In unincorporated Beauregard Parish, construction permits are handled through the Police Jury’s permit office at 201 West Second Street, DeRidder (337-463-7019). Every new structure, renovation, RV or mobile home outside the City of DeRidder and the Town of Merryville goes through the parish process, starting with the Assessor’s parcel listing, a culvert permit, a 911 permit, a sewer permit or exemption and your electric account number. Under the parish ordinance a new home costs $0.66 per square foot under roof, and repairs and alterations $60 per inspection.
What needs a permit in Beauregard Parish?
Chapter 4½ of the parish code (Ordinance 1-2014) makes it unlawful to do any of the following in the unincorporated parish without a permit from the parish permits and code enforcement department:
Permit required
- Building, enlarging or altering a structure, or changing its use
- Repairs to a home that affect 50% or more of its space
- Installing, altering, repairing or replacing any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system
- Any building larger than 120 sq ft that has plumbing
Exempt from the parish permit
- Farm buildings (not a home or attached to one)
- Hunting and fishing camps not used as a home, once the owner files an exemption affidavit
The Police Jury’s page adds that every new structure outside town limits, including an RV or mobile home moved onto a lot, goes through some part of the permitting process even where no building permit is needed. State law (R.S. 37:3738, re-enacted by Act 881 of 2026) also bars 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, and 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.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →Who issues building permits in Beauregard Parish?
The parish code sets up a permits and code enforcement department under a parish building official for the unincorporated parish, and lets the Police Jury contract third-party inspectors. Applications go to the permit office in the Police Jury building in DeRidder. The Police Jury’s permit page refers applicants to the Building Inspection Group for more information, while the City of DeRidder’s permits page says the Rapides Area Planning Commission (RAPC) takes permit applications at its office in the Police Jury building and online, on 337-462-0675 or 337-463-7019. Ask the permit office which inspector will handle your job.
| Office | Contact |
|---|---|
| Police Jury permit office | 201 West Second Street, DeRidder, LA 70634; 337-463-7019 |
| RAPC permit desk (Police Jury building) | 337-462-0675; online applications at rapc.info |
| Culverts | Beauregard Parish Public Works Department |
| Electric providers | Beauregard Electric (BECI) 337-463-6221 or 800-367-0275; CLECO 800-622-6537 |
Beauregard Parish has 36,673 residents (Census 2025 estimate). The parish permit requirement applies outside the city and town limits:
| Town | Building permits |
|---|---|
| DeRidder | The city’s permits page sends new homes, remodels, trade, roofing, solar, pool, sign and manufactured home permits to the RAPC office in the Police Jury building or rapc.info. City Hall, 200 South Jefferson Street, 337-462-8900 |
| Merryville | The published sources do not say; ask Town Hall, 1009 Highway 110, 337-825-8740 |
Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas work
Any new or altered electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system needs a parish permit, and the application must say whether the job includes electrical, concrete or masonry, plumbing, structural or gas work. Power companies may not give permanent power to a home until they receive the parish’s faxed letter of compliance. If the sewer is not finished but the meter loop inspection has passed, the parish can release a temporary permanent electrical permit for up to 45 days, with one 45-day extension for good cause; if it lapses, the power company is sent a disconnect notice.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Sewer permits, or an exemption, come from the Health Department unit’s sanitation office before the parish permit, and you give the permit office the account number from Beauregard Electric or CLECO.
Beauregard Parish permit fees
Fees are set in section 4½-5 of the parish code:
| Project | Fee |
|---|---|
| New home | $0.66 per sq ft under roof, including porches and garages |
| Residential alterations and repairs | $60 per inspection |
| Commercial, value $1,000 or less | No fee |
| Commercial, $1,001–$50,000 | $15 for the first $1,000 + $5 per further $1,000 |
| Commercial, $50,001–$100,000 | $260 for the first $50,000 + $4 per further $1,000 |
| Commercial, $100,001–$500,000 | $460 for the first $100,000 + $3 per further $1,000 |
| Commercial, over $500,000 | $1,660 for the first $500,000 + $2 per further $1,000 |
For example, a home with 1,800 sq ft of living space and a 450 sq ft garage and porch has 2,250 sq ft under roof, so the permit is $1,485. A commercial job valued at $200,000 costs $460 + 100 × $3 = $760. A part of $1,000 counts as a full $1,000. The number of inspections on a repair permit depends on what the ICC codes require for the work.
