Residents’ Guide to Boards & Commissions
New Orleans has over 100 public boards and commissions made up of residents like you.
Photo credit: The New Orleans Advocate
What are Boards & Commissions ?
Adapted from the City of New Orleans’ Boards & Commissions Website.
Municipal boards and commissions are official bodies established by a city or local government to oversee, advise on, or manage specific functions, policies, or areas of community interest. They are typically composed of appointed members—often residents, subject-matter experts, or stakeholders—who volunteer or are selected by public officials like the mayor or city council. New Orleans has over 100.
Alcoholic Beverage Control Board • Algiers Development District • Arts Council of New Orleans • Audubon Area Security District • Audubon Commission • BioDistrict New Orleans • Board of Building Standards and Appeals • Board of City Trusts • Board of Liquidation, City Debt • Board of Trustees of the Municipal Employee's Retirement System • Board of Trustees of the Police Pension Fund • Board of Zoning Adjustments • Broadmoor Neighborhood Improvement District • Central Business District Historic Landmarks Commission • Children and Youth Planning Board • City Park Improvement Association • City Planning Commission • Civil Service Commission • Delgado Albania Plantation Commission • Downtown Development District • East New Orleans Neighborhood Advisory Commission • Economic Development Advisory Committee • Edward Wisner Donation Advisory Committee • Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority • Ethics Review Board • Fairgrounds Citizen Advisory Committee • Finance Authority of New Orleans • Firefighter's Pension and Relief Fund • French Market Corporation • French Quarter Management District • Garden District Security District • Gentilly Development District • Gentilly Terrace and Gardens Improvement District • Health Education Authority of Louisiana • Housing Authority of New Orleans • Huntington Park Subdivision Improvement District • Hurstville Security and Neighborhood Improvement District • Industrial Development Board • Kenilworth Improvement District • Kingswood Subdivision Improvement District • Lake Barrington Subdivision Improvement District • Lake Bullard Neighborhood Improvement District • Lake Carmel Subdivision Improvement District • Lake Forest Estates Improvement District • Lake Oaks Subdivision Improvement District • Lake Terrace Crime Prevention District • Lake Vista Crime Prevention District • Lake Willow Subdivision Improvement District • Lakeshore Crime Prevention District • Lakeview Crime Prevention District • Lakewood Crime Prevention and Improvement District • Lakewood East Security and Neighborhood Improvement District • Law Enforcement Management District of Orleans Parish • Mayor's Advisory Council for Citizens with Disabilities • Mayor's Military Advisory Committee • McKendall Estates Neighborhood Improvement District • Metropolitan Human Services District • Mid-City Security District • Milneburg Neighborhood and Improvement District • Municipal Yacht Harbor Management Corporation • Neighborhood Conservation District Advisory Committee • Neighborhood Housing Advisory Committee • New Orleans Access Television Board • New Orleans Aviation Board • New Orleans Building Corporation • New Orleans Center for Creative Arts • New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission • New Orleans Lakefront Authority (formerly Non-Flood Protection Asset Management Authority) • New Orleans Mosquito, Termite & Rodent Control Board • New Orleans Museum of Art • New Orleans Public Belt Railroad Commission • New Orleans Public Library • New Orleans Recreation Development Commission • New Orleans Redevelopment Authority • New Orleans Regional AIDS Planning Council • New Orleans Regional Business Park • New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund • New Orleans Workforce Development Board • NOLA Business Alliance • North Kenilworth Improvement and Security District • Oak Island Neighborhood Improvement District • Orleans Parish Communication District • Orleans Parish Hospital Service District-District A • Orleans Parish Law Enforcement District • Orleans Parish Law Enforcement Streamline and Accountability Commission • Parking Facilities Corporation • Pressburg East Neighborhood Improvement and Security District • Quality Assurance Review Advisory Committee for the Office of Inspector General • Regional Planning Commission • Regional Transit Authority • Revenue Estimating Conference • Sanford "Sandy" Krasnoff New Orleans Criminal Justice Council • Seabrook Neighborhood Improvement and Security District • Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans • Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East • Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-West • Spring Lake Subdivision Improvement District • Tamaron Subdivision Improvement District • Touro-Bouligny Security District • Twinbrook Security District • Upper Audubon Security District • Upper Hurstville Security District • Vieux Carre' Commission
