State laws Louisiana
From Service Dog Training
State laws in Louisiana.
"§52. Guide or service dog, rights and privileges of owners; penalties for violations
A. Any blind person, visually handicapped person, deaf person, hearing impaired person, or otherwise physically disabled person who is accompanied by a properly controlled dog which such person has been taught to use as a guide or for service at a qualified dog guide or service school is entitled to the full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities, and privileges of all public accommodation, amusement or resort, and other places to which the general public is invited, and shall be entitled to take such dog into such conveyances and places, subject only to the accommodations and limitations applicable to all persons not so accompanied, provided that the dog shall not occupy a seat in any public conveyance.
B. Any person, firm, or corporation, or agent, representative, or employee of any person, firm, or corporation who deprives any blind person, visually handicapped person, deaf person, hearing impaired person, or otherwise physically disabled person of any right conferred by Subsection A of this Section, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof, shall be fined a sum not to exceed five hundred dollars, or be imprisoned in the parish jail for a period not to exceed ninety days, or both, within the discretion of the judge; and for every such offense such person shall forfeit and pay a sum not to exceed five hundred dollars to any person aggrieved thereby, to be recovered in any court of competent jurisdiction in the parish where such offense was committed.
C. The provisions of Subsections A and B of this Section shall be inapplicable unless the person, as described in Subsections A and B of this Section, accompanied by a guide or service dog, shall furnish evidence as to the training of the dog, which evidence shall be obtained from the training agency or school by which the dog has been trained.
Added by Acts 1954, No. 83, §1. Amended by Acts 1962, No. 33, §1; Acts 1981, No. 407, §1; Acts 1993, No. 763, §1."
This law provides access to guide and service dog users, but only for those trained at a qualified guide or service dog school. The law specifically denies access to those that cannot provide proof of training by a guide or service dog training school. Because this law provides less protection to the disabled person than the ADA, the ADA's guidelines should be followed in this case and it is not necessary for service dog users in Louisiana to provide any sort of documentation from a training school to obtain access.
Note: This law has not been updated since before the passage of the ADA.
State laws may be superseded by the ADA. For the text of the ADA, click here. For general information about service dogs, click here. If you are looking for information on service dogs in places of business, check out our Information for businesses.
All opinions and summaries on this page are my own and should not be construed as legal advice. If you are in need of advice on the state or federal laws applicable to service dogs you should contact a lawyer. Last revised 9/26/2009
