the court in 2000. On her 2004 rehire, she was correctly placed in the state employees’ retirement…
Did Rapides Primary Health Care Center have to open its board meetings to the public?
The AG concluded that the private Rapides Primary Health Care Center was not a public body required to comply with Louisiana's Open Meetings Law on the facts presented. Nonprofit status or public…
When could Franklin police test a locomotive engineer for alcohol or drugs after a crossing crash?
The AG concluded that federal railroad law generally preempted Louisiana post-accident toxicology testing where the federal regulation prohibited it, subject to the opinion's narrow criminal-law…
Could St. Charles Parish install three-way or four-way stop signs without an engineering study under the traffic-control manual?
Yes, for roads within its jurisdiction. The AG said the MUTCD's engineering-study and engineering-judgment statements were guidance, not mandatory prerequisites for a parish stop-sign ordinance.…
Did Arcadia owe the school board a tax-collection commission on vehicle taxes collected by the state?
The AG concluded that the Bienville Parish School Board could not claim a tax-collection commission on Arcadia vehicle taxes actually collected by the state Department of Public Safety. The board…
Could a Louisiana hospital district sell uncollectible patient accounts in bulk?
The AG concluded that the hospital district could sell accounts it had properly deemed uncollectible, including as a bulk lot. It called for reasonable collection efforts, a public determination,…
Could Louisiana’s plumbing board teach the continuing education classes it required for plumbers?
The AG concluded that the Louisiana State Plumbing Board could offer continuing education courses satisfying its licensing requirements. Board-sponsored classes still had to meet the substantive and…
Could a Louisiana public board count members on a telephone conference call toward its meeting quorum?
The AG concluded that a Louisiana public body could not count members joining by telephone toward a meeting quorum under the open meetings law it analyzed. The quorum had to be physically present.
Could Louisiana sheriffs receive pay raises tied to judges’ salaries without a new sheriff salary law?
The AG concluded that a sheriff’s base salary could not rise above its June 30, 2010 level without legislation under the amended statute. A sheriff meeting the separate management training…
Could a Monroe city council member also serve part-time on the G.B. Cooley hospital district board?
The AG concluded that Louisiana’s dual officeholding law did not prevent an elected Monroe city council member from also holding a part-time appointed seat on the G.B. Cooley Hospital Service…
Could a full-time Crowley fire captain serve part-time on an Acadia Parish fire district board?
The AG concluded that Louisiana’s dual officeholding law did not bar a full-time Crowley fire captain from serving part-time on a fire protection district board outside the city. It did not decide…
What happened to New Iberia's fire and police civil-service board after its police department closed?
The AG said New Iberia's fire and police civil-service system continued despite the police department's closure. The board remained a five-seat body, with the police employee seat vacant and a…
Could Plaquemines transfer courthouse-district land after voters rejected the proposed parish-seat move?
The AG concluded that the district could not transfer its Railroad Property under the agreement because voter approval of a parish-seat move was a suspensive condition and had not occurred. The…
Could Ferriday's mayor refuse a special meeting called by most aldermen?
The AG concluded that a Lawrason Act mayor could not refuse a special meeting called by a majority of aldermen. If the mayor failed to perform a non-discretionary duty, the board could seek…
Who appointed Coushatta's police chief, clerk, and town attorney when its special charter was silent?
The AG concluded that Coushatta's mayor appointed the nonelected police chief, clerk, and attorney, subject to council approval, because the town's special charter was silent on those appointments.…
Did a Louisiana pharmacy benefit manager have to show the ten-cent provider fee separately on pharmacy remittance advice?
The AG concluded that remittance advice from a health insurer or its agent had to clearly identify the ten-cent prescription provider fee. That requirement extended to a pharmacy benefit manager…
Could Evangeline Parish give $15,000 in tax money to its recreation district?
The AG said the police jury could not simply donate $15,000 to the recreation district. The two public bodies could enter a qualifying cooperative endeavor agreement with an expected equivalent…
What police and public-safety costs could Slidell pay with its dedicated sales tax?
