Overview
Code type
euclidean
Naming convention
lot-size-encoded
Shreveport/Caddo UDC adopted May 2017 (Camiros-authored). Single consolidated UDC governs City of Shreveport and unincorporated Caddo Parish within the planning area. District codes are lot-size-encoded for the R-1 family (R-1-12 = 12,000 sf min, R-1-10 = 10,000 sf min, R-1-7 = 7,000 sf min, R-1-5 = 5,000 sf min — pattern confirmed from MPC staff reports 22-215-C and 25-127-C); use-type-index for R-A/R-E/R-UC/R-HU/R-TH/R-2/R-3/R-4 residential; letter-code for downtown (D-1-CBD, D-1-E, D-1-CMU, D-1-RMU, D-1-AC, D-1-HC), commercial (C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4, C-UC, C-UV), office (OR), industrial (I-MU, I-1, I-2), and special-purpose (NA, OS, IC, R-MUV, R-MHS, R-MHP). Article 4 = Zoning District Regulations (dimensional table); Article 5 = Uses + Table 5-1 Use Matrix; Article 16 §16.3 = Special Use Permits. Naming convention is mixed but lot-size-encoded is the dominant pattern for the SF family.
Worth knowing
- Shreveport / Caddo UDC is a SINGLE consolidated instrument administered by the joint Shreveport-Caddo Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC). City and Parish versions of the UDC share most articles but diverge on R-A District (City requires 1 acre min, Parish requires 25,000 sf outside Cross Lake Watershed) and may diverge on other district-specific provisions. Always confirm which UDC (City vs Parish) governs a given parcel.
- Naming convention is LOT-SIZE-ENCODED for the R-1 family only: R-1-12 = 12,000 sf min, R-1-10 = 10,000 sf min, R-1-7 = 7,000 sf min, R-1-5 = 5,000 sf min. Other residential districts (R-A, R-E, R-UC, R-HU, R-TH, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-MUV, R-MHS, R-MHP) use use-type-index or letter-code naming. Downtown (D-1-CBD/E/CMU/RMU/AC/HC), commercial (C-1 through C-UV), and industrial (I-MU/I-1/I-2) are letter-code.
- D-1 District family (Downtown — 6 sub-districts) is EXEMPT from all off-street vehicle parking requirements (UDC §8.11.B.1, confirmed via Caddo CTAP packet Ord-6549). Aggressive downtown-parking-elimination policy.
+ 5 more in Quirks & notes
Districts
res_sf 9com 6cbd 6res_mf 4ind 3spec 3res_th 1mu 1off 1
| Code | Name | Category | Min lot | Height | Coverage | FAR | Du/ac | Parking | Setbacks F/S/R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R-A | Rural-Agricultural Residential | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R-E | Rural Estate Residential | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R-1-12 | Single-Family Residential — 12,000 sf | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R-1-10 | Single-Family Residential — 10,000 sf | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R-1-7 | Single-Family Residential — 7,000 sf | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R-1-5 | Single-Family Residential — 5,000 sf | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R-UC | Urban Conservation Residential | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | -1[1] | — / — / — |
| R-HU | Historic Urban Residential | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R-TH | Townhouse Residential | res_th | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R-2 | Two-Family Residential | res_mf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R-3 | Multi-Family Residential | res_mf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R-4 | Multi-Family Residential — High Density | res_mf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R-MUV | Mixed-Use Village Residential | mu | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R-MHS | Mobile Home Subdivision Residential | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R-MHP | Mobile Home Park Residential | res_mf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| C-1 | Neighborhood Commercial | com | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| C-2 | General Commercial | com | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| C-3 | Highway Commercial | com | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| C-4 | Heavy Commercial | com | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| C-UC | Urban Conservation Commercial | com | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| C-UV | Urban Village Commercial | com | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| D-1-CBD | Downtown 1 — Central Business District | cbd | — | — | — | — | — | 0[2] | — / — / — |
| D-1-E | Downtown 1 — Edge | cbd | — | — | — | — | — | 0[3] | — / — / — |
| D-1-CMU | Downtown 1 — Commercial Mixed-Use | cbd | — | — | — | — | — | 0[4] | — / — / — |
