Morehouse Parish, Louisiana Building Permit Guide

For land outside Bastrop and the villages, the Morehouse Parish Police Jury (125 East Madison Avenue, Bastrop; 318-281-4132) is the parish government: its code adopts the Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code for the parish and requires a floodplain development permit in flood hazard areas. Inside Bastrop, the city’s own Building Code Department at City Hall issues permits, with plan review by the Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS).

Who issues building permits in Morehouse Parish?

The Police Jury is the parish government, and the state Uniform Construction Code Commission’s registry lists it, at 125 East Madison Avenue, as the parish’s code jurisdiction. Chapter 10 of the parish code, adopted by Ordinance 1303 in 2006, applies the state construction code throughout the parish’s jurisdiction, and the parish’s code enforcement officer also serves as floodplain administrator. The parish code sets no building permit fee and does not name an inspector; the Police Jury office (318-281-4132) is the parish contact for a project outside the towns.

Populations are Census 2025 estimates; the parish has 23,705 residents. The parish planning commission’s authority covers the whole parish except incorporated areas.

Two state rules apply to whichever office permits the work. Under R.S. 37:3737(I), re-enacted by Act 881 of 2026, a parish or city that issues construction permits must permit and inspect roof construction and re-roofing. Under R.S. 37:3738(B), it may not enforce the code on a detached residential accessory structure of no more than 200 sq ft, unless the site is in a hurricane-prone region with an ultimate design wind speed of 130 mph or more; cities of more than 45,000 people may still enforce it, which leaves Bastrop under the state limit. Bastrop’s own code (sec. 6-5) also exempts from permits one-story detached sheds, playhouses and similar buildings without utilities of up to 500 sq ft, fences up to 6 ft high, and sidewalks and driveways.

Bastrop’s trade and mobile home permits

The City of Bastrop’s Building Code Department lists these permit charges:

A mobile home application needs the trailer’s size, make and model, HUD number and serial number. Since January 1, 2008, every sign installed in Bastrop needs a permit and must be listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory. The city also warns that storage buildings may not be placed on land to be lived in.

Septic systems anywhere in the parish need a permit from the Louisiana Department of Health; the Morehouse Parish Health Unit, 650 School Road, Bastrop (318-283-0806), offers environmental health services and is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.

Fees the parish has published

The only parish permit fee written into the Morehouse code is for solar farms: a site development permit costs $1,000 for a project of up to 500 acres, plus $1 for each acre over 500, counting buffer zones and access roads. For other work outside the towns, ask the Police Jury office for the charge; Bastrop’s fees are in the table above.

Flood permit application

In a special flood hazard area, the floodplain development permit application goes to the floodplain administrator on the parish’s forms. It may include plans in duplicate, drawn to scale, showing the location, dimensions and elevation of the site work and of existing and proposed buildings, including manufactured homes. The application must also give:

• The elevation of the lowest floor, including any basement, of every new or substantially improved building.
• For a nonresidential building that will be floodproofed instead of elevated, the floodproofing elevation and an engineer’s or architect’s certificate.
• A description of any change to a watercourse or natural drainage.

Once a house is built, a registered engineer, architect or land surveyor must certify to the floodplain administrator that its lowest floor meets the elevation rule.

How to start a Morehouse Parish permit

Bastrop plan review and inspections

Bastrop’s Building Code Department is at City Hall, 202 East Jefferson Avenue, Room 230 (318-283-3353); City Hall is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closed 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. for lunch. Plan review questions go to IBTS (318-747-2454), and the reviewer may ask for more information to confirm a building meets the state code. To book an inspection, give the permit type and number, the project address and the inspection type. The city’s required inspections list is not exhaustive, and some inspections can be combined.

Local Morehouse Parish rules

Solar farms: Ordinance 1407, adopted April 14, 2025, requires a site development permit from the Police Jury before a solar farm is built, expanded or substantially altered. The application includes a site plan of all the land and access roads, a drainage study, an environmental study and a traffic plan, and the developer must hold at least one community meeting, advertised twice in the official journal, before approval. The secretary-treasurer decides on the parish engineer’s recommendation, an applicant has 30 days to fix the reasons for a denial, and a final denial can be appealed to the Police Jury. The permit expires after 24 months if work has not begun.

Multi-resident housing: outside the town limits, no building designed to house multiple residents may be built or remodeled within 1,500 ft of a recognized subdivision.

Flood rules: the parish flood ordinance (Ordinance 1364 of 2016) requires new and substantially improved homes in special flood hazard areas to have the lowest floor at or above the base flood elevation.

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 Morehouse Parish permit resources

• Morehouse Parish Code, chapter 10: buildings and the state construction code
• Morehouse Parish Code, chapter 18: flood damage prevention
• Morehouse Parish Code, chapter 30: planning, multi-resident housing and solar farms
• City of Bastrop Permits & Inspections
• City of Bastrop Code, chapter 6, article I: permits and exempt work
• Morehouse Parish Health Unit (Louisiana Department of Health)
• Louisiana Uniform Construction Code Commission registry of parishes and towns

Morehouse Parish permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Morehouse Parish?

For unincorporated land, the parish government is the Morehouse Parish Police Jury, 125 East Madison Avenue, Bastrop (318-281-4132). Inside Bastrop, apply to the city’s Building Code Department at City Hall (318-283-3353).

How much is an electrical permit in Bastrop?

$150 for residential work and $250 for commercial work. A mobile home permit is $325.

Do I need a flood permit?

In a special flood hazard area on the FEMA maps dated July 6, 2016, yes: a floodplain development permit, with the lowest floor of a house at or above the base flood elevation.

How much is a solar farm permit?

$1,000 for up to 500 acres, plus $1 for every acre over 500, after a community meeting and a review of the site, drainage, environmental and traffic plans.

Who reviews plans in Bastrop?

The Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS) handles plan review for the city; its office number is 318-747-2454.

Where do I get a septic permit?

From the Louisiana Department of Health at the Morehouse Parish Health Unit, 650 School Road, Bastrop (318-283-0806).

Simplify Morehouse 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 Morehouse Parish permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.