The AG interpreted the tax dedication to cover police protection and public safety as described in the voter proposition. It declined to decide whether specific city court, animal-control,…
Who collected a forfeited commercial surety bond in a Louisiana criminal case?
The AG concluded that the prosecuting attorney for the jurisdiction where a commercial surety bond was posted had to collect covered bond-forfeiture judgments, not the clerk of court. A separate…
Could LaMATS audit records when it collected local insurance premium taxes for a Louisiana parish or municipality?
The AG concluded that LaMATS had the local government’s tax collection authority, including access to necessary local tax information for audits, once the local government adopted the tax ordinance…
Did a federal grant let a contractor bid on a Louisiana project without a state license in 2013?
The AG concluded that repeal of the federal-funding exemption generally left contractors subject to Louisiana's pre-bid licensing requirement. For a particular federally regulated project, a…
Could Kenner accept the lowest pipe-supply bid after the bidder added a yearly price increase?
The AG concluded that Kenner had to reject the apparent low bid as nonresponsive. The bid documents required unchanged prices for the contract term, but the bidder added an annual escalation condition.
Could New Iberia use its share of a dedicated sales tax to buy a street sweeper?
No. The AG said the sales tax proceeds had to be spent for the purposes voters approved. The proposition earmarked the municipality's share for drainage facilities and related capital improvements,…
Who paid West Feliciana Parish library vendors and staff: the police jury or library board?
The AG concluded that the West Feliciana Parish Police Jury had to pay the library's expenses and maintenance costs monthly, with board approval. West Feliciana was absent from the statute's list of…
Could a full-time district attorney's employee also be deputized to sign court subpoenas?
The AG found no dual-officeholding bar to a full-time district attorney support employee's narrowly described part-time deputy-clerk appointment to sign subpoenas. It separately warned of a possible…
Did LSU need legislative approval to lease an entire state public hospital to a private operator?
The AG concluded that the LSU Board of Supervisors did not need legislative approval merely to lease an entire hospital under its management. A lease still had to assure continued legally required…
Did a property-tax exemption also excuse a building from a Louisiana fire-district service charge?
The AG concluded that fire-protection service charges assessed per residential or commercial structure were specific taxes, not value-based property taxes. A building's exemption from ad valorem tax…
Could Marksville pay to defend its mayor against a civil suit naming him individually?
The AG said Marksville could choose to fund its mayor's defense if the civil suit arose from acts within his official duties; the city had to make that factual finding. An individual-capacity label…
How much could Bienville's mayor spend after the village failed to adopt a new general-fund budget?
The AG said the mayor could not incur general-fund liabilities or authorize expenditures beyond the Local Government Budget Act's automatic reappropriation and emergency-spending provision. The…
Could the Red River Waterway Commission build an RV park next to a boat ramp?
Yes, for the proposal described. The AG treated an RV park built alongside or in conjunction with a Bayou Pierre boat ramp as a related facility under the Red River Waterway Commission's enabling law.
Could Jefferson Parish bar firms tied to ineligible bidders or reject bids because of their subcontractors?
The AG said Jefferson Parish could not use its proposed owner-or-officer connection rule to debar firms under the Public Bid Law. It could reject a bid based on a subcontractor's lack of…
Were Jefferson Parish Attorney's legal secretaries and clerical staff covered by parish civil service?
The AG said Jefferson Parish's charter excluded legal secretaries from parish civil service as 'legal assistants.' The listed clerk, receptionist, and typist-clerk positions were not excluded under…
Could Cottonport's elected police chief work part time at a private store while off duty?
The AG concluded that the Lawrason Act and dual-officeholding law did not appear to prohibit Cottonport's elected chief from holding private off-duty work. A town ordinance specifying the chief's…
Could Acadia Parish's full-time HR director also sit on its part-time personnel committee?
