Caddo Commissioner Ron Cothran asked Caddo Commission Clerk Jeff Everson to research the various alcohol ordinances in effect throughout Caddo Parish.
This comprehensive effort included reviewing applicable ordinances in the unincorporated areas of the parish along with those in the City of Shreveport and the Towns of Blanchard, Greenwood and Vivian.
Here is Everson’s work product:
Summary Comparison of Alcohol Ordinances
Unincorporated Caddo Parish and Incorporated Municipalities Within Caddo Parish
Prepared from the Caddo Parish, Shreveport, Blanchard, Vivian, and Greenwood sources provided, together with related public municipal webpages and the publicly reported 2023 Mooringsport alcohol vote.
Bottom line: Caddo Parish unincorporated rules are generally more restrictive and less uniform than the City of Shreveport and some incorporated municipalities. The biggest points of confusion are geography-specific dry areas in unincorporated Wards 1, 3, and 6; different Sunday-sales exceptions; different employee-card systems and renewal periods; and differing location-distance rules.
Comparison by jurisdiction
Key takeaways
The parish code creates a patchwork result in the unincorporated area because the parish is generally wet, yet the unincorporated portions of Wards 1, 3, and 6 are dry. That makes compliance highly location-dependent.
Shreveport is operationally easier to understand for businesses because its city process is centralized through the ABO office, its employee-card system is clearly described on the city website, and the city code contains detailed rules for open containers and downtown spacing.
Blanchard is closer to the parish model than to Shreveport, but it has more modern local administrative controls, including explicit open-container rules and broad permit-review authority tied to neighborhood impacts.
Vivian appears substantially more restrictive than both Caddo Parish generally and Shreveport because its public summary reflects tighter hours and a prohibition on licensing high-alcohol-content beverage activity in town.
For several smaller municipalities, the practical compliance problem is not just the rule itself but the lack of a single easy-to-find public code source. Businesses and residents may not know whether to look first to parish rules, a local election result, or a municipal ordinance.
Recommendations for unincorporated Caddo Parish
Adopt a plain-language parish alcohol guide and map. A single public handout should identify the dry unincorporated portions of Wards 1, 3, and 6, Sunday exceptions, distance rules, permit contacts, and employee-card requirements by address.
Consider harmonizing location-distance rules where feasible. The current 500-foot parish rule is stricter than the 300-foot baseline used by Shreveport, Blanchard, and Vivian, which can confuse applicants operating near municipal boundaries.
Standardize permit administration and card terminology. The parish could mirror Shreveport’s clearer public-facing materials by publishing step-by-step application checklists, renewal dates, and a simple comparison between parish and municipal employee-card requirements.
Clarify Sunday-sales categories in ordinance text and public guidance. Restaurants, private clubs, private parties, raceways, and packaged beer each have different Sunday rules in the parish; those rules should be reorganized into a single chart.
Coordinate with the smaller municipalities on a Caddo-wide compliance portal. Even if each town keeps its own rules, one linked portal would reduce confusion for businesses, law enforcement, event promoters, and residents.
Sources reviewed: Caddo Parish Code of Ordinances, Chapter 4; Shreveport Code of Ordinances, Chapter 10; Town of Blanchard Chapter 7 PDF; Greenwood and Vivian code links provided; Caddo Parish code portal; Shreveport ABO / liquor-license webpages; AACEA Caddo parish alcohol summary; Village of Belcher town documents page; Town of Oil City website; and public reporting on the 2023 Mooringsport alcohol vote.