| D-1-RMU | Downtown 1 — Residential Mixed-Use | cbd | — | — | — | — | — | 0[5] | — / — / — |
| D-1-AC | Downtown 1 — Arts/Civic | cbd | — | — | — | — | — | 0[6] | — / — / — |
| D-1-HC | Downtown 1 — Health/Civic | cbd | — | — | — | — | — | 0[7] | — / — / — |
| OR | Office Residential | off | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| I-MU | Industrial Mixed-Use | ind | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| I-1 | Light Industrial | ind | — | 60 ft[8] | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| I-2 | Heavy Industrial | ind | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| NA | Natural Area | spec | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| OS | Open Space | spec | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| IC | Institutional/Civic | spec | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found
Overlays
AICUZ-BAFB
Barksdale AFB Air Installations Compatible Use Zone
MILProperties within the published AICUZ noise contours (65 dB DNL, 70 dB DNL, 75 dB DNL) and Accident Potential Zones (APZ-I, APZ-II, Clear Zone) for Barksdale Air Force Base. Barksdale is located in Bossier Parish across the Red River from Shreveport, but its noise/accident contours extend into eastern Shreveport (Caddo Parish) under prevailing flight tracks. Federal AICUZ study (DoD-administered) is the authoritative source; specific contour parameters not extracted from UDC.
| federal_overlay | True |
|---|---|
| federal_authority | DoD AICUZ program; 32 CFR Part 256 |
| noise_contours_db | 65 / 70 / 75 DNL (standard AICUZ tiers; specific Shreveport-side contour map not extracted) |
| accident_potential_zones | Clear Zone / APZ-I / APZ-II (standard AICUZ tiers) |
| land_use_restrictions | DoD-recommended compatibility table (residential not recommended in 65+ DNL; high-occupancy uses restricted in APZ-I; specific UDC enforcement mechanism not extracted from Article 11/12/13 overlays — Akamai-gated) |
FP-FEMA
FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area / Floodplain Overlay
FPProperties within FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA): Zones A, AE, AH, AO (1% annual chance flood); Zone X-shaded (0.2% annual chance); Zone V (coastal V — not applicable inland). Red River corridor and Cross Lake watershed are the primary SFHA in Shreveport. FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) are the trigger; City/Caddo Parish floodplain management ordinance implements the federal NFIP requirements.
| federal_program | NFIP — National Flood Insurance Program |
|---|---|
| base_flood_elevation | FEMA-derived (per FIRM panel) |
| freeboard_ft | |
| udc_section |
HP
Local Historic Preservation Overlay
HPSpecific historic districts in Shreveport include the Highland Historic District, Fairfield Historic District, and Shreveport Downtown Historic District (National Register-listed; local-overlay status implied but not confirmed). Local-overlay designation procedure and parameters not extracted from UDC Article 11/12 — Akamai-gated.
| udc_section | |
|---|---|
| review_body | Shreveport-Caddo MPC (administrative); Historic Preservation Commission (if locally constituted) |
| designated_districts | Highland, Fairfield, Downtown (NRHP-listed; local-overlay status partial) |
State preemptions
La. Const. art. VI §5 — Post-1974 Home Rule (Shreveport)applies
Qualifying condition
City of Shreveport operates under a post-1974 home-rule charter (Lawrason Act municipality elevated to charter, adopted 1978, ratified by voters). La. Const. art. VI §5 grants post-1974 charter cities the powers and functions necessary, requisite, or proper for management of their affairs, subject to the limitation that they may exercise only powers consistent with the constitution and general law. Distinct from §4 jurisdictions (New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Jefferson Parish) which retain pre-1974 charter authority — Shreveport's §5 status gives broad but somewhat weaker preemption resistance than §4 strongholds. Shreveport / Caddo MPC jointly administers zoning under La. R.S. 33:101 et seq. planning enabling statute and La. R.S. 33:4721 SZEA derivative.
Effect
Establishes Shreveport's zoning authority as constitutional home-rule under §5, subject to general state law where the legislature has clearly and unambiguously preempted. No major statewide residential zoning preemption statute currently constrains §5 cities (no statewide ADU mandate, no missing-middle mandate, no density floor, no parking-minimum cap as of 2026).
