Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana Building Permit Guide

Outside the City of Natchitoches and the parish’s eight towns and villages, building permits are handled by Natchitoches Parish Planning & Zoning at 625 Bienville Circle, Room 153 (318-352-2714, ext. 2), and the Rapides Area Planning Commission (RAPC) reviews plans and inspects the work as the parish building official. A house pays two sets of fees: the parish fee of $0.45 per sq ft and RAPC’s review and inspection charges.

What needs a parish permit?

The parish code requires a permit from the parish building official before anyone builds, enlarges, alters, repairs, moves or demolishes a building, changes its occupancy, or installs or changes an electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system. Greenhouses, and barns used only for storage and not occupied, are excluded from the permit article. A manufactured home needs its development permit before the power is connected.

The permit application asks owners who claim a building code exemption for a recreational camp to file a notarized Act 12 affidavit recorded with the Clerk of Court. State law (R.S. 37:3737(I), re-enacted by Act 881 of 2026) makes every parish that issues construction permits also permit and inspect roof construction and re-roofing. Under R.S. 37:3738(B), the parish cannot enforce the construction code on a detached residential accessory structure of 200 sq ft or less, unless it stands in a hurricane-prone region where the ultimate design wind speed is 130 mph or more; the parish still lists sheds among the detached buildings it charges $0.25 per sq ft.

Who issues building permits in Natchitoches Parish?

Planning & Zoning is the parish government’s permitting, zoning and subdivision office. Its building official is a third-party company: the parish names RAPC, 803 Johnston Street, Alexandria (318-487-5401), as building official and inspector, and RAPC’s regional code compliance office does the plan review and inspections. Permits are processed in RAPC’s MyPermitNow system, but the parish asks applicants to work through its Planning office rather than file there directly.

The parish code limits the parish building official to land outside Goldonna, Ashland, Campti, Natchez, Robeline, Provencal, Clarence, Powhatan and the City of Natchitoches. The city runs its own permit office; for the smaller towns and villages, the parish pages give only the mayors’ phone numbers.

Populations are Census 2025 estimates; the parish has 36,089 residents. Parish zoning staff note that a zoning approval letter from the mayor may be needed when a property lies inside a municipality.

Natchitoches Parish permit fees

The parish fee was set by Ordinance 006-2022, which the Parish Council adopted on March 21, 2022, and which says the parish fee is charged in addition to the building official’s fees. Fees not on either list are set by RAPC and Planning & Zoning.

Larger industrial projects pay a sliding rate that starts at $2,000 plus 0.5% of the cost above $200,000. A permit can be cancelled and partly refunded, less a processing charge, if no inspection has been made.

RAPC’s own fees come from the fee list the parish posts next to the ordinance:

For example, a new 1,500 sq ft house pays a parish fee of $675 (1,500 × $0.45), plus RAPC’s $200 plan review and $720 inspection fee (1,500 × 48 cents), before any trade or flood charges. Pay by check or money order made out to Natchitoches Parish; cash is not taken. Card payments show RAPC as the payee and carry a card fee.

Trades, septic and power

An electrical connection or a single-trade job (plumbing or mechanical) needs only the trade permit application and the utility account number. Plumbing must be done by a person licensed by the Louisiana State Plumbing Board, and the parish recommends a state-licensed contractor even for electrical-only or plumbing-only work. RAPC’s fee list notes that a remodel of less than 50% of the floor area needs only trade permits.

Septic systems are permitted by Environmental Health of the Louisiana Department of Health, in