Alcoholic Beverage Control Board • Algiers Development District • Arts Council of New Orleans • Audubon Area Security District • Audubon Commission • BioDistrict New Orleans • Board of Building Standards and Appeals • Board of City Trusts • Board of Liquidation, City Debt • Board of Trustees of the Municipal Employee's Retirement System • Board of Trustees of the Police Pension Fund • Board of Zoning Adjustments • Broadmoor Neighborhood Improvement District • Central Business District Historic Landmarks Commission • Children and Youth Planning Board • City Park Improvement Association • City Planning Commission • Civil Service Commission • Delgado Albania Plantation Commission • Downtown Development District • East New Orleans Neighborhood Advisory Commission • Economic Development Advisory Committee • Edward Wisner Donation Advisory Committee • Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority • Ethics Review Board • Fairgrounds Citizen Advisory Committee • Finance Authority of New Orleans • Firefighter's Pension and Relief Fund • French Market Corporation • French Quarter Management District • Garden District Security District • Gentilly Development District • Gentilly Terrace and Gardens Improvement District • Health Education Authority of Louisiana • Housing Authority of New Orleans • Huntington Park Subdivision Improvement District • Hurstville Security and Neighborhood Improvement District • Industrial Development Board • Kenilworth Improvement District • Kingswood Subdivision Improvement District • Lake Barrington Subdivision Improvement District • Lake Bullard Neighborhood Improvement District • Lake Carmel Subdivision Improvement District • Lake Forest Estates Improvement District • Lake Oaks Subdivision Improvement District • Lake Terrace Crime Prevention District • Lake Vista Crime Prevention District • Lake Willow Subdivision Improvement District • Lakeshore Crime Prevention District • Lakeview Crime Prevention District • Lakewood Crime Prevention and Improvement District • Lakewood East Security and Neighborhood Improvement District • Law Enforcement Management District of Orleans Parish • Mayor's Advisory Council for Citizens with Disabilities • Mayor's Military Advisory Committee • McKendall Estates Neighborhood Improvement District • Metropolitan Human Services District • Mid-City Security District • Milneburg Neighborhood and Improvement District • Municipal Yacht Harbor Management Corporation • Neighborhood Conservation District Advisory Committee • Neighborhood Housing Advisory Committee • New Orleans Access Television Board • New Orleans Aviation Board • New Orleans Building Corporation • New Orleans Center for Creative Arts • New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission • New Orleans Lakefront Authority (formerly Non-Flood Protection Asset Management Authority) • New Orleans Mosquito, Termite & Rodent Control Board • New Orleans Museum of Art • New Orleans Public Belt Railroad Commission • New Orleans Public Library • New Orleans Recreation Development Commission • New Orleans Redevelopment Authority • New Orleans Regional AIDS Planning Council • New Orleans Regional Business Park • New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund • New Orleans Workforce Development Board • NOLA Business Alliance • North Kenilworth Improvement and Security District • Oak Island Neighborhood Improvement District • Orleans Parish Communication District • Orleans Parish Hospital Service District-District A • Orleans Parish Law Enforcement District • Orleans Parish Law Enforcement Streamline and Accountability Commission • Parking Facilities Corporation • Pressburg East Neighborhood Improvement and Security District • Quality Assurance Review Advisory Committee for the Office of Inspector General • Regional Planning Commission • Regional Transit Authority • Revenue Estimating Conference • Sanford "Sandy" Krasnoff New Orleans Criminal Justice Council • Seabrook Neighborhood Improvement and Security District • Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans • Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East • Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-West • Spring Lake Subdivision Improvement District • Tamaron Subdivision Improvement District • Touro-Bouligny Security District • Twinbrook Security District • Upper Audubon Security District • Upper Hurstville Security District • Vieux Carre' Commission
Who can serve?
The minimum requirement is being 18+ years old and a registered voter in Orleans Parish.
Beyond that, different boards have different requirements. Some are specific to a particular council district, neighborhood or profession, or require a certain lived experience.* The qualifications for a specific board are listed on the board's website.
*For example, the Regional AIDS Planning Council, which plans services for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, requires that 33% of the board is HIV+. This is to ensure the most-impacted residents have representation.