The AG concluded that the full-time Acadia Parish Police Jury employee could also hold the described part-time appointive seat on its Personnel Committee. The opinion limited its analysis to dual…
Who could fill Simsboro's fire district board vacancy, and could the mayor appoint himself?
The AG said the Simsboro mayor could appoint a commissioner to an unexpired fire district board term only with the Board of Aldermen's approval. The mayor could not appoint himself to serve, because…
Did Greensburg's proposed charter amendments satisfy Louisiana's special-charter review law?
The AG reviewed Greensburg's amended legislative charter under La. R.S. 33:1181 and found the amendments consistent with federal and Louisiana law. The opinion recorded three weeks of newspaper…
Did Louisiana sales and use tax apply to storm shutters sold through a dealer and installed for a customer?
The AG said sales and use tax was not due on a wholesaler's storm-shutter sale to a dealer for resale, or on a dealer's sale and installation for an end user. The cited storm-shutter retail…
Could a part-time assistant district attorney also serve as Coushatta's city attorney?
The AG found no dual-officeholding prohibition when the part-time assistant district attorney provided city legal services by contract through private practice. If the city role was employment…
Could Bogalusa lease a vacant industrial-park building for a charter school or skating rink?
The AG said Bogalusa could lease property no longer needed for public purposes, subject to required procedure and fair-market value. Its headnote said the industrial-park restrictions had to be…
Why did the petition to recall Robeline's police chief fail despite using a valid form?
The AG found that the recall petition used a compliant form but lacked valid signatures: the registrar reported zero genuine signatures from qualified electors. It therefore did not meet the…
Could a Louisiana state representative serve on the Southern University Foundation board?
The AG concluded that Louisiana's dual-officeholding law did not prohibit a state representative from serving on the private Southern University Foundation board. The board role could not conflict…
Could a Kenner firefighter also work full time for another Louisiana fire department?
The AG concluded that Louisiana's dual-officeholding law barred the firefighter from holding two full-time positions with separate public fire departments. The opinion noted that a second part-time…
Could Acadia Parish donate land or lease it cheaply to a nonprofit pet adoption center?
The AG said Acadia Parish could not simply donate public land to Second Chance Paws. It could lease land no longer needed for a public purpose, but the rent had to be commensurate with fair market…
Could Lafourche Parish change the number and appointment method of its tourist commission directors by ordinance?
No. The AG concluded that state law required seven Lafourche tourist commission directors appointed by the parish governing authority from tourism-group nominee lists. The parish ordinance's…
Could a LaSalle Parish constable keep serving the districts that elected her after moving to another district?
No. The AG said the constable had to remain a resident of the ward or district from which elected, so a move to District 5 ended service for Districts 1 and 4. Because the remaining term was one…
Do old dry-ward votes still bar alcohol sales after Livingston Parish creates new election districts?
No, on the facts given. The AG said the old dry wards took on the wet sales status of the new Livingston Parish election districts, where no local-option election had prohibited alcohol sales.
Could a parish emergency office bar responders from an accident scene without a declared emergency?
No, under the facts addressed. The AG said the parish emergency office could control an emergency scene's access under the cited Act only after the parish president formally declared a local…
Can a Louisiana justice-of-the-peace constable serve a criminal summons, and where?
The AG said a constable could serve a criminal summons issued by a justice of the peace when authorized by the sheriff, generally within the constable's own ward. It rejected sending the summons to…
Who pays to prepare and print Louisiana parish property-tax notices?
The AG said the sheriff's salary fund, funded through law-enforcement district millages, must cover preparation and printing of property-tax notices. It recalled an earlier opinion only insofar as…
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Attorney general opinions in Louisiana are written by the Louisiana Attorney General's office in response to questions from state agencies, legislators, and prosecutors. They are not binding like court decisions, but courts and agencies treat them as persuasive guidance on how state law applies. Every opinion above has a plain-English question and short answer, plus a link to the full original text.