Claiborne Parish, Louisiana Building Permit Guide

Claiborne Parish building permits come from the Claiborne Parish Police Jury, 507 West Main Street in Homer (318-927-2222, Monday to Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). Under the parish code the Police Jury’s secretary-treasurer is the parish building official and the Jury may contract a certified third-party provider; the parish application tells applicants to submit plans and schedule inspections through an office at 1910 Citizen’s Bank Drive, Bossier City (318-747-2454). Fees follow a schedule approved by the Police Jury, which is not published online.

What needs a permit in Claiborne Parish?

Chapter 18 of the parish code requires a permit to build, enlarge, alter, repair, move or demolish a building, change its occupancy, or install or change electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems. The parish application covers new construction, additions, remodels, building relocations, detached garages and sheds, portable and temporary buildings, changes of use or occupancy, manufactured homes and electrical, plumbing and mechanical trade permits.

Driveways, steps and decks built for a manufactured home share the home’s exemption from the parish code, but any added living space outside the home’s original footprint does not.

Who issues building permits in Claiborne Parish?

The Police Jury’s office in Homer receives applications and issues parish permits. The parish code does not clearly limit the parish permit to land outside the towns: its definitions section (18-77) describes the building official as the person appointed “to serve as the building official for the parish inside of any incorporated area of the parish”, so ask the Police Jury and the town clerk which office permits a site inside a town. The parish code names the secretary-treasurer as the building official and lets the Jury contract a certified third-party provider to review plans, inspect and issue or deny permits; owners and contractors may also use their own third-party provider. The office that reviews plans and books inspections for parish permits is the one printed on the parish application: 1910 Citizen’s Bank Drive, Bossier City, LA 71111, phone 318-747-2454, fax 318-747-0218.

Towns in Claiborne Parish

• Homer runs its own Inspections/Permits office; call 318-927-5383 for work inside town limits.
• Haynesville: the published sources do not say whether the town or the parish issues building permits; ask Town Hall, 1711 Main Street, 318-624-0911, and the Police Jury.
• Athens and Lisbon: the published sources do not say whether the village or the parish issues building permits; ask the village clerk and the Police Jury.
• Junction City: only part of the village is in Claiborne Parish (the rest is in Union Parish); the published sources do not say who permits there, so ask the village clerk and the Police Jury.

Claiborne Parish permit fees

Section 18-88 of the parish code sets permit fees by a schedule approved by the Police Jury, and section 18-89 says building permit fees are generally based on the square footage under beam. The schedule itself is not posted on the parish website, and the application has blank lines for plan review, permit and inspection charges, so call the Police Jury at 318-927-2222 for the amount before you apply. A permit is not valid until the fees are paid.

What the application asks for

• Owner, project address, subdivision and lot, or section, township, range, parcel number and acreage.
• The contractor’s name and licence number, or the homeowner’s claim of exemption from licensure.
• Use group, total and living square footage, construction cost, frame type, heating and cooling, water supply and power company.
• A Health Department approval number for the sewage system.
• For commercial work, a State Fire Marshal project number.
• For a manufactured home: owner, park or landowner, serial number, make, model, size and the installer’s permit sticker number.
• Flood information: FIRM panel and date, flood zone and Base Flood Elevation.

The parish code asks for two or more sets of construction documents with a site plan showing the new work, existing structures and distances from lot lines; plans must be drawn by a registered design professional when the design cannot be shown to meet the prescriptive code.

How to get a Claiborne Parish building permit

Inspections and permit time limits

Inspections are scheduled through the office printed on the parish application (318-747-2454). The parish building official may also accept written inspection reports from a certified third-party provider. A permit lapses if work does not start within 180 days of issue, or stops for 180 days once started; the building official may grant written extensions of up to 180 days for good cause. An application not pursued for 180 days is treated as abandoned.

Local Claiborne Parish details

Flood zones: a building site in a regulatory floodway needs an engineered No Rise Certificate, and a site in a Special Flood Hazard Area needs elevation certificates at the construction-plans, under-construction and finished stages, as the parish application sets out.

Address signs: homes and businesses in the unincorporated parish must post their road number within 60 days of receiving it, in numbers at least 3 inches high on a dark blue sign at least 4 by 12 inches (white reflective numbers if the sign is not lit), placed 3 to 10 feet from the road.

Other parish permits: the Police Jury also issues road use permits for heavy hauling under Ordinance 703, special event permits and timber site permits.

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 Claiborne Parish permit resources

• Claiborne Parish Police Jury Permits & Forms
• Claiborne Parish permit application
• Claiborne Parish Police Jury contact information
• Claiborne Parish Code of Ordinances, Chapter 18: building codes, permits and exemptions
• Claiborne Parish documents library: agendas, minutes and ordinances
• Town of Homer Inspections/Permits
• Act 881 of 2026 (HB 1186), including R.S. 37:3738 on small accessory structures
• Louisiana Department of Health onsite wastewater program
• Louisiana State Fire Marshal review codes and rules
• Louisiana contractor licensing threshold statute, R.S. 37:2150.1
• Louisiana code editions and state amendments, May 20, 2026

Claiborne Parish permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Claiborne Parish?

The Claiborne Parish Police Jury, 507 West Main Street, Homer (318-927-2222). Inside Homer the town issues its own permits; for the other towns, ask the town clerk and the Police Jury. Plans and inspection requests go to the Bossier City office listed on the parish application, 318-747-2454.

Do I need a permit for a shed in Claiborne Parish?

The parish code exempts a one-story detached shed or playhouse without utilities up to 500 sq ft. Separately, state law (R.S. 37:3738) bars the parish from enforcing the building code on any detached residential accessory structure of 200 sq ft or less in footprint, with or without utilities, unless it is in a hurricane-prone region with a design wind speed of 130 mph or more. A shed over 200 sq ft that has power or plumbing, or any shed over 500 sq ft, needs a permit.

Do I need a permit for a fence?

Not if it is 6 feet high or less.

How much is a Claiborne Parish building permit?

Fees follow a Police Jury schedule generally based on square footage under beam, which is not posted online. Call 318-927-2222 for the amount.

Are hunting camps and farm buildings exempt?

Yes, once the owner completes the affidavit for a recreational or farm structure and files it with the Clerk of Court.

I am building in Homer. Where do I go?

The Town of Homer has its own Inspections/Permits office at 318-927-5383.

Simplify Claiborne 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.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Claiborne Parish permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.