The Avoyelles Parish Police Jury’s Permitting Department, on the first floor of the courthouse at 312 North Main Street in Marksville (318-253-7291, permits@avoypj.org), issues development and electrical permits throughout the parish and runs floodplain management for the unincorporated areas. Its permit fees are separate from plan review and construction (“Act 12”) inspections, which are booked with the Rapides Area Planning Commission (RAPC) on 318-487-5401. A new house carries a parish permit fee of $0.16 per square foot; the office takes checks, money orders and cards but no cash.
What needs a permit in Avoyelles Parish?
The Permitting Department lists the work that needs a permit:
Permit required
- Homes, additions and major renovations, with or without utilities
- Commercial and recreational buildings
- Farm structures and storage buildings
- Camps
- Swimming pools, signs, solar panels and generators
- New mobile homes and recreational vehicles
- Water wells
- Rentals and the purchase of an existing structure
- Electrical inspections
Parish fee schedule
- A building of 1–200 sq ft with no utilities needs no permit but must meet FEMA flood rules
- Camps, farm structures and the purchase of an existing home are exempt from Act 12 code inspections but still take a parish permit
State law (R.S. 37:3738, re-enacted by Act 881 of 2026) separately stops a parish from enforcing the building code on a detached residential accessory structure of 200 sq ft or less unless it is in a hurricane-prone region with a design wind speed of 130 mph or more. Under Act 239 of 2025 (now R.S. 37:3737(I), re-enacted by Act 881 of 2026), a parish that issues construction permits must permit and inspect roof construction and reroofing.
Who issues building permits in Avoyelles Parish?
The Permitting Department enforces the building codes adopted by the Police Jury, issues development and electrical permits parish-wide, and is the floodplain manager for unincorporated land. Each permit is faxed to the Assessor’s Office, the Health Department and the 911 office. The parish fee schedules say they do not include plan reviews and Act 12 inspections: inspections are requested from the Rapides Area Planning Commission’s code office in Alexandria, whose phone number the parish forms give for inspections, and the parish’s trade permit form is titled the RAPC Trade Permit Application.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Office | Contact |
|---|---|
| Permitting Department | Courthouse, 1st floor, 312 North Main Street, Marksville; 318-253-7291; fax 318-253-9218; permits@avoypj.org |
| Permit office hours | Monday–Friday, 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. on the permits page and mobile home form; the new construction requirements form says Monday–Thursday, 8:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m., closed to the public on Fridays |
| Construction inspections | Rapides Area Planning Commission, 803 Johnston Street, Alexandria; 318-487-5401 |
| 911 addressing | 272 Industrial Blvd, Mansura; 318-253-9739 |
| Health Department (sewer) | 657 Government Street, Marksville; 318-253-4528 ext. 116 |
| Driveways and culverts | Parish barn, 318-964-2142 or 318-452-4942 |
Avoyelles Parish has 37,941 residents (Census 2025 estimate) and nine incorporated places. The parish fee schedules require any construction inside a town’s limits to have the municipality’s prior approval, in writing, before the parish permit is issued, and the parish code (secs. 6-133 and 6-134) applies the parish development permit inside a town only where the town has an intergovernmental agreement with the parish. Several towns run their own permits:
| Town | Building permits |
|---|---|
| Bunkie | City code requires a permit from the city building inspector before a structure is built, altered or moved, with a city fee plus a fee for the city’s inspection firm, BE, LLC (for a new house of 200–2,299 sq ft, $0.10 per sq ft plus $450) |
| Marksville | City building permit application at City Hall, 427 N. Washington St. (318-253-9500), one application and fee per structure; at least four inspections, with the city’s Building Official (Rene Borrel, P.E.) signing the Certificate of Occupancy; exterior work in the Marksville Historic Preservation District needs a certificate of appropriateness first; a mobile home permit must first be approved by the council member for the district |
| Cottonport | Town code (secs. 14-33 and 14-34) requires a town building permit for construction, repair or remodeling worth more than $250, with the fee set by ordinance; the town’s building committee enforces the codes |
| Moreauville | The village office takes building permit payments; ask the village, 318-985-2338 |
| Simmesport | Town mobile home moving permit: $50 inspection fee, then a $150 permit if the town council approves; no town building permit form is posted. Town Hall 318-941-2493 |
| Mansura, Hessmer, Evergreen, Plaucheville | Town approval letter, then the parish permit; the published sources do not describe a separate town building permit, so ask the town hall |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Electrical, plumbing, gas and HVAC permits
Trade work is permitted on the parish’s RAPC Trade Permit Application, which covers electrical, plumbing, natural gas, HVAC and propane and asks for the total cost, scope and the electrical, plumbing and HVAC contractors. A proposal or contract from every contractor is required, and every contractor must hold a parish trade permit, which costs $100 a year under the commercial fee schedule. The parish will not release a job to the electric company (Cleco, Entergy, SLEMCO or Concordia) until it has the new electric account number.
Septic systems are handled by the Health Department in Marksville, which decides what sewer system the site needs and tells the Permitting Department when a temporary or permanent connection is approved.
Avoyelles Parish permit fees
The parish’s residential and commercial fee schedules, effective March 1, 2021, cover the permit only; RAPC’s plan review and inspection fees are charged on top.
| Project | Fee |
|---|---|
| New house or residential improvement | $0.16 per sq ft ($35 minimum) |
| Camp | $0.20 per sq ft ($35 minimum) |
| Farm structure | $0.05 per sq ft ($23 minimum) |
| Shed, outdoor kitchen, accessory building or in-ground pool with utilities | $0.05 per sq ft ($35 minimum) |
| Building with no utilities, 201–500 sq ft | $35 |
| Mobile home, moved home or modular home | $0.20 per sq ft ($35 minimum) |
| Solar panels | $100 |
| Rental or tenant connection; water well | $35 each |
| Certificate of completion in a flood hazard area | $10 |
| New commercial building or commercial improvement | $0.20 per sq ft |
| New school or church | $35 |
| Commercial sign or billboard | $150 |
| Contractor’s trade permit | $100 a year |
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →For example, the parish permit on a new 2,000 sq ft house is $320 before RAPC’s plan review and inspections; RAPC’s published 2026 code office schedule lists $200 for a new house plan review plus 48 cents per sq ft for permits and inspections. A new mobile home pays $0.20 per sq ft plus a $250 inspection fee. Starting work before the permit costs a $100 penalty on the first day and $25 a day after that, up to $500, and a returned check costs $25. Cards carry a 4% charge.
The parish code itself (sec. 6-135, ordinance of March 10, 2009) still lists the older development permit fees, such as $0.20 per sq ft for new construction with a $3,800 maximum and a 50% penalty for permits issued after the fact; the 2021 schedules on the permit page are the newer documents.
What the parish asks for
New construction
- Approval letter from the town if the site is inside town limits
- Cash deed, act of sale or act of donation
- Notarized authorization to develop if you do not own the land
- Plans and a plat
- Elevation certificate and signed flood hazard requirements in a special flood hazard area
- Owner-builder affidavit of exemption if you are self-contracting
- A contract or proposal from every contractor
New mobile home
- Town approval letter inside town limits
- Deed, or notarized authorization from the owner
- Floor plan with dimensions (you can draw it)
- VIN and HUD numbers
- Title, registration, bill of sale or purchase agreement
- Elevation certificate in a flood hazard area
Commercial new construction and improvements need State Fire Marshal approval first, and the plans stamped by the Fire Marshal’s office must be submitted with the application. Separate parish forms cover new farm structures, camps, solar panels, recreational vehicles, rentals and the purchase of existing homes or commercial buildings, and the RAPC trade and rental-purchase applications can be filed online.
Rather not deal with the Avoyelles Parish building department?
Get a free quote →How to get an Avoyelles Parish permit
Inside a town, get its approval letter first; Bunkie, Marksville and Cottonport issue their own building permits.
Deed, plans and plat, contractor proposals, and the elevation certificate in a flood zone.
File at the courthouse (questions to permits@avoypj.org) and pay by check, money order or card.
Visit the 911 office in Mansura and the Health Department in Marksville; each faxes its approval to the Permitting Department.
Request each construction inspection from RAPC on 318-487-5401.
Give the parish your new electric account number and, in a flood zone, the final elevation certificate; the parish then releases the job to the electric company, and you arrange the connection date with the utility.
Avoyelles Parish inspections
Construction inspections are required during the job and are requested from RAPC on 318-487-5401; RAPC’s guidelines ask for one business day’s notice, Monday to Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. A new mobile home needs a utility inspection from RAPC before power is released.
In a special flood hazard area, the parish needs a final elevation certificate with a photo and a $10 fee for the certificate of completion. The Permitting Department releases the approval to the electric company only after it has the 911, Health Department and inspection clearances; it does not set connection dates.
Local Avoyelles Parish details
Floodplain: the Permitting Department manages the floodplain in the unincorporated parish. Work in a special flood hazard area needs an elevation certificate and signed flood requirements at application and a final certificate at the end, and temporary permits for camper trailers or continued construction in a flood zone cost $15.
Roads: driveways and culverts onto parish roads go through the parish barn (318-964-2142 or 318-452-4942).
Oil and gas wells: the commercial schedule charges $3,500 for a fracking well and $2,500 for a non-fracking well.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Existing buildings: buying or renting an existing home or commercial building takes a parish permit ($0.05 per sq ft for a home, $0.02 per sq ft for a commercial building, $35 minimum), which is exempt from Act 12 inspections unless the building is renovated.
Louisiana building code
Every Louisiana parish and municipality enforces the state’s Uniform Construction Code (R.S. 37:3737), adopted by the Louisiana Uniform Construction Code Commission: the 2021 International Codes with Louisiana amendments, in force since 1 January 2023, and the 2020 National Electrical Code, with the 2024 codes taking effect on 1 January 2027. A local government may set more stringent requirements only with the Commission’s approval, and the State Fire Marshal reviews plans for fire and life safety on all but one- and two-family dwellings. How the LSUCC works
Official government permitting links
These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.
- Avoyelles Parish Permitting Department and forms
- Avoyelles Parish residential fee schedule (2021)
- Avoyelles Parish commercial fee schedule (2021)
- New construction (Act 12) requirements
- New mobile home setup requirements
- RAPC trade permit application
- Avoyelles Parish Police Jury 2026 meeting agendas
- Rapides Area Planning Commission building code enforcement
- RAPC residential inspection guidelines
- City of Marksville permit forms and historic district rules
- City of Bunkie Code of Ordinances
- City of Marksville Code of Ordinances
- Louisiana Uniform Construction Code Commission
- Louisiana Legislature (state law)
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Avoyelles Parish permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Avoyelles Parish?
The Police Jury’s Permitting Department at the courthouse, 312 North Main Street, Marksville (318-253-7291). It issues development and electrical permits parish-wide; inside a town you need the town’s approval letter first, and Bunkie, Marksville and Cottonport issue their own building permits.
How much is a permit for a new house?
The parish permit is $0.16 per square foot ($35 minimum), so $320 for 2,000 sq ft. RAPC’s plan review and inspection fees are extra.
Who does the inspections?
The Rapides Area Planning Commission’s code office. Call 318-487-5401 at least one business day ahead.
Do I need a permit for a small shed?
Not for a building of 200 sq ft or less with no utilities, although it must still meet FEMA flood rules. Larger buildings, and any with wiring or plumbing, need a permit.
Can I pay in cash?
No. The office takes checks, money orders and debit or credit cards (cards carry a 4% charge).
What happens if I start before I have a permit?
The parish adds a $100 penalty on the first day and $25 for each day after, up to $500.
Simplify Avoyelles Parish permitting with Alliance Permitting
Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Louisiana. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.
Ready to break ground in Avoyelles Parish sooner?
Let Alliance prepare, file, and track your Avoyelles Parish permits while your crew stays on the job.
More Louisiana permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Avoyelles Parish permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.