La. R.S. 33:4721 et seq. — Municipal Zoning Enabling Act (SZEA derivative)applies
Qualifying condition
La. R.S. 33:4721–33:4729 grants municipalities authority to regulate height, number of stories, size of buildings, lot coverage, density, and use. Shreveport's zoning authority derives from a combination of its §5 home-rule charter and this enabling statute. No substantive preemption beyond nonconforming-use protection (statutory, not constitutional); no density, ADU, or missing-middle mandate has been enacted under this chapter as of 2026.
Effect
Provides procedural enabling for zoning; carries statutory nonconforming-use protection. Does NOT preempt any specific dimensional or use standard in the UDC.
La. R.S. 33:101 et seq. — Parish and Municipal Planning Commissionsapplies
Qualifying condition
Shreveport-Caddo Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) operates under La. R.S. 33:101–33:130 as a joint city-parish planning body, headquartered at 505 Travis Street, Suite 440, Shreveport. The MPC administers both the City of Shreveport UDC and the Caddo Parish UDC (single consolidated instrument with city/parish-specific provisions). Confirmed via MPC staff reports (Wayback id=5434, id=17978) explicitly identifying the MPC as the zoning administrator.
Effect
Establishes the joint planning-commission framework; procedurally enabling, not substantively preemptive.
La. R.S. 51:911.22 et seq. — Manufactured Housing State Building Codeapplies
Qualifying condition
Louisiana state code preempts local building-code standards for HUD-Code manufactured housing (federal preemption mirrored at state level). Shreveport UDC R-MHS (mobile home subdivisions) and R-MHP (mobile home parks) districts (confirmed from Table 5-1 column headers in Article 5 Use Matrix PDF id=2180) regulate zoning placement but cannot impose construction standards beyond the state-adopted HUD-Code. Standard preemption pattern; not city-specific.
Effect
Construction standards for manufactured housing are state-controlled; UDC retains zoning placement authority for R-MHS / R-MHP districts.
Non-applicable laws (1)
Short-Term Rentals — No Statewide Preemptiondoes_not_apply
Qualifying condition
Louisiana leaves STR regulation primarily to municipalities and parishes; no statewide preemption statute exists as of 2026. Shreveport regulates STRs under UDC Article 23 (confirmed via Caddo Parish 24-1-CTAP packet, Wayback id=12756, which references UDC Article 23 'Short-Term Rental Property' as the local regime). Caddo Parish operates a parallel STR regime for unincorporated areas. STR registration/permit framework is local, not state-mandated.
Effect
STR regulation is fully local; no state law constrains Shreveport's UDC Article 23 framework.
Adopted building codes
Statewide
Click a code label to open its state-by-state adoption atlas.
Amendment history
| Date | Kind | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-22 | retrieved at | Wayback Machine cached MPC docs (id=5434 staff report 2022-12-07, id=17978 staff report 2025-12-03, id=6498 Article 5 Uses, id=2180 Table 5-1 Use Matrix, id=12756 Caddo CTAP packet 2024-03-27); caddo.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Ord-6549-In-re-to-24-3-ctap-packet.pdf for amendment listing |
| 2024-12-01 | last amended | MPC staff report 25-127-C dated December 3 2025 (id=17978) cites UDC Article 16 §16.3 (SUP) as governing standard; Caddo Parish 24-3-CTAP packet (June 2025) amends Articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14 |
| 2017-05-01 | effective | Camiros-authored UDC rewrite; consolidated Shreveport City + Caddo Parish zoning into single instrument; Article 5 footer references May 2017 effective date |
Quirks & notes
- Shreveport / Caddo UDC is a SINGLE consolidated instrument administered by the joint Shreveport-Caddo Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC). City and Parish versions of the UDC share most articles but diverge on R-A District (City requires 1 acre min, Parish requires 25,000 sf outside Cross Lake Watershed) and may diverge on other district-specific provisions. Always confirm which UDC (City vs Parish) governs a given parcel.
- Naming convention is LOT-SIZE-ENCODED for the R-1 family only: R-1-12 = 12,000 sf min, R-1-10 = 10,000 sf min, R-1-7 = 7,000 sf min, R-1-5 = 5,000 sf min. Other residential districts (R-A, R-E, R-UC, R-HU, R-TH, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-MUV, R-MHS, R-MHP) use use-type-index or letter-code naming. Downtown (D-1-CBD/E/CMU/RMU/AC/HC), commercial (C-1 through C-UV), and industrial (I-MU/I-1/I-2) are letter-code.
