Aug 26, 2026

City Park vs Audubon Park With a Dog: Two Rulebooks, One City

Two non-profits run New Orleans' two great parks, and their dog rules are not the same. Where they agree, where they differ, and the clause in City Park's rules that catches people out.

Luis ZamoraCo-founder of PetCompass; Dog Dad to Banzo and Tuck

New Orleans, Louisiana10 min readThings to DoPet Care & Services

New Orleans' two great parks are not run by the city, are not run by the same body, and do not have the same rules for dogs.

City Park is managed by City Park Conservancy, a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Audubon Park is managed by Audubon Nature Institute on behalf of the Audubon Commission, which its rules page describes as "an independent public agency whose members are appointed by the Mayor of New Orleans."

Two non-profits, two rulebooks, two sets of security numbers. If you walk a dog in both, it is worth knowing where they differ, because the differences are real and one of them will surprise you.

Side by side

	City Park	Audubon Park
Run by	City Park Conservancy	Audubon Nature Institute, for the Audubon Commission
Size	"over 1,300 acres"	Not stated on the rules page
Hours	5am to 10pm daily	5am to 10pm daily
Leash	Required at all times	Required at all times
Off-leash option	Yes, NOLA City Bark, permit only	None
Where dogs may go	"open areas and the NOLA City Bark dog park"	Not restricted by area on the rules page
Security	City Park Police, 504-421-9307	Audubon Security, (504) 628-3988, 24 hours
Emergency call boxes	Not mentioned	Eight, located throughout the parks
Feeding wildlife	"Please do not feed the wildlife"	Ducks only, "lettuce, oats, or seeds"
Feral cat colonies	Not addressed	Feeding and supporting TNR colonies prohibited
Glass	Prohibited	Breaking glass bottles prohibited
Water	No swimming or wading in lagoons	No swimming or fishing in lagoons

Both hours ranges are quoted from the sources, which print them with dashes our house style does not use. We have substituted "to" and are saying so.

The clause that catches people out at City Park

City Park's rules and policies page states, under "Animals and Hunting":

"Pets must remain on leash at all times and in possession by the owner. Owners must pick up after their pets and properly dispose of waste. Pets are only allowed in open areas and the NOLA City Bark dog park."

That third sentence is the one to read twice. In a park the Conservancy describes as "an open urban public park comprised of over 1,300 acres", dogs are limited to open areas and the dog park. Not the whole park. The attractions, and City Park has many of them, are out.

The rules do not enumerate which areas count as open and which do not, so the practical reading is: lawns, paths and the dog park yes; anywhere with a gate, a ticket or a turnstile no. If you are unsure at a particular building, the safe assumption is that a dog does not go in.

Audubon's rules do not contain an equivalent geographic restriction. Its leash rule is absolute and its area rule is not stated, though the same institute runs Audubon Zoo, which is a separate ticketed facility with its own policies and is not the park.

The leash rule, and the only citation we could find

Both parks require a leash at all times. Audubon's version, verbatim as rule 1 of its rules and policies:

"Animals must always be securely leashed and remain in possession by the owner while in the park. (City Ordinance Chapter 18 Article I Section 18-14)"

That parenthesis is more valuable than it looks. It is the only place in any source we read that cites the New Orleans leash ordinance by section. The Louisiana SPCA, which enforces the city's animal laws under contract, answers "Does my dog have to be on a leash?" on its Animal Control FAQ with one word: "Yes." No section number. Audubon supplies one.

We name the section because Audubon names it.

Audubon also cites its own governing authority: "City Code Section 106-105 authorizes Audubon Park Commission to control and manage the park. Section 106.1 authorizes Audubon Park Commission to administer, operate, maintain, and post the hours of operation for the park." Which explains why a non-profit can set park hours at all.

Where the two parks genuinely disagree

Cats. And it is not a small difference.

Audubon prohibits, verbatim: "Feeding feral cats is prohibited. Establishing or supporting TNR feral colonies in the Park is prohibited. To report abandoned pets or injured wildlife contact Audubon Security."

Meanwhile the Louisiana SPCA, the city's contracted animal control agency, states on its FAQ that "Orleans Parish laws allow cats to roam freely" and runs a Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return programme across the parish.

So the parish permits free-roaming cats and its animal control provider runs return-to-field. A major park inside that parish bans supporting colonies on its own ground. Both bodies have authority over what they are describing, and we are not going to pretend one overrules the other. If you feed a colony, that is legal in New Orleans and not permitted inside Audubon Park.

City Park's rules do not address feral cats at all. Absence of a rule is not permission, and it is not a prohibition either. It is silence.

Water, and why it matters here

Both parks ban dogs and people from the water, and in New Orleans that is a health rule rather than a tidiness rule.

City Park: "Swimming or wading in fountains, lagoons, pools or water structures within City Park is prohibited." Also: "Personal boating and recreational watercraft are not currently permitted on City Park waterways." Fishing is allowed with a Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries licence and is catch and release only.

