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HB 368LOUISIANASession 2026State BillBecame law without the governor's signature

Enacted

Louisiana increases unauthorized historic structure demolition fines in New Orleans to up to $50,000

Original title: DISTRICTS/HISTORIC: Provides relative to historic preservation districts and landmarks commissions in the city of New Orleans

Last action · June 23, 2026: Effective date: 08/01/2026.Sponsors: Aimee Adatto Freeman and 1 other

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Law

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What This Bill Does

Louisiana enacted House Bill 368 to allow the city of New Orleans to fine property owners up to $50,000 or 15 percent of the assessed property value for demolishing historic structures without a . The law establishes property liens for unpaid fines and subjects properties to tax lien auction procedures.

Why it matters

Property owners in New Orleans historic districts face substantially higher financial penalties and property liens for unauthorized demolitions, with unpaid fines tied directly to annual property tax bills.

Background

House Bill 368 amends Louisiana statute R.S. 25:762.1 to strengthen enforcement powers for historic preservation districts and landmarks commissions specifically within New Orleans. context

Who It Affects

Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Property owners in New Orleans

Property owners face significantly higher maximum fines and property liens for unauthorized demolitions of historic structures.

Directly affected

New Orleans landmarks commissions

Commissions receive enhanced enforcement powers and larger financial penalties to deter unauthorized demolitions.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the maximum fine for demolishing a historic building without approval in New Orleans?

The maximum fine is the greater of $50,000 or 15 percent of the assessed value of the structure immediately preceding the demolition.

What happens if a property owner fails to pay the fines imposed for unauthorized demolition?

The municipality places a lien on the property, which is included in the next annual bill and can lead to property tax lien auction procedures.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Votes, people, money & the original source

Where This Stands

Current status: Became law without the governor's signature.

Procedural history

34 actions

Jun 23, 2026House
Becomes Act No. 959 without the Governor's signature.
Jun 23, 2026House
Effective date: 08/01/2026.
Jun 2, 2026House
Sent to the Governor for executive approval.
Jun 1, 2026HouseEnrolled
Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
Jun 1, 2026SenateEnrolled
Signed by the President of the Senate.
May 31, 2026HouseFloor
Conference Committee Report read, roll called, yeas 82, nays 11. The Conference Committee Report was adopted.

Show 28 earlier actions

May 31, 2026SenateFloor
Notice House adopted the Conference Committee Report.
May 31, 2026SenateFloor
Conference Committee Report read; adopted by a vote of 32 yeas and 1 nays.
May 31, 2026House
Notice of Senate adoption of Conference Committee Report.
May 29, 2026House
Notice of Senate conferees appointed.
May 29, 2026House
Conference Committee report received. Lies over under the rules.
May 29, 2026Senate
Conference committee report received.
May 29, 2026House
Scheduled for floor debate on 05/31/2026.
May 28, 2026House
House conferees appointed: Freeman, Gadberry, and Knox.
May 28, 2026Senate
Notice House Conference Committee members appointed.
May 28, 2026Senate
Senate conference committee members appointed: Barthelemy, Luneau, and Miller.
May 27, 2026HouseIntroduced
Read by title, roll called, yeas 94, nays 0, Senate amendments rejected, conference committee appointment pending.
May 27, 2026Senate
Notice House rejected the Senate amendments.
May 26, 2026House
Scheduled for concurrence on 05/27/2026.
May 25, 2026House
Received from the Senate with amendments.
May 21, 2026SenateFloor
Rules suspended. Senate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title, passed by a vote of 34 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
May 13, 2026SenateFloor
Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
May 12, 2026SenateIntroduced
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
May 11, 2026SenateCommittee
Reported favorably.
Apr 27, 2026SenateCommittee
Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Local and Municipal Affairs.
Apr 22, 2026HouseFloor
Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 78, nays 13. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
Apr 22, 2026Senate
Received in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
Apr 21, 2026House
Scheduled for floor debate on 04/22/2026.
Apr 20, 2026HouseFloor
Read by title, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.
Apr 16, 2026HouseCommittee
Reported favorably (15-0).
Mar 31, 2026HouseIntroduced
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs.
Mar 30, 2026HouseIntroduced
Read by title. Lies over under the rules.
Feb 27, 2026House
First appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.
Feb 24, 2026HouseIntroduced
Prefiled. To be introduced at a later date.

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

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Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift95% confidence

Severe Financial Deterrents for Historic Demolitions

The legislation significantly raises financial stakes for unauthorized demolitions in New Orleans by tying fines to percentage-based property assessments and adding direct property tax lien enforcement.

New Orleans

Connected Entities

Aimee Adatto Freeman, New Orleans, Alonzo Knox

PersonAimee Adatto Freeman“Representative who authored House Bill 368”Map →

locationNew Orleans“City subject to the historic preservation commission regulations”Map →

PersonAlonzo Knox“Representative who co-sponsored House Bill 368”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.legis.la.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance65
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy40
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment10
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz30
Current news / social attention level

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