Prohibits leaving trash cans in the rights-of-way of state roads

House Bill 729 enacts a new provision in Louisiana Revised Statutes 48:261.1 that prohibits persons from leaving garbage and recycling receptacles in the right-of-way of state roads after the scheduled day of collection. The statute requires that all such receptacles placed in state road rights-of-way for regularly scheduled curbside pickup must be removed by the end of collection day. The bill creates a tiered fine structure for noncompliance, imposing one hundred dollars for a first offense, two hundred dollars for a second offense, and three hundred dollars for any third or subsequent offense. The statute delegates enforcement authority to any political subdivision responsible for maintaining the particular state road right-of-way, including state agencies, parishes, and municipalities.

This legislation affects residential property owners, commercial establishments, and other persons who place garbage or recycling containers in state road rights-of-way for collection services. Property owners and occupants must ensure their receptacles are removed from the right-of-way by the end of collection day to avoid penalties. The practical effect is to require prompt removal of containers that would otherwise remain visible from the road surface until the next collection cycle. Local governmental entities that maintain state road rights-of-way, such as parish road departments or municipal street divisions, gain specific enforcement authority and responsibility to monitor compliance and issue citations for violations.

The statute operates within Title 48 of Louisiana Revised Statutes, which governs transportation and public works infrastructure including state highways and roads. The state road right-of-way is the dedicated corridor of land adjacent to the traveled portion of state roads over which the state and political subdivisions exercise control for maintenance and safety purposes. This legislation complements existing state law concerning the management and appearance of highway corridors and gives local enforcement officials a clear statutory basis for addressing unsightly or obstructive garbage receptacles along state road systems. The tiered penalty structure provides graduated enforcement discretion for violations of this new property maintenance standard.