Audubon: "Kayaking, canoeing, sport boating, fishing, swimming in the lagoons, ponds or bodies of water in Audubon Park" are all prohibited. Fishing is permitted only in the Mississippi from Audubon Riverview Park.

A dog that swims in a warm southern lagoon is a dog exposed to whatever is in it, and both parks have taken the decision out of your hands. On a hot day the lagoon is the most tempting thing in either park, so it is worth knowing before your dog is halfway in.

Both parks also ban glass. City Park: "No glass containers." Audubon: "Breaking glass bottles is prohibited" and it "strongly encourages" aluminium instead. Broken glass and bare paws are the reason.

Wildlife, and the duck rule

City Park: "Please do not feed the wildlife."

Audubon: "Please only feed ducks lettuce, oats, or seeds. Bread is low in protein in can cause health issues for birds." The typographical slip is in the original; we are reproducing the sentence as published.

So one park says no and the other says yes with conditions. If you walk a dog past a pond in Audubon and someone is throwing lettuce, they are following the rules. In City Park they would not be.

For a dog owner the relevant part is what feeding attracts. Geese and ducks that associate people with food come closer, and a dog on a six-foot lead near a defensive goose is a scenario with a predictable ending.

Getting help, in each park

The security arrangements differ, and Audubon's are more visible.

Audubon. Its rules give three routes, as three separate items. "In case of an emergency call 911." Then, as a sub-point: "Audubon Security can be reached 24 hours at (504) 628-3988 via phone or by activating one of the eight Emergency Call Boxes located throughout the parks." And a third: Audubon Zoo First Responders are available during zoo open hours, given as 10:00am to 5:00pm, on (504) 235-5412. That one is paraphrased rather than quoted, because the source prints the range with a dash our house style does not use.

Eight call boxes and a 24-hour number is a genuinely useful thing to know if you walk before dawn, which in this climate many people do.

City Park. Its rules state that visitors are "subject to the laws of the United States, State of Louisiana, and City of New Orleans Code of Ordinances, which are enforceable by City Park Police and the New Orleans Police Department." The City Bark rules document gives City Park Police as 504-421-9307 for out-of-hours incidents.

And for an animal emergency in either park, the Louisiana SPCA's instruction applies: "If there is an animal emergency, call our Humane Law & Rescue team immediately at 911."

The one off-leash option, and what it costs

Only City Park has one, and it is not free.

NOLA City Bark is a 4.6-acre gated dog park at 10 Magnolia Drive. Its own page states: "NOLA City Bark is a permit-only dog park. You and your dog(s) must have a permit to enter the dog park. NO exceptions will be made."

Permits run $85 a year for one dog, $125 for two, $150 for three, or $25 for a two-week temporary. Dogs must be at least six months old, spayed or neutered, heartworm negative and current on rabies, DHLPP and Bordetella. Hours are Wednesday to Monday 5:30am to 9pm, and Tuesday 3pm to 9pm.

Audubon has no equivalent. If off-leash time is what you need, City Park is the only one of the two that offers it, and you will need to arrange the permit before you go rather than at the gate.

Choosing between them, honestly

Pick City Park if you want off-leash time, you have or will buy a City Bark permit, and you are happy to keep the dog to open areas and paths for the rest of the visit. The scale is the draw. Over 1,300 acres is a lot of walking.

Pick Audubon if you want a long shaded leash walk with visible security, you are Uptown, and you do not need a fenced run. The path system under the oaks is the point.

Either works before eight in the morning. Both open at 5am, and in a city where afternoon heat is the constraint for most of the year, that early opening is the best amenity either park has. NOLA Ready's pet guidance makes the reason explicit: "Asphalt can get very hot. If it's too hot for you to touch comfortably, it's probably unsafe for your pet to walk on."

Neither is a substitute for a dog park if your dog needs to run. Two leash-only parks and one paid gated run is the whole picture in Orleans Parish, and pretending otherwise does nobody any favours.

Our notes on dog park etiquette cover the gated-park side, our summer heat safety for pets guide covers the timing, and how to leash train a dog is the groundwork that makes a leash-only park pleasant rather than a chore.

If you are visiting, both parks are reachable from most of the city and our New Orleans hotel directory and roundup of pet-friendly hotels in New Orleans will help you pick a base near whichever you prefer.

Frequently asked questions

Are dogs allowed in Audubon Park? Yes, on a leash. Audubon's rules state that animals must always be securely leashed and remain in possession by the owner while in the park.

Are dogs allowed in City Park New Orleans? Yes, on a leash, and only in open areas and the NOLA City Bark dog park.

Is there a dog park in Audubon Park? No. Audubon Park has no off-leash facility. The nearest permit-only dog park is NOLA City Bark in City Park.

What are City Park's hours? 5am to 10pm daily, except for special events approved by City Park Conservancy.

What are Audubon Park's hours? Audubon Park and Audubon Riverview Park are open daily 5am to 10pm.

Can my dog swim in the lagoons in City Park or Audubon Park? No. Both parks prohibit swimming and wading in their lagoons and water features.

Sources

Park rules change. Check each park's own page before a first visit.