Louisiana · Penalties if you skip one

What you can build without a permit in Louisiana

By Mario Bailey Last checked · 11 official sources

Quick answer

Across the 2 Louisiana jurisdictions we have verified, 0 of 20 project rules need no permit at all, 10 turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes, and 10 require a permit regardless. Deck work is where the answer most often comes with a published condition rather than a flat yes: 2 of the 2 jurisdictions that answer publish one.

How to read this page

"No permit" means the jurisdiction publishes that the work needs no building permit. "Depends" means it publishes a size, height, depth, cost or scope condition that decides the answer, quoted in its own words in the last column; the number beside it is the figure that condition turns on, and which side of the number is exempt is stated by the condition, not by us. Exempt from a building permit is not exempt from zoning, setbacks, height limits, flood rules, an HOA, or a separate electrical, plumbing or mechanical permit, and several of the conditions below say exactly that.

Deck

All 2 make the deck answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes, and the 2 that state a number all publish 200 sq ft.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Baton Rouge Depends 200 sq ft deck floor area; the exemption also requires the deck to be less than 30 inches off the ground and located in a buildable area of the lot.
New Orleans Depends 200 sq ft deck area, with the exemption also requiring the deck be uncovered, no more than thirty inches high from grade at any point, detached from the dwelling unit, and not serving an exit door.

Electrical

1 of 2 makes the electrical answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes. New Orleans requires a permit for electrical work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Baton Rouge Depends The city-parish permit and inspection division requires a permit for any new electrical circuit, including replacements and extensions of existing circuits, and for replacing meters, disconnects and other service equipment.
New Orleans Permit required New Orleans requires an electrical permit for any installation, repair, replacement, or alteration of electrical apparatus or equipment, with the only carve-out being replacement of light bulbs and fuses.

Fence

1 of 2 makes the fence answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes. Baton Rouge requires a permit for fence work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
New Orleans Depends 7 feet height of the fence, with the exemption also requiring compliance with the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance.
Baton Rouge Permit required Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish are a consolidated city-parish government, so the same Department of Development Permits and Inspections Division issues residential permits for the City of Baton Rouge and for the unincorporated parish.

HVAC

1 of 2 makes the HVAC answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes. New Orleans requires a permit for HVAC work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Baton Rouge Depends The city-parish permit and inspection division requires a permit to replace heating and air conditioning components including the condenser, air handler, ductwork and furnace, and writes the exemption into the same sentence by excluding window units.
New Orleans Permit required New Orleans requires a mechanical permit for any installation, repair, replacement, or alteration of mechanical or gas-fired equipment, with no size, tonnage, or Btu threshold published.

Patio

1 of 2 makes the patio answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes. Baton Rouge requires a permit for patio work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
New Orleans Depends A flat paved patio in New Orleans is exempt from the building permit requirement, but only when the paving complies with the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, which limits paving and impervious surface in required yards.
Baton Rouge Permit required The city-parish permit and inspection division lists patio cover installation among the common projects requiring permits and inspections, with no size or cost exemption attached, so any patio cover needs a permit.

Plumbing

1 of 2 makes the plumbing answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes. New Orleans requires a permit for plumbing work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Baton Rouge Depends The city-parish permit and inspection division requires a permit to replace any water line, vent, drain or sewer line, any plumbing valve or shut off, and any water heater.
New Orleans Permit required New Orleans requires a plumbing permit to remove or replace any water piping or plumbing fixture, with no size or cost threshold published.

Pool

1 of 2 makes the pool answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes. New Orleans requires a permit for pool work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Baton Rouge Depends 24 inches prefabricated above ground pools that also hold less than 5,000 gallons.
New Orleans Permit required New Orleans requires a swimming pool permit for construction or alteration of any type of swimming pool, with no exemption for size, depth, or above-ground versus in-ground.

Roof Replacement

1 of 2 makes the roof replacement answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes. Baton Rouge requires a permit for roof replacement work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
New Orleans Depends 50 percent share of the roof replaced, for single and two-family homes.
Baton Rouge Permit required East Baton Rouge Parish began requiring permits and inspections for all roof installations, reroofs and new construction alike, under Louisiana Act 239, for jobs beginning after August 1.

Shed

1 of 2 makes the shed answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes. New Orleans requires a permit for shed work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Baton Rouge Depends 200 sq ft floor area of a detached accessory structure.
New Orleans Permit required New Orleans handles sheds under its Accessory Structure Permit, and the city publishes no square footage floor below which one is waived.

If the work is already built

Louisiana sets no statewide fine or jail term for building without a permit. The Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code adopts the international codes but expressly omits their administrative parts, and those are the chapters that create the permit requirement, so both the duty to pull a permit and the money penalty for skipping it come from parish or municipal ordinance.

Louisiana penalties, the after-the-fact path, and what the statute actually says

The 20 answered rules come from 11 official sources, each linked from the permit page behind every jurisdiction name. See the full picture for the state on the Louisiana permit requirements page, or the national view of which projects need a permit at all on Do you need a building permit?

This page compiles what each Louisiana jurisdiction publishes, with a last checked date. It is not legal advice, and a project that is exempt from a building permit can still need zoning approval or a trade permit. Confirm with the office linked from the jurisdiction's page before you build.