Louisiana building permits

Where to get a building permit in Louisiana

Apply to the building department of the city, town or county where the property is (the steps).

Louisiana state agencies

These offices set statewide codes or license the trades. They do not issue permits for most home projects.

Building code in Louisiana

For homes, the residential code is the International Residential Code, 2021 Edition, not including Parts I-Administrative, and VIII-Electrical.¹, in effect since January 1, 2023⁵ (statewide; applies everywhere¹).

Every code family, edition and effective date is on Louisiana building codes.

State rules on which work needs a permit

R.S. 37:3738; LAC 55:VI.503

• Local governments shall not enforce the code on farm structures, private outdoor recreational structures or residential accessory structures. The governing authority of a parish or municipality shall not enforce that portion of the Uniform Construction Code which regulates the construction or improvement of a farm structure or private outdoor recreational structure, other than a residence or structure attached to a residence, such as a hunting or fishing camp or residential accessory structure.¹
• 200 square feet. "residential accessory structure" means a structure not exceeding two hundred square feet in footprint, and not attached to a residence, that is used as an accessory to the primary use of the residence, and not constructed in regions where the ultimate design windspeed required by the Uniform Construction Code, as promulgated by the commission, equal or exceed one hundred thirty miles per hour in hurricane-prone regions.¹
• Municipalities over 45,000 may still enforce on residential accessory structures. However, a municipality with a population in excess of forty-five thousand according to the latest federal decennial census may enforce that portion of the Uniform Construction Code which regulates the construction or improvement of a residential accessory structure.¹
• Local governments keep the power to issue permits for farm and recreational structures. The provisions of this Section do not affect the power of the governing authority of a parish or municipality to issue building permits for the construction or improvement of a farm or private outdoor recreational structure.¹
• Flood standards still apply. For residential or commercial construction, the standards published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the National Flood Insurance Program apply.¹
• Recreational structure exemption needs a recorded affidavit. The affidavit shall be filed into the parish conveyance records.¹
• IRC administrative part, including its permit exemption list, is not adopted statewide. International Residential Code, 2021 Edition, not including Parts I-Administrative, and VIII-Electrical.¹

Applies to

Parish and municipal enforcement¹

Homeowners doing their own work

R.S. 37:2157(A)(13), (A)(15)(a); R.S. 37:2160(C)

• Owners may act as their own contractor on a personal residence, one residence per year. Owners of property who supervise, superintend, oversee, direct, or in any manner assume charge of the construction, alteration, repair, improvement, movement, demolition, putting up, tearing down, or maintenance of their personal residences, if the homeowner does not build more than one residence per year.⁶
• Affidavit required to get the permit. The local building permit official shall require any applicant claiming an exemption for residential construction activities to execute an affidavit attesting to the claimed exemption.⁶
• Owner physically doing home improvement work is exempt from that license. A residential property owner who physically performs the home improvement work on his personal residence.⁶
• Subcontractors remain subject to licensing. I understand that this exemption does not apply to any subcontractors who are subject to licensure requirements as described in La. R.S. 37:2150, et seq.⁷
• One-year limit on a second affidavit. I understand that I cannot file another affidavit of exemption from licensure within the one-year period from the issuance of the COI for this project with limited exceptions as specified under La. R.S. 37:2157(A)(13).⁷
• Owner plumbing work excluded from the plumbing definition. Work done by an individual on his own personal residence.⁶
• Gas fitter license does not apply to work on own residence. The provisions of this Subsection shall not apply to work performed by persons on their own residences.⁶

Contractor licensing

R.S. 37:2150.1 et seq.

• $50,000. Any new residential structure for which the project value is fifty thousand dollars or more when the property is used for residential purposes.⁶
• $7,500. Any improvements or repairs to an existing residential structure for which the project value is seven thousand five hundred dollars or more.⁶
• $10,000. …of electricity to any residential, commercial, or other project, for which the project value is ten thousand dollars or more.⁶
• $10,000. …structure or residential structure, including service lines, for which the project value is ten thousand dollars or more.⁸
• $7,500. Residential roofing projects valued at $7,500 or more require the Residential Roofing or Residential Construction classification.³
• Permit goes only to a properly licensed person unless the work needs no license. A local building department shall not issue a building permit to any person who does not hold an active license in the appropriate classification for the scope of work for which the permit is issued.⁶
• Plumbing licensing moves to LSLBC. Licensing and regulatory responsibilities will transfer from the State Plumbing Board to LSLBC.³
• $500,000. Minimum liability coverage increases from $100,000 to $500,000 for residential construction and its subclassifications, mold remediation, and home improvement applicants.³

