Outside the towns, Franklin Parish building permits are issued by the Franklin Parish Police Jury at 6558 Main Street, Winnsboro (318-435-9429). A permit for a new one- or two-family house is $250 per structure, inspection costs are quoted separately by the parish’s inspector, IBTS, and the parish requires the lowest floor to sit 2 ft above base flood elevation. Winnsboro, Wisner, Gilbert and Baskin are outside the parish building official’s area.
What needs a permit in Franklin Parish?
The parish code requires a permit from the parish building official to build, enlarge, alter, repair, move or demolish a building, change its occupancy, or install or change electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems. The Police Jury’s fee schedule lists these permit types:
Building permits
- New construction or substantial improvement: houses, multi-family, industrial and commercial
- Renovations and additions of more than 50% of the building’s floor area
- Shops and metal buildings
- Mobile homes
- Camps (electrical inspection only)
- Solar panels (electrical inspection only)
Other Police Jury permits
- Culverts in unincorporated areas
- Use of parish roads
- Waterlines (all road crossings bored)
- Connections to the parish sewer system
- Irrigation wells and pumps: no charge, farm number required
State law (R.S. 37:3737(I), re-enacted by Act 881 of 2026) requires parishes that issue construction permits to permit and inspect roofing and re-roofing. Under R.S. 37:3738 the parish may not enforce the building code on a detached residential accessory structure of 200 sq ft or less unless it stands in a hurricane-prone region with a design wind speed of 130 mph or more.
Who issues building permits in Franklin Parish?
The Police Jury issues the permits from its office in the parish courthouse building at 6558 Main Street, Winnsboro. Under the parish code its building official enforces the state construction code only outside the incorporated towns. The Police Jury’s sheet names the Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS) as the inspector in the area (318-470-4906 or 318-373-9007), quotes inspection costs through IBTS and says you may use any Louisiana licensed inspector or surveyor you choose; the parish inspector issues the occupancy certificate. Franklin Parish has 19,002 residents (Census 2025 estimate).
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Place | Building permits |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated parish | Franklin Parish Police Jury, 318-435-9429 |
| Winnsboro (4,566) | Town code has its own building official, who issues electrical and demolition permits; City Hall 318-435-9087 |
| Wisner (742) | Published sources do not say; ask the town hall, 318-724-6568 |
| Gilbert (436) | Published sources do not say; ask the village hall, 318-435-6506 |
| Baskin (205) | Published sources do not say; ask the village hall, 318-248-3700 |
Electrical, plumbing and mechanical work
Trade work on a new house is inspected under the building permit: the plumbing, electrical and mechanical rough-ins are checked before insulation goes in. Mobile homes get electrical, plumbing and (where required) pad inspections, while camps and solar panels need only an electrical inspection. In a flood zone, all mechanical equipment must sit above base flood elevation and propane or fuel tanks must be strapped down.
Connections to the parish sewer system need a separate sewer connection permit, must be made by a licensed plumber and are inspected before they are covered; book that inspection through the Police Jury office.
Franklin Parish permit fees
The Police Jury’s permit fee schedule charges a flat fee per structure. Inspection costs are added on top and are quoted by IBTS, except where the schedule sets them.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Project | Fee |
|---|---|
| New one- or two-family house, or substantial improvement | $250 per structure + inspection cost |
| New multi-family building | $400 per structure + inspection cost |
| New industrial building (Fire Marshal approval required) | $400 per structure + inspection cost |
| New commercial building (Fire Marshal approval required) | $500 per structure + inspection cost |
| Renovation or addition over 50% of floor area: one- or two-family / multi-family | $150 / $250 per structure + inspection cost |
| Renovation or addition over 50%: industrial / commercial | $300 / $400 per structure + inspection cost |
| Shop or metal building | $50 + $75 electrical inspection (under 500 sq ft) or $465 for plan review, foundation, electrical and final inspections (over 500 sq ft) |
| Mobile home | $100 + $150 electrical inspection |
| Camp | $50 + $75 electrical inspection |
| Solar panels | $25 + $75 electrical inspection |
| Irrigation wells and pumps | No charge (farm number required) |
| 911 address notification form | $50 |
| Health Unit sewer permit | No fee |
If the parish inspector has not inspected the building throughout construction, the inspector charges a $150 admin fee before issuing the occupancy certificate. The sheet’s attached IBTS fee table ran only until September 2024, so ask IBTS or your own inspector for a current quote. Surveyors set their own prices for elevation certificates.
What the permit officer needs
Every permit
- 911 address notification form ($50; the 911 office closes from noon to 1 p.m.)
- Health Unit sewer permit, with proof of ownership and the legal description
- Elevation certificate if the site is in a flood zone
New construction
- Plan review approval from a licensed building inspector
- Contractor’s name, if known
- Construction cost or purchase price
- Square footage
- State Fire Marshal approval for industrial and commercial work
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →New homes and mobile homes need the final sewer permit before the parish will issue the permanent permit that lets the power company connect permanent service.
How to get a Franklin Parish building permit
Sites in Winnsboro, Wisner, Gilbert or Baskin go to the town, not the parish building official.
Submit the address notification form and the $50 fee to the 911 office (318-435-9110).
Apply at the Franklin Parish Health Unit (318-435-2143); there is no fee.
If the site is in a flood hazard area, hire a licensed surveyor for the preliminary elevation certificate before you build or place a mobile home.
For new construction, have a licensed building inspector approve the plans, then bring the documents to the Police Jury and pay the permit fee.
Book the inspections, have the surveyor complete the final elevation certificate, and get the occupancy certificate from the parish inspector.
Inspections in Franklin Parish
A new building is inspected five times: foundation (before concrete is poured or floor framing goes down), rough framing (before insulation), plumbing, electrical and mechanical (before insulation), an interim review after rough-in, and a final. Mobile homes are inspected for electrical, plumbing and the pad where one is required. A temporary or construction permit allows building to start; the permanent permit for power comes after the final sewer permit and, in a flood zone, the completed elevation certificate.
Rather not deal with the Franklin Parish building department?
Get a free quote →A culvert under the Police Jury’s culvert permit must be inspected before it is backfilled; call the permit office at least 5 days ahead.
Local Franklin Parish details
Freeboard: the parish requires new and substantially improved houses to have the lowest floor 2 ft above base flood elevation, and commercial buildings must be 2 ft above or floodproofed. The Police Jury’s permit sheet will not release a final permit for permanent electricity if the bottom of the lowest floor beams or I-beam is not 2 ft above base flood elevation; the parish code itself sets a manufactured home’s I-beam at least 1 ft above, with the bottom of the base floor 2 ft above. The parish secretary is the floodplain administrator.
Elevation certificates come in two parts: a preliminary certificate, when the surveyor marks the required floor height before construction or before a mobile home is placed, and a final certificate after the surveyor confirms the finished height.
Winnsboro: the town code adopts the state construction code inside the town limits and puts electrical permits, demolition permits (minimum $100 deposit) and inspections under the town building official. It also has a historic district with its own rules.
Fire Marshal: the parish sheet lists the State Fire Marshal’s Shreveport office (318-676-7145) and Baton Rouge office (225-925-4911) for commercial and industrial approvals.
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 Franklin Parish permitting resources
- Franklin Parish Police Jury permit information
- Franklin Parish permitting process and Police Jury permit fee schedule
- Franklin Parish culvert permit
- Franklin Parish sewer connection permit
- Franklin Parish road use permit ordinance
- Franklin Parish Code, chapter 105: buildings
- Franklin Parish Code, chapter 110: floods
- Town of Winnsboro Code, chapter 10: buildings
- 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
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Franklin Parish permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Franklin Parish?
The Franklin Parish Police Jury, 6558 Main Street, Winnsboro (318-435-9429), for sites outside the towns. IBTS is the inspector the parish names for the area.
How much is a building permit for a new house?
$250 per structure for a one- or two-family house, plus the inspection cost quoted by IBTS, the $50 911 form and the surveyor’s elevation certificate if the site is in a flood zone.
How high must a new house be built in a flood zone?
With its lowest floor 2 ft above base flood elevation. Permanent power is not released until the final elevation certificate shows that height.
Do I need a permit for a mobile home?
Yes: $100 plus a $150 electrical inspection, and the final sewer permit must be in place before permanent power.
Do I need a permit for a metal shop?
Yes, $50 per structure. Under 500 sq ft only a $75 electrical inspection is needed; over 500 sq ft the plan review and inspections cost $465.
Do I need a permit to build in Winnsboro?
Winnsboro is outside the parish building official’s area and has its own building official; call City Hall at 318-435-9087.
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More Louisiana permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Franklin Parish permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.