St. James Parish

Parish Ordinances

Sec. 6-12. Hours of operation; penalties.

(a)   The operating hours regulating the sale of alcoholic beverages and the operating hours regulating businesses whose main business is derived from the sale of alcoholic beverages in the parish are as follows:

(1)   No person holding a retail dealer’s permit and no associate, representative, servant, agent or employee of the permittee shall do or permit any of the following acts to be done on or about the licensed premises:

  1. Sell, offer for sale, serve or give alcoholic beverages between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. on all days except Saturday and Sunday, when the morning hours shall be 2:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.
  2. Allow the possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages on the premises between the hours of 2:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. on all days except Saturday and Sunday, when the morning hours shall be 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.
  3. Allow anyone except employees to be or remain on the premises between 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. when the sale or handling of alcoholic beverages constitutes the main business (60 percent of income).

(2)   This section exempts the following days from the curfew hours:

  1. Christmas Eve;
  2. Christmas Day;
  3. New Year’s Eve;
  4. New Year’s Day;
  5. Fourth of July; and
  6. Any other days exempted by vote of the council or by proclamation of the parish president.

(b)   Grocery stores, drugstores or other establishments whose main business is not the sale of alcoholic beverages of high or low alcoholic content may remain open for the sale of other items permitted by law, but any sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages in such places of business during the prohibited hours above set forth is expressly prohibited.

(c)   Any person convicted of violating any provision of this section shall:

(1)   On the first offense, be fined not more than $100.00 or imprisoned for not more than ten days or both.

(2)   On the second conviction, the offender shall be fined not less than $250.00 nor more than $500.00 or imprisoned for not more than 30 days or both.

(3)   On the third or subsequent conviction, the offender shall be fined $500.00 or imprisoned for not more than 30 days or both, and the offender’s license may be suspended for not more than ten days.

(Code 1990, § 14:12)