Handyman limits

R.S. 37:2150.1

• $7,500. …for which the project value is seven thousand five hundred dollars or more. "Home improvement" does not include services rendered gratuitously.⁶
• Splitting a job does not avoid the license. In determining the value of a project, any division of a contract or scope of work into parts which would avoid the necessity of a license to bid, contract, or perform the work will be disregarded, and the divided parts of the contract or scope of work will be treated as one contract or scope of work for purposes of determining whether a license is required.⁶
• Home improvement license cannot cover structural work. A home improvement contractor shall not perform any structural work that is integral to the structural integrity of any new or existing structure, including but not limited to footings, foundations, outside walls, skeleton, bearing columns and interior load bearing…⁶

Private plan review and inspections

R.S. 37:3737(A); LAC 55:VI.705

• Licensed contractors and exempt homeowners may hire private inspectors. Licensed contractors, and homeowners exempted from the contractor licensing law pursuant to R.S. 37:2157, may establish agreements with private inspectors to conduct plan reviews, inspections, and enforce the State Uniform Construction Code.¹
• Inspector must have a contract with or be registered with the jurisdiction. A local jurisdiction shall not accept an inspection report or plan review for the enforcement of the Uniform Construction Code from a private inspector unless that inspector has a contract to provide inspection services with that jurisdiction for which they are performing the inspection, or has registered with that jurisdiction.¹
• Building official approves or denies reports in writing. All inspection reports and plan reviews are subject to approval or denial, in writing, by the Certified Building Official of the jurisdiction based on the current adopted code.¹
• $500,000. All third party providers shall carry at least $500,000 in professional liability insurance.¹
• Provider cannot inspect own work. Third party providers shall not provide plan review or inspections on projects of their own design and/or construction.¹
• On-site requirement with photo or video exceptions. The building official may accept photographs or videos that are location-verified with geotagging for required roofing or reroofing inspections of any commercial or residential structure, reinspections where the same inspector previously visited the site, and emergency utility reconnection inspections.¹

Limits on permit fees

R.S. 37:3730(C); R.S. 37:3740

• $10. This fee shall be no more than ten dollars per permit.¹
• $10. Furthermore, under LUCCC Resolution 2026-01 adopted on July 7, 2026, the Commission has set the fee amount to ten dollars per permit.⁹
• State fee is on top of local permit fees. The amount of the fee shall be established annually by the commission and shall be in addition to all other applicable permit fees.¹
• Governing body sets maximum fees under inter-entity or private agreements. In the event of such an agreement, the maximum fees applicable to the issuance of permits and the enforcement of the code shall be established by the governing body of the public entity.¹

Selling a home with unpermitted work

R.S. 9:3196-3198

• Seller form asks whether permits and inspections were obtained for additions or alterations. If yes, were the necessary permits and inspections obtained for all additions or alterations?¹⁰
• Seller must complete the form. The seller of residential real property or vacant residential property shall complete a property disclosure document in a form prescribed by the Louisiana Real Estate Commission or a form that contains at least the minimum language prescribed by the commission.⁶
• Good-faith standard; no-knowledge answers allowed. If the seller has no knowledge or information required by the disclosure document, the seller shall so indicate on the disclosure statement and shall be in compliance with this Chapter.⁶
• If the property disclosure document is delivered to the purchaser after the purchaser makes an offer, the purchaser may terminate any resulting real estate contract or withdraw the offer no later than seventy-two hours, excluding federal and state holidays and weekends, after receipt of the property disclosure document.⁶
• Known defect definition. "Known defect" means a condition found within the property that was actually known by the seller and that results in any of the following…⁶

What local governments may change

R.S. 37:3736; R.S. 37:3737(A)(1); R.S. 37:3748(E)

• Local governments may not amend mandatory code provisions. Nothing in this Chapter allows any local government to avoid enforcement, or to otherwise amend any of the mandatory construction code provisions required in this Chapter, or to prohibit licensed contractors or homeowners from using licensed private inspectors.¹
• Home rule charter controls where it conflicts. In the enforcement of any provision of the construction code provided for in this Chapter, if any provision of this Chapter conflicts with the provisions of a home rule charter pertaining to the powers, functions, and duties of a local government; or with the structure, organization, or distribution of the powers and functions of that local government; the provisions of that home rule charter supersede the conflicting provisions of this Chapter.¹
• If a governing authority or any municipality or parish finds that the state minimum standards do not meet its needs, the local government may with approval of the commission provide requirements more stringent than those specified by the state.¹
• No required architect or engineer stamp on prescriptive one- and two-family plans. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, a municipality or parish shall not require that a residential building plan for a one- or…¹

Can local rules be stricter?

Yes¹

Accessory dwelling units (ADUs)

• ADU defined in the state code rule, and must follow the code. Accessory Dwelling units shall be designed and constructed in accordance with the Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code.¹