In unincorporated Evangeline Parish, you apply for a building permit in person at the Police Jury office, 1008 West LaSalle Street, Ville Platte (337-363-5651), where the permit secretary handles permits for new construction, additions, remodeling and moving homes and mobile homes. Plan review and inspections are done by the Rapides Area Planning Commission’s code compliance office, whose 2026 schedule charges $0.48 per square foot to inspect a new house.
What needs a permit in Evangeline Parish?
Section 8-4 of the parish code covers every construction project outside the municipalities: anyone building or placing a house, commercial building, movable dwelling or structure of any kind, or doing other improvements, must apply at the Police Jury office before work starts. It applies to government, industrial and private projects alike, but not to normal and customary maintenance.
Permit required (examples)
- New homes and commercial buildings
- Additions and remodeling over $5,000, or any that add square footage
- Placing, moving or relocating a home or mobile home
- Detached buildings, pools and solar panels
- Electrical, plumbing and mechanical work
Exempt
- Additions or alterations worth $5,000 or less that add no square footage
- Normal and customary maintenance
- Buildings that existed before the ordinance and have not been remodeled, altered or moved: an affidavit is used instead when power is needed
State law (R.S. 37:3737(I), as re-enacted by Act 881 of 2026) requires a parish that issues permits to permit and inspect roof construction and reroofing. State law (R.S. 37:3738) also bars parishes from enforcing the building code on farm structures, hunting and fishing camps, and detached residential accessory structures of 200 sq ft or less, unless the accessory structure stands in a hurricane-prone region with a design wind speed of 130 mph or more.
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Get a free quote →Who issues building permits in Evangeline Parish?
The Police Jury issues the permit. The code puts its building chapter under the parish engineer, and the parish permit clerk is the floodplain administrator. For plan review and inspections the parish uses the Rapides Area Planning Commission (RAPC) in Alexandria, which runs the Kisatchie-Delta Regional Code Compliance Office. The Police Jury’s minutes record an RAPC report on the parish’s building permits in January 2020, the jury’s 2021 adoption of the state code’s administrative section 101 so that RAPC can take action against code violations, an RAPC inspector being introduced as the parish’s inspector in March 2025, and RAPC’s notice of updated fees in July 2026.
| Office | Contact |
|---|---|
| Police Jury permit secretary (applications and permits) | 1008 West LaSalle Street, Ville Platte, LA 70586; 337-363-5651; fax 337-363-5652 |
| Rapides Area Planning Commission (plan review, inspections) | 803 Johnston Street, Alexandria; 318-487-5401 |
| Evangeline Parish 911 (addresses) | 1188 Vocational Drive, Ville Platte; 337-363-3267; weekdays 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. |
| Health Unit sanitarian services (septic) | 1010 West LaSalle Street, Ville Platte; 337-363-1584 |
The parish’s GovBuilt portal is used for alcohol, insurance and retail business licences and special event permits; it does not carry building permit applications.
Towns in Evangeline Parish
The parish code does not apply inside the municipalities:
- Ville Platte: the city code sends owners to the city building inspector for a zoning certificate, then to City Hall for the permit, priced on a valuation table that starts at $5 per $1,000 and adds $1.25 per $1,000 between $100,000 and $500,000 of value. A building official appointed by the mayor enforces the code. City of Ville Platte: 337-363-2939.
- Mamou: the town’s own building permits and inspections office issues permits, reviews plans and inspects, under a town code that adopts the state construction code; call City Hall at 337-468-3272.
- Basile (the Evangeline part), Pine Prairie, Chataignier and Turkey Creek: the published sources do not say who issues permits; ask the town or village clerk.
Evangeline Parish permit fees
The parish code says the permit charge is “as established from time to time”, so ask the permit secretary for the Police Jury’s fee. RAPC’s plan review and inspection fees come from its 2026 Kisatchie-Delta schedule, which notes that the local community may charge its own administration or permit fee on top:
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Project | Plan review | Inspection fee |
|---|---|---|
| New house or townhouse | $200 | $0.48 per sq ft, $150 minimum |
| Addition | $75 | $0.48 per sq ft, $150 minimum |
| Remodeling | $75 | 1.25% of project cost, $150 minimum |
| Modular home | – | $0.25 per sq ft, $150 minimum |
| Manufactured home | $100 | $250 |
| Detached building (garage, covered patio, shed, pole barn) | $75 | $0.25 per sq ft, $150 minimum |
| Swimming pool | $50 | $400 |
| Solar panels | $50 | $75 |
| Recreational vehicle | – | $75 |
| Electrical, plumbing or mechanical/gas trade permit | – | $90 each |
| New commercial building (State Fire Marshal approval first) | Commercial schedule | $0.58 per sq ft; $0.48 for assembly A3 and educational; $0.30 for factory and storage; $150 minimum |
| Cell tower | – | 3% of construction cost |
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →On RAPC’s schedule, a 2,000 sq ft new house would pay $200 for plan review and $960 for inspections (2,000 × $0.48), before any Police Jury fee. RAPC’s schedule notes that an addition to a home built before January 1, 2007, or a remodel of less than half the floor area, needs only trade permits. A failed inspection costs $75 to re-inspect after the second failure, or after the first on trade and manufactured home permits, and permits taken out after the work has started may be charged double.
Documents and plan review
RAPC asks for the permit application with the construction plans and any prior approvals, such as flood zone, zoning and sewer approval. Engineered drawings may be needed for structural steel or for work outside the residential code. Commercial projects need the State Fire Marshal’s approved plans first and two sets of plans: the set the Fire Marshal reviewed and a set for the building official. Before the final permit, the parish checks compliance with its water and sanitation rules, so line up sewer approval from the sanitarian at the Health Unit early.
How to get an Evangeline Parish permit
Ville Platte, Mamou, Basile, Pine Prairie, Chataignier and Turkey Creek are not covered by the parish permit.
Contact Evangeline Parish 911 for the address and the Health Unit sanitarian for the sewer system.
The owner, spouse or contractor fills in the application at the Police Jury office and pays the permit fee.
Once the permit officer approves, a temporary permit is issued and an orange tag goes on the electrical box so the utility can supply temporary power.
Request each inspection at least 1 business day ahead by phone or fax; the inspector leaves a notice and sticker with the result.
When the work complies, the final permit is issued with a green tag, and RAPC’s building official signs the certificate of occupancy.
Rather not deal with the Evangeline Parish building department?
Get a free quote →Inspections and utility tags
RAPC inspectors leave an inspection notice and a sticker after every visit, and work can move to the next stage only after approval. The parish ties power to the permit: no utility may connect service until the permit officer has put a tag on the electrical box. An orange tag allows temporary construction power, a green tag marks the final permit and a yellow tag marks an approved affidavit for an older building.
A temporary permit is good for 6 months unless more time was asked for and granted when you applied. If the final permit is not completed in time, the temporary permit is cancelled, the fee is lost and the power is disconnected.
Local Evangeline Parish details
Penalties: starting a project or moving a building onto a site without a permit is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of at least $500, at least 30 days in jail, or both, and the parish can order the utilities disconnected for violations.
Flood zones: the permit clerk is the floodplain administrator. The parish flood ordinance requires the lowest floor of a new or substantially improved home in a special flood hazard area to be at or above the base flood elevation; the Police Jury was told in August 2023 that the state’s requirement of base flood elevation plus 1 foot took effect on August 1, 2023.
Mobile homes: RAPC’s July 2026 notice to the Police Jury set mobile home permits at $250 with a $100 plan review fee.
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
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Official Evangeline Parish permit resources
- Evangeline Parish Police Jury departments: permit secretary, 911 and sanitarian contacts
- Evangeline Parish Code, Chapter 8: building permits and flood damage prevention
- Rapides Area Planning Commission building code enforcement
- Kisatchie-Delta Regional Code Compliance Office fee schedule (2026 update)
- Police Jury minutes, July 6, 2026 (RAPC fee notice)
- Evangeline Parish Police Jury meetings, agendas and minutes
- City of Ville Platte Code, Chapter 6: building permits and fees
- Town of Mamou building permits and inspections
- Louisiana Department of Health onsite wastewater program
- Act 881 of 2026 (HB 1186), including R.S. 37:3738 on exempt structures
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Evangeline Parish permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Evangeline Parish?
The Evangeline Parish Police Jury, through its permit secretary at 1008 West LaSalle Street, Ville Platte (337-363-5651), for land outside the towns. The Rapides Area Planning Commission does the plan review and inspections.
Can I apply online?
No. The code requires the applicant, spouse or contractor to appear in person at the Police Jury office; the parish’s online portal handles business licences and special event permits only.
How much does it cost to build a new house?
RAPC charges $200 for plan review and $0.48 per square foot for inspections, so $1,160 for a 2,000 sq ft house, plus the Police Jury’s own permit fee.
Do small remodeling jobs need a permit?
Not if the addition or alteration is worth $5,000 or less and adds no square footage.
How long does the temporary permit last?
Six months, unless you asked for and were granted more time when you applied.
I live in Ville Platte. Where do I apply?
At Ville Platte City Hall, after the city building inspector certifies zoning compliance. The parish permit does not apply inside the city.
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More Louisiana permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Evangeline Parish permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.