- D-1 District family (Downtown — 6 sub-districts) is EXEMPT from all off-street vehicle parking requirements (UDC §8.11.B.1, confirmed via Caddo CTAP packet Ord-6549). Aggressive downtown-parking-elimination policy.
- R-UC District: lots ≤5,000 sf in lot area are exempt from off-street parking (UDC §8.11.B.2). Encourages walkable-scale infill.
- I-1 District: building height baseline = 60 ft (per MPC staff report id=17978 case 25-127-C); excess height permitted via 1:1 yard-trade-off (each required front/side/rear yard increased 1 ft per 1 ft of excess height). Article 4 §-citation not directly extractable.
- AICUZ overlay from Barksdale AFB (Bossier Parish, across Red River) extends federal noise/accident-potential restrictions into eastern Shreveport. Federal-state-conflict overlay per FM-P — federal overlay supersedes state-law treatment of constrained fields. Specific UDC integration not extracted.
- Cross Lake Watershed is a special regulatory zone — referenced in Camiros Technical Review as triggering R-A District lot-size variation for Caddo Parish (does NOT apply within City of Shreveport limits). Likely connects to FEMA floodplain and/or surface-water-supply protection overlay.
- UDC was adopted May 2017, Camiros-authored, replacing the pre-2017 zoning ordinance described in the Camiros Technical Review (April 2014). The pre-2017 code used different district naming (R-1A, R-1C, R-1D, R-1H — confirmed via Camiros report). The v1 record in this repo carried PRE-2017 district codes (R-A, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, C-1, C-2, M-1, M-2) — a v1 fabrication signature; the current UDC uses R-1-5/R-1-7/R-1-10/R-1-12/I-1/I-2 etc.
Formulas
Definitions
- height
- Vertical distance from grade to highest point of structure (UDC Article 4; specific definition not extracted — Article 4 PDF not retrievable from MPC server due to Akamai gating; height-measurement clauses referenced in staff report id=17978 confirm grade-to-highest-point framework).
- lot_coverage
- far
- du_ac
- Dwelling units per gross acre (standard convention; specific UDC §-citation not extracted).
- impervious_cover
- setback_front
- Front property line to nearest building face (UDC Article 7 §7.1 'On-Site Development Standards' framework, confirmed via Caddo CTAP packet listing Article 7 amendments).
- setback_side
- Side property line to nearest building face.
- setback_rear
- Rear property line to nearest building face.
- parking
- Off-street parking requirements set by UDC Article 8 (confirmed via Caddo CTAP packet); D-1 District exempt from all off-street vehicle parking; R-UC lots ≤5,000 sf exempt; non-residential ≤2,500 sf gfa in C-1/C-UC/I-MU exempt.
Capacity calculations
- max_footprint_sf
lot_area_sf * lot_coverage- max_gfa_sf
lot_area_sf * far- max_units_from_density
lot_area_sf * du_ac / 43560- buildable_width_ft
lot_width_ft - setback_side_ft * 2- buildable_depth_ft
lot_depth_ft - setback_front_ft - setback_rear_ft- buildable_envelope_sf
buildable_width_ft * buildable_depth_ft- max_stories_approx
max_height_ft / 10- max_gfa_from_envelope
min(buildable_envelope_sf * max_stories_approx, max_gfa_sf)- parking_required
units * parking
Massing explorer
Interactive 3D comparison across every district. Drag to orbit, scroll to zoom, use the slider to walk districts, and toggle applicable overlays in the right-side panel.
Sort by
Max height
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Setbacks (F / S / R)
— ft
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Parking
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Max density
— du/ac
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Min lot size
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| District | Category | Height | FAR | Coverage | Setbacks | Parking | Density | Min lot | Overlays |
|---|
Sources & references
Citations
- [1] §8.11.B.2
- [2] §8.11.B.1
- [3] §8.11.B.1
- [4] §8.11.B.1
- [5] §8.11.B.1
- [6] §8.11.B.1
- [7] §8.11.B.1
- [8] §Article 4 (cited in MPC staff report id=17978 case 25-127-C)
Research status
Publication gates
| primary url present | passed | source = https://www.shreveportcaddompc.com/codes/unified-development-code/city-of-shreveport/unofficial-shreveport-udc (MPC self-hosted, not an aggregator) |
|---|---|---|
| no aggregator cited | passed | Scan clean — no zoneomics/steadily/siteplanguide/sitedesignguide/siteplancreator/propwire/zonara/unzoned cited. Primary citations: MPC self-hosted UDC pages (shreveportcaddompc.com), Wayback Machine (web.archive.org), caddo.gov (Caddo Parish official site), Camiros Technical Review (April 2014, mirror at silo.tips referenced only for v1-fabrication catches — not cited as primary UDC source) |
| confidence tags full form | failed | ALL 30 districts carry dimensional standards as `under_review` with paired qualifying_condition_checked + retrieval_failure_reason citing Akamai gating on MPC server (www.shreveportcaddompc.com returns HTTP 403 from Akamai edge gateway to all scripted access). The 3 confirmed sub-fields (D-1 family parking exemption §8.11.B.1, R-UC parking exemption §8.11.B.2, I-1 max_height_ft = 60 ft from MPC staff report id=17978) carry full §-citation. But the bulk of dimensional standards remain unretrieved — Article 4 (Zoning District Regulations) PDF doc id=11429 on MPC server returns Akamai 403; Wayback Machine has not cached Article 4 PDF (only the unofficial-shreveport-udc landing page is in CDX). Without primary-source Article 4 extraction, the record cannot reach shipping confidence. |
| overlays have parameters trigger confidence | failed | 3 overlays documented (AICUZ-BAFB military, FP-FEMA floodplain, HP historic) — all carry trigger + base_interaction='not stated' + confidence='p' (partial). AICUZ federal overlay status confirmed; FEMA SFHA program confirmed at Red River/Cross Lake; NRHP historic districts confirmed (Highland, Fairfield, Downtown). But local-UDC overlay code/ordinance §-citation NOT extracted for any overlay — Article 11 (overlay districts) PDF Akamai-gated, Wayback uncached. Parameters{} blocks include the standard federal/program-level data but lack the city-specific UDC implementation details required for shipping confidence. |
| preempt section city specific | passed | 5 state preemption laws documented with city-specific qualifying_condition_checked: La. Const. art. VI §5 (post-1974 home rule applies); La. R.S. 33:4721 SZEA enabling (applies); La. R.S. 33:101 planning enabling (applies, joint MPC structure cited); La. R.S. 51:911.22 manufactured housing (applies to R-MHS/R-MHP); STR no-preemption (does_not_apply with effect explanation). Louisiana is NOT in the active-preemption-state list (CA/TX/FL/OR/WA/CO/MN/MT/UT/AZ/NJ/CT), so Gate 5 has lower threshold; this record exceeds it. Note: §5 home-rule applicability cited rather than §4 because Shreveport adopted its charter post-1974 (1978 charter ratification). |
Data quality
15%completeness4 confirmed
Documented gaps
- UDC Article 4 (Zoning District Regulations) — dimensional table for all 30+ districts (min_lot_sf, max_height_ft, lot_coverage, FAR, du_ac, setbacks): Akamai-gated, Wayback uncached
- UDC Article 7 §7.1 (On-Site Development Standards) — fence/structure-on-lot rules: only amendments visible via Caddo CTAP exhibits, base article not extracted
- UDC Article 8 (Off-Street Parking and Loading) — per-use parking ratios: exemption clauses §8.11.B confirmed but per-use tables not retrieved
- UDC Article 9 (Sign Regulations) — Tables 9-2/9-3/9-4: only amendments visible via Caddo CTAP exhibits
- UDC Article 11 (Overlay Districts) — AICUZ, floodplain, historic overlay code/citation: not retrieved
- UDC Article 23 (Short-Term Rental Property) — STR registration framework: only amendments visible
- Pre-2017 zoning ordinance reference (Camiros Technical Review April 2014) is NOT a citable source for current UDC dimensional standards — it documents the pre-rewrite code
Other cities in this state
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