The Jackson Parish Police Jury takes building permit applications at its administrative building, 160 Industrial Drive in Jonesboro (318-259-2361), by mail, email or in person, and processes complete packages in 3 to 5 business days. The application fee is $25. IBTS reviews plans, inspects and issues certificates of occupancy as the parish’s certified building official, and its plan review, inspection and flood determination fees are paid separately.
What needs a Jackson Parish permit?
The parish application lists these permit types:
Building
- New homes, modular homes and detached structures
- Manufactured and mobile homes, including a replacement home
- Commercial buildings and additions
- Recreational camps
- Additions and remodels
- Farmhouses and barns
- Piers, docks, boat slips and boat sheds, and boat houses with living space
- Pools, solar panels and changes of occupancy
Electrical trade permit
- New service to an existing structure
- RV or camper hookups
- Electrical upgrades and temporary service
- Reconnecting any building whose utilities have been off for 12 months or more, or whose meter was pulled
Plan review and approval by a certified building official is required for any new construction, except manufactured homes and projects of 400 sq ft or less. An addition or remodel larger than 50% of the home’s original square footage follows the full new-construction steps. Turning a home or camp into a short-term rental such as an Airbnb is treated as commercial.
Who issues building permits in Jackson Parish?
The Police Jury issues the permit; IBTS acts as the parish’s certified building official, reviewing plans, inspecting and issuing certificates of occupancy. Other offices sign off along the way:
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Police Jury (applications and permits) | 160 Industrial Drive, Jonesboro, LA 71251; 318-259-2361 |
| IBTS (plan review, inspections, certificates of occupancy) | 318-205-2816 or 318-747-2454 |
| Parish 911 office (address verification) | 319 Jimmie Davis Boulevard, Jonesboro; 318-259-2103 |
| Parish sanitarian (sewage permit or verification) | Jackson Parish Health Department, 228 Bond Street, Jonesboro; 318-900-9011 |
| Floodplain administrator | 318-334-2955 |
| State Fire Marshal (commercial approval) | 800-256-5452 or 225-925-4920 |
Towns in Jackson Parish
- Jonesboro has its own Building Permits and Inspections Department, which issues building permits and certificates of occupancy and reviews building plans; the application is returned to Town Hall, 128 Allen Avenue (318-259-2385).
- Chatham issues its own building permits at Village Hall, 1709 Oak Street (318-249-2541; Monday–Thursday 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., Friday 8:00 a.m.–noon). Its 2026 permit packet sets an application fee of $100 for residential and $200 for commercial work, not counting the building inspector’s fees; inspections are by Inspections Unlimited–IBTS (318-747-2454); a mobile home may be moved in only with a mobile home application approved by the Village Council; and recreational campers and camps are not allowed inside the village limits.
- East Hodge, Eros, Hodge, North Hodge and Quitman: the published sources do not say whether these towns and villages issue building permits or rely on the parish. The Police Jury asks people to contact the town office for anything inside a municipality: East Hodge 318-259-9127, Eros 318-245-5680, Hodge 318-259-4704, North Hodge 318-259-4272, Quitman 318-259-8014.
Jackson Parish permit fees
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Police Jury permit application | $25 |
| Plan review, inspections and flood determination | Charged by IBTS; amounts not published |
| Caney Lake Watershed District permit (structures in or over the water) | $50 |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Checks and money orders are accepted, and credit or debit cards only in person; cash is not accepted. The parish building code ordinance (01-0609-2008) leaves the fee amounts to a schedule set by the Police Jury, and that schedule is not posted, so ask the office or IBTS for the plan review and inspection charges before you apply.
What goes in the application package
Incomplete packages are returned. Include:
- The completed parish application, including the Entergy account details for the project address and whether the meter has been pulled or service has been off for more than a year.
- The printed 911 address verification form from the 911 office.
- The sewage permit, or a verification letter from the parish sanitarian for an existing system.
- The $25 application fee and the IBTS fees.
- For new construction: plans for IBTS review, and the general contractor’s name and licence number or an original notarized affidavit claiming exemption from licensure.
- For commercial work: State Fire Marshal approval, obtained before you apply to the Police Jury.
- For a recreational camp: a notarized affidavit that the property is a camp and will not be a primary residence.
- For anything in or over Caney Lake: the Watershed District application.
How to get a Jackson Parish building permit
Ask the 911 office at 319 Jimmie Davis Boulevard to complete the address verification form for a new or existing address.
Contact the parish sanitarian at the Health Department for a sewage permit, or a verification letter if the system already exists.
Commercial projects need State Fire Marshal approval first; lake structures need the Watershed District application.
Mail or hand-deliver the package to 160 Industrial Drive, or send it by email, with payment; allow 3 to 5 business days.
After you submit, the office tells you when to text the floodplain administrator a map pin of the building site with the 911 address.
For new construction, send plans to IBTS by email or leave paper plans at the parish office for pickup, then book each inspection with IBTS.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Inspections and certificates of occupancy
IBTS inspects new homes, modular homes and detached structures throughout construction and issues the certificate of occupancy. Commercial buildings need certificates from both the State Fire Marshal and IBTS. The parish warns that utilities can be removed from a building that does not have its certificate.
Mobile homes are inspected for tie-downs, the electrical run from the meter pole and the sewer connection before the power company connects service, and the same inspections apply when one mobile home replaces another. Mobile home inspections need 24 hours’ notice, cancellations must be made at least 2 hours ahead, and an inspector who arrives to find the work not ready records a failure and charges a re-inspection fee.
Caney Lake and other local rules
Caney Lake (Caney Creek Reservoir): any pier, wharf, boathouse, floating boathouse, boat slip, fence or other structure extending into or over the water needs a Jackson Parish Watershed District permit in addition to the Police Jury permit, and construction cannot start until you have both permit numbers. Under rules adopted March 3, 2022 and revised April 21, 2025, structures must be 10 feet from both property lines, and in open water residential structures may reach up to 90 feet from the 200-foot mean sea level contour (commercial up to 150 feet). The Watershed District board visits the site before approving. Work must begin within one calendar year of issue; after that the $50 is not refunded, and a new application with another $50 fee is needed. Seawalls, bulkheads and structures on land beside the lake are not regulated by the Watershed District; a seawall below the 200-foot contour that needs backfill requires a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Rather not deal with the Jackson Parish building department?
Get a free quote →Camps: a recreational camp needs an electrical inspection before the power company will connect it.
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 Jackson Parish permit resources
- Jackson Parish Police Jury, Uniform Building Code page
- Jackson Parish permit checklist (IBTS, version 1.2)
- Jackson Parish building permit application
- Jackson Parish mobile home inspection guidelines
- Jackson Parish building code, Ordinance 01-0609-2008
- Jackson Parish Watershed District building permit package for Caney Lake (rev. April 21, 2025)
- Jackson Parish municipalities: town offices and phone numbers
- Town of Jonesboro Building Permits & Inspections
- Village of Chatham Building Permit Packet 2026
- 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 code editions and state amendments, May 20, 2026
Jackson Parish permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Jackson Parish?
The Jackson Parish Police Jury, 160 Industrial Drive, Jonesboro (318-259-2361). IBTS reviews plans and inspects as the parish’s certified building official. Jonesboro and Chatham issue their own permits.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →How much does a Jackson Parish building permit cost?
The Police Jury charges a $25 application fee. IBTS charges plan review, inspection and flood determination fees on top; the parish does not publish those amounts.
How long does it take?
The Police Jury reviews and processes a complete application in 3 to 5 business days. Incomplete packages are returned.
Do I need a permit for a dock or boathouse on Caney Lake?
Yes, two: a Jackson Parish Watershed District permit ($50) for the structure over the water and the Police Jury building permit. You need both permit numbers before building.
Do I need a permit to get power reconnected?
Yes, if the utilities have been off for 12 months or more or the meter was pulled, the building needs an electrical permit and inspection before reconnection.
Does a small building need plan review?
Not if it is 400 sq ft or less. Plan review by a certified building official is required for other new construction, except manufactured homes. State law (R.S. 37:3738) also bars parishes from enforcing the building code on a detached residential accessory structure of 200 sq ft or less in footprint, unless it is in a hurricane-prone region with a design wind speed of 130 mph or more.
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More Louisiana permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Jackson Parish permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.