City Planning Commission
The New Orleans City Planning Commission is a nine-member citizen board appointed by the Mayor and approved by the City Council. The Planning Commission provides analysis and recommendations to the City Council on matters dealing with the present and future development of the City, in accordance with the goals and policies of the City’s Plan for the 21st Century or the Master Plan. This includes reviewing, approving, and/or recommending to the City Council requests for master plan amendments, map changes, text amendments to the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance (CZO), appeals and subdivisions. The Planning Commission meets the first and second Tuesday of each month (unless otherwise indicated) at 1:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers.
Board of Zoning Adjustments (BZA)
The Board of Zoning Adjustments (BZA) is a seven-member board made up of citizens that are appointed by the Mayor and approved by the City Council. The Board hears and makes final decisions on requests for variances from the requirements of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance and considers appeals of decisions by the Director of Safety and Permits. This Board was placed under the management of City Planning by a City Charter revision that became effective on January 1, 1996. The Board of Zoning Adjustments meets the first Monday of each month (unless otherwise indicated) at 10:00 am in the City Council Chambers.
Master Plan
The Plan for the 21st Century, commonly referred to as the Master Plan, is a City Charter-mandated planning framework for the core systems that shape New Orleans’ physical, social, environmental, and economic future. The Plan for the 21st Century reflects the values and priorities that emerged through a community participation process and is grounded in information assembled for the first time in one place. In 2010, the Plan was unanimously adopted by both the City Planning Commission and the City Council and was signed by Mayor Mitchell Landrieu. Visit www.nola.gov/city-planning/master-plan/ to view links to each part.
Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance
The Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance (CZO) is the law that governs land use throughout the City of New Orleans. The CZO includes lists of permitted land uses for each of the City’s zoning districts, in addition to height limits, setback requirements, urban design standards, operational rules, and other regulations. The CZO is broken into a series of Articles that cover citywide standards, individual zoning district regulations, and the processes for variances, conditional use permits, and other land use reviews.
- Click here to link to the Planning and Zoning Lookup Tool, which can be used to identify the zoning of a particular property.
- Click here to view the CZO chapter pertaining to the French Quarter:Article 8 – Vieux Carré Historic Districts
Draft Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance Released
The City Planning Commission has released the September 2014 City Council Review Draft of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance. These documents are posted on the CPC’s website. The City Planning Commission held public hearings on August 26, September 2, and September 9, 2014. The City Planning Commission made a recommendation of Modified Approval and forwarded this recommendation to the City Council. The City Planning Commission has incorporated its recommended modifications into the City Council Review Draft.
To look up the zoning of a specific address, visit the City’s Lookup Tool
