BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana has enacted a new law targeting intentional littering by banning the purposeful release of balloons across the state. This law goes into effect on August 1.
House Bill 851, enrolled as Act No. 196, amends state law to make it illegal for an individual to intentionally release a balloon. The legislation also bans organizing any event that includes a planned, intentional release of 12 or more balloons.
Sponsored by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Representatives Illg, Bayham, Coates, Cox, Deshotel, DeWitt, and Dickerson, alongside Senator Cathey, the act establishes clear guidelines and exemptions for the new restriction.
According to the statute, the penalties do not apply to individuals under the age of 17, nor do they apply to the negligent or unintentional release of a balloon. Additionally, releasing a balloon indoors remains legal under the new rule.
Other exceptions built into the law include the release of balloons made from biodegradable or photobiodegradable materials, as well as launches conducted for scientific or meteorological purposes by governmental agencies, government contractors, or educational institutions. Balloons attached to a radio tracking device operated by a licensed amateur radio operator and recovered hot air balloons are also exempt.
For enforcement purposes, the law dictates that the intentional release of multiple balloons at a single event, location, or time will be treated as a single violation. Furthermore, any violation must be cited within one year of the date on which law enforcement personnel knew or reasonably should have known that the act occurred.