Louisiana Cell Phone Law: Fines, Exceptions, and School Zones

The Louisiana cell phone law, codified at Revised Statutes 32:59, prohibits every driver from holding or manually using a wireless device while their vehicle is moving on a public road. Fines run from $100 for a standard violation up to $500 for a crash inside a school zone or construction zone. Hands-free calls, Bluetooth, and mounted GPS are still allowed for most drivers, and where an officer can pull you over for phone use alone depends on where you are.

What Is Banned and What Is Allowed

The rule reaches much further than the old texting ban it replaced. You cannot use a handheld wireless device for any manual purpose while driving: calls, texts, browsing, video, social media, or any similar interaction. Cellphones, tablets, personal digital assistants, and standalone computers all fall under the statute. Devices permanently built into the vehicle, CB radios, commercial two-way radios, and amateur radio equipment do not.¹

Hands-free use is still legal. The statute defines a hands-free wireless telephone as one with a built-in feature or attachment that lets you carry on a conversation without using either hand. Bluetooth earpieces, speakerphone, and vehicle infotainment systems qualify. You can briefly touch the device to activate, deactivate, or start a function, so long as you are not holding it during the interaction.¹

The ban only applies while you are driving on a public road. It does not apply when your vehicle is “lawfully stationary,” which the statute defines as stopped and in park or neutral, or standing in gear but not moving, in a travel lane or on the shoulder. Stopping in compliance with a traffic signal or law enforcement direction also counts. So a phone check at a red light is fine if you are in park or neutral. Scrolling while you creep forward in a drive-through lane on a public road is not.¹

State law occupies the entire field. No parish or city can pass a stricter local ordinance on driver phone use, so the rule is the same in every corner of Louisiana.²

Exceptions to the Ban

The statute allows handheld use in several defined situations:

Reporting a traffic crash, medical emergency, serious road hazard, or a situation where someone appears to be in danger of serious injury or death.
Dialing 911 to report a crime in progress.
Viewing navigation data or images on a hands-free mounted device. If you are holding the phone for directions, you are in violation.
For-hire and transit drivers relaying information with a dispatcher through a device mounted to the vehicle.
Law enforcement officers, firefighters, and EMS practitioners acting in their official capacity.
Drivers whose vehicles are lawfully stationary, and utility or roadside assistance workers parked while performing their duties.

If you use your phone for navigation, mount it on the dashboard or windshield and enter the destination before you start moving. Punching in a new address on a mounted device while you drive still risks crossing the line, because the exception is for viewing the display, not for manual input.

When Police Can Pull You Over

Where the violation happens changes what an officer can do about it.

In a school zone or a highway construction zone, phone use is a primary offense. An officer who sees you holding your phone can stop you for that reason alone.²

Everywhere else, it is a secondary offense. An officer can only cite you for phone use if you have already been stopped for a separate moving violation such as speeding or running a stop sign.² That softens the law’s teeth in practice, but not by much. Hold your phone while you drift over a lane line, and the phone citation rides along with whatever moving violation triggered the stop.

Fines by Scenario

The penalty depends on where the violation happens and whether a crash was involved.

Outside School and Construction Zones

A standard violation carries a $100 fine. A judge can reduce it to $50 if you complete up to 15 hours of community service, at least half of which must be in a litter abatement program.²

If you were in a crash at the time of the violation, the fine doubles to $200. The investigating officer must also note on the accident report that a wireless device was in use, which creates a documented record that can surface in later civil or insurance disputes.²

Inside School Zones and Construction Zones

A violation in one of these zones carries a $250 fine, reducible to $100 with up to 15 hours of community service under the same litter abatement rule.²

If a crash occurs in one of these zones while you are using your phone, the fine doubles to $500, and the same mandatory notation on the accident report applies.⁴

First-Year Drivers Face a Total Ban

A separate statute, RS 32:289.1, imposes a blanket phone ban on anyone who has just received their first Louisiana driver’s license. For one year from the date of issuance, you cannot use a cell phone for any purpose while driving, including hands-free. The original issuance date is printed on the back of the license.⁵

The only exceptions are contacting a public safety agency, being in a parked vehicle, emergency response personnel performing their duties, and CB or two-way radios. Bluetooth calls, speakerphone, and voice-activated features are off limits during that first year.⁵

The restriction does not apply if you previously held a driver’s license in another state. It is aimed at genuinely new drivers, not people who relocated to Louisiana.⁵

A first violation carries a $100 fine, 16 hours of community service, or both. Subsequent violations rise to $250, 24 hours of community service, or both. If a crash is involved, the fine doubles. This is also classified as a nonmoving, secondary offense.⁵

Commercial Drivers Face Federal Rules on Top

If you hold a CDL, state law is only half the picture. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations independently prohibit handheld mobile phone use while operating a commercial motor vehicle, and the consequences escalate quickly.

A second offense triggers a 60-day CDL disqualification, and a third offense triggers a 120-day disqualification. States must suspend a CDL after two or more serious traffic violations, and a handheld phone violation in a commercial vehicle qualifies.⁶ The state fine is modest, but losing your CDL for two or four months is a livelihood problem.

What a Ticket Means for Your Record and Insurance

Louisiana classifies violations under both RS 32:59 and RS 32:289.1 as nonmoving.³ The citation still appears on your Office of Motor Vehicles record, but it carries less weight than a speeding ticket or a reckless driving charge. Louisiana does not use a numerical point system.

Insurance companies review driving records when setting premiums, and some insurers treat any citation as a risk factor, so a bump is possible. The larger exposure shows up after a crash. That mandatory notation on the accident report documenting your phone use gives the other driver’s attorney and their insurer direct evidence in any liability claim.

Fighting a Ticket

Outside school and construction zones, the most common defense starts with the traffic stop itself. Because phone use is only a secondary offense there, an officer needs a separate moving violation to justify pulling you over. If the initial stop lacked reasonable cause, the phone citation falls with it.

The evidence usually comes down to the officer’s visual observation that you were holding or looking at a phone. Distance, lighting, window tint, and angle can all create reasonable doubt. Phone records showing no calls, texts, or data usage at the alleged time can back up your account.

For school zone and construction zone tickets, where enforcement is primary, the defense shifts. The questions become whether you were actually in the designated zone, whether the zone was properly marked, and whether your use fell within one of the statutory exceptions such as reporting an emergency or viewing a mounted GPS.

1
Justia Law. Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 32 RS 32-59 – Use of Wireless Telecommunications Device Prohibited; Exceptions
2
Louisiana State Legislature. Act No. 288 of 2025 Regular Session
3
Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 32 RS 32-59 – Use of Wireless Telecommunications Device Prohibited; Exceptions
4
The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission. Traffic Safety Laws
5
Justia Law. Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 32 RS 32-289.1 – Cellular Telephone Use; Certain Drivers Prohibited; Exceptions; Penalties
6
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. 6.3.8 Electronic Devices/Mobile Phones (392.80-392.82)