Inside Mandeville city limits, permits come from the City’s Department of Planning and Development at 3101 East Causeway Approach (985-624-3103), and every application can be emailed to permits@cityofmandeville.com. A house is charged $0.30 per square foot under beam plus a plan review fee of 10%, every contractor must register with the City each year, and new homes in a flood zone must sit 24 inches above the base flood elevation.
What needs a permit in Mandeville?
The City says permits are required whether a contractor or the homeowner does the work. Its building application covers single-family homes, duplexes, additions, renovations, elevations, accessory buildings, pools and fences, and electrical, plumbing and mechanical work each need their own permit under the City’s land use code (CLURO).
City permits and forms
- Residential and commercial building permits
- Electrical, mechanical (HVAC) and plumbing permits
- Swimming pool permit
- Right-of-way use and culvert permit
- Tree removal, underbrushing and clearing permits
- Sign permits
- Electrical vacancy inspection for commercial space
Points to know
- Any development in a Special Flood Hazard Area needs a City permit.
- Accessory and renovation permits are issued only with, or after, the building permit for the main building on the lot.
- State law (R.S. 37:3737(I), Act 881 of 2026) requires a permitting city to permit and inspect roofing and reroofing.
- R.S. 37:3738 bars a city of under 45,000 people from enforcing the code on a detached residential accessory structure of 200 sq ft or less, except in a hurricane-prone region with a 130 mph or higher design wind speed; Mandeville still lists a $50 accessory structure permit, so ask the department about a small shed.
Who issues building permits in Mandeville?
The Department of Planning and Development handles building permits, contractor registration and inspection scheduling for land inside the city. Glenn Jones, CBO, CFM, is the Building Official, and Cara Bartholomew, AICP, directs the department. Mandeville addresses outside the city limits are permitted by St. Tammany Parish, not by the City.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | 3101 East Causeway Approach, Mandeville, LA 70448 |
| Phone and fax | 985-624-3103; fax 985-626-7929 |
| Applications, registration and inspection scheduling | permits@cityofmandeville.com |
| Building Official | Glenn Jones, CBO, CFM |
| Codes | 2021 I-Codes and 2020 National Electrical Code |
Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas permits in Mandeville
Trade work gets its own City permit. Each trade has a fill-in worksheet (electrical, mechanical/HVAC and plumbing, which also covers gas piping and gas appliances), and each one says work may not start before the permit is issued and that the permit is good for one year. The fee is $60 for each required inspection plus $2 for each fixture, circuit, device or other item that has to be inspected.
All contractors must hold a state licence and be registered with the City for the calendar year. Registrations expire at 4:30 p.m. on December 31; a contractor who renews after January 31 pays the initial fee again.
| Registration | Fee |
|---|---|
| General contractor | $250 initial, $50 renewal |
| Electrical, mechanical, plumbing, gas, roofer/framer, landscape/arborist, pool or other subcontractor | $50 initial, $20 renewal |
| Residential self-contractor | $50 initial, $20 renewal |
| Sign contractor | $150 initial, $50 renewal |
Commercial building plans must go to the State Fire Marshal for review before the City permit is applied for.
Mandeville permit fees
Building fees are listed in Appendix C, Division 19 of the City Code (CLURO section 5.5). Required inspections are included in the building permit fee; failed inspections are charged separately.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Single-family, two-family or townhome | $0.30 per sq ft under beam |
| Commercial, multifamily or mixed-use building | $0.35 per sq ft under beam |
| Plan review, all building permits | 10% of the building permit fee |
| Minimum permit fee | $50 |
| Job under $5,000, or minor remodel with wiring, plumbing or structural change | $60 per required inspection |
| Residential accessory structure | $50 |
| Pools, fences, masonry walls, storage buildings, awnings | $50 per required inspection |
| Demolition or moving a building | $100 plus a $500 streets bond |
| Clearing permit | $50, plus $60 for the clearing inspection |
| Electrical, mechanical, plumbing or gas permit | $60 per inspection plus $2 per item inspected |
| Reinspections | $60, $120, $180, $240; a fifth brings a citation and stop-work order |
For example, a 2,000 sq ft home measured under beam has a $600 building permit fee and a $60 plan review fee, $660 in total, before trade permits and utility fees. Work started without a permit pays double fees, and pouring a slab or footing before its inspection costs $1,000 and a letter from a Louisiana civil engineer for a first offense, rising to $2,500 and removal of the slab on a third.
Connecting to City water and sewer adds impact fees of $1,100 (water) and $900 (sewer) per residential unit, or $0.02 per square foot of lot for each on non-residential property, plus tap fees from $600 (3/4-inch water) and $1,000 (4-inch sewer) and a $50 inspection for each connection. Before clearing a lot the builder posts a $500 damage deposit for City streets and drainage ($1,500 maximum for several sites in one block or subdivision).
What to submit
Email the completed application and attachments to permits@cityofmandeville.com; the City asks you to save the fillable form to your computer before filling it in. Plan review may ask for more information.