Non-profit organizations pay no parish fee for work done by volunteers, and anyone can ask the Police Jury’s building and grounds committee to waive fees for financial hardship. Building without a permit is a misdemeanor with a fine of $100 to $500 on top of the permit fees.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →What to bring to the permit office
Before the permit
- Current parcel listing from the Tax Assessor’s Office
- Culvert permit from Public Works
- 911 permit from the 911 Office
- Sewer permit, or exemption, from the Health Department unit
- Account number from your electric provider
On the application
- Owner’s name, address and daytime phone
- Name, address and daytime phone of every contractor
- Location of the work
- Square footage, type of construction and intended use
- Expected completion date
Commercial contractors may hire certified third-party plan reviewers and inspectors, but must give the parish proof of their certification and insurance before the permit is issued. Owners who are exempt from contractor licensing as owner-builders may also use a certified third-party provider. For a new manufactured home, the parish posts the State Fire Marshal’s memo on the federal site-drainage standard: the site must be graded so water drains away from the home, sloping at least half an inch per foot for the first 10 ft.
How to get a Beauregard Parish permit
Inside DeRidder, use the city’s permit route; inside Merryville, ask Town Hall.
Ask the Tax Assessor’s Office for the current listing of your property.
Public Works tells you what size culvert to buy and sets one per property owner; businesses set their own.
Get the 911 permit and the Health Department sewer permit or exemption.
Bring everything, with your electric account number, to 201 West Second Street and pay the permit fee.
Pass the required inspections, including the meter loop; the parish then faxes the letter of compliance to the power company.
Rather not deal with the Beauregard Parish building department?
Get a free quote →Beauregard Parish inspections
The parish building official enforces the state code in the unincorporated parish with ICC-certified inspectors, or with third-party inspectors under a written contract with the Police Jury. The meter loop inspection allows a temporary power release while the sewer is finished, and permanent power follows the letter of compliance. Alterations and repairs are billed per inspection, so the number of visits sets the cost.
The building official can go to court to stop unpermitted work or the use of a building built without a permit, and can recommend condemning a home that falls below the state code’s minimum standards; a committee of the Police Jury makes the final decision.
Local Beauregard Parish details
Flood zones: the parish manager is the floodplain administrator under the Flood Damage Prevention chapter. A new or substantially improved home in a flood zone must have its lowest floor at or above base flood elevation, certified by an engineer, architect or land surveyor.
Subdivisions: a preliminary application goes to the Parish Administrator before any plats, and the preliminary plat then goes to the Police Jury for approval under the subdivision ordinance.
Roads: culvert permits make sure owners buy the right size of pipe for their roadside ditch. Call or email Public Works once the culvert is on the property and the spot is marked. Drilling and logging on parish roads have their own permits.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →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.
- Beauregard Parish Police Jury building permits
- Beauregard Parish Public Works: culvert, drilling and logging permits
- Beauregard Parish code, Chapter 4½ Building Codes and Permits
- Beauregard Parish code, Chapter 5½ Flood Damage Prevention
- City of DeRidder permits
- Rapides Area Planning Commission building code enforcement
- Louisiana Uniform Construction Code Commission
- Louisiana Legislature (state law)
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Beauregard Parish permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Beauregard Parish?
The Police Jury’s permit office at 201 West Second Street, DeRidder (337-463-7019), for land outside the city and town limits.
What does a new home permit cost in Beauregard Parish?
$0.66 per square foot under roof, counting porches and garages. A house with 2,250 sq ft under roof costs $1,485.
What do I need before I apply?
The Assessor’s parcel listing, a culvert permit, a 911 permit, a sewer permit or exemption and your electric account number.
Do I need a permit for a hunting camp or barn?
Farm buildings are exempt, and a hunting or fishing camp that is not used as a home is exempt once the owner files an exemption affidavit.
When will the power company connect my house?
Only after it receives the parish’s faxed letter of compliance. If the sewer is not finished, a 45-day temporary release is possible after the meter loop inspection passes.
Can I get the permit fee waived?
Volunteer work for non-profits pays no fee, and the Police Jury’s building and grounds committee can approve a hardship waiver.
Simplify Beauregard 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 Beauregard Parish sooner?
Let Alliance prepare, file, and track your Beauregard Parish permits while your crew stays on the job.
More Louisiana permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Beauregard Parish permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.