Residential
- 911 address verification from St. Tammany 911
- Boundary survey by a registered land surveyor, showing servitudes and any live oak with its dripline
- Tree preservation plan (CLURO Article 9)
- Dimensioned site plan with setbacks, parking and existing structures
- Foundation and framing plans stamped by a licensed engineer, floor plans with square footage, roofing plan, elevations and details
- Drainage plan stamped by a Louisiana civil engineer or land surveyor
- Recorded cash sale or deed
- Elevation certificate in flood zones AE or V, and a Non-Conversion Agreement
- Culvert application and water/sewer connection application where needed
Commercial adds
- Landscape plan stamped by a licensed landscape architect
- Lighting plan
- COMcheck report and a design professional’s letter that the drawings meet the 2021 IECC
- Elevation certificate in flood zones A or V
- State Fire Marshal review, completed before you apply
- Ownership documents for a corporation, LLC or partnership signer
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →The residential form includes a hold-harmless clause: the City does not check plans against HOA covenants or private deed restrictions, so the owner is responsible for meeting them. Homeowners acting as their own contractor file the state licensing board’s notarized Affidavit Claiming Exemption from Licensure and register as a self-contractor.
How to apply for a Mandeville building permit
A Mandeville mailing address is not proof; land outside the limits goes to St. Tammany Parish.
Every contractor and subcontractor, or the owner as self-contractor, needs a current City registration.
These come from licensed surveyors and engineers, so order them early.
Send the building application with every checklist item to permits@cityofmandeville.com, with separate electrical, mechanical and plumbing worksheets.
Pay the permit and plan review fees, plus any utility and impact fees, then post the permit card on the front of the property until the Certificate of Occupancy is issued.
Request each inspection 24 hours ahead, and file the finished elevation certificate and recorded Non-Conversion Agreement before the final.
Mandeville inspections
Building, plumbing and mechanical inspections take place Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Ask for each one at least 24 hours ahead and have the property address ready; the Permit Coordinator schedules them.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →The trade worksheets list the visits to request: temporary pole, rough-in, CTM and final for electrical work; underground, rough-in, gas and final for plumbing; rough-in and final for HVAC. A failed inspection triggers the $60-to-$240 reinspection scale, and a slab or footing poured before its inspection is penalized under CLURO 5.1.9.
Before the Certificate of Occupancy, City staff inspect the streets, roadside ditches and rights-of-way next to the site for damage, and the occupancy permit is held until any damage they record is repaired.
Local Mandeville details that matter
Flood elevation: Mandeville’s flood code requires the lowest floor of new and substantially improved homes to be 24 inches above the base flood elevation; commercial buildings must either be raised 24 inches above it or floodproofed to that height. The flood maps in force took effect on May 16, 2012, and the Floodplain Administrator answers flood zone and elevation certificate questions at 985-624-3103.
Non-Conversion Agreement: where a home in an AE or VE zone has enclosed space below the design flood elevation, that space may be used only for parking, limited storage or access, needs flood vents, and the signed agreement must be recorded with the Clerk of Court before the City issues the Certificate of Completion or Occupancy.
Trees: the boundary survey must show live oaks and their driplines, and the tree preservation plan follows CLURO Article 9. Removing a tree without a permit, or against one, carries a $500 penalty per tree.
Historic district: the building application asks whether the lot is in the Historic District and gives its structure rating, and the City posts separate 2026 submittal deadlines for its Historic Preservation District Commission.
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 Mandeville permit resources
- Mandeville building permit information and forms
- Planning and Development staff contacts
- Residential building permit application (rev. July 2024)
- Commercial building permit application (rev. July 2024)
- Electrical permit worksheet
- Mechanical (HVAC) permit worksheet
- Plumbing permit worksheet
- Contractor registration application, 2026
- Affidavit for self-contracting
- Non-Conversion Agreement
- Mandeville flood protection page
- City Code Appendix C, fees and fines (CLURO fees in Division 19)
- HB 1186 enrolled (Act 881 of 2026): R.S. 37:3737 and 37:3738
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Mandeville permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Mandeville?
The City’s Department of Planning and Development, 3101 East Causeway Approach (985-624-3103), for property inside the city limits. Building Official Glenn Jones oversees code review and inspections.
How much does a building permit cost for a new house?
$0.30 per square foot under beam plus a 10% plan review fee. A 2,000 sq ft house comes to $660, with trade permits, utility taps and impact fees on top.
Can I submit my permit application online?
Yes, by email. Send the completed application and documents to permits@cityofmandeville.com.
Can a homeowner pull a permit in Mandeville?
The City requires permits whether a homeowner or a contractor does the work. An owner acting as builder files the notarized exemption affidavit and registers as a self-contractor ($50 the first year, $20 to renew).
How far ahead do I book an inspection?
At least 24 hours. Inspections run weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
How high must a new house be built in a flood zone?
The lowest floor must be 24 inches above the base flood elevation, certified by a licensed engineer, architect or surveyor.
Do commercial projects need State Fire Marshal approval?
Yes. Mandeville asks for the State Fire Marshal review before the City permit application is filed.
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More Louisiana permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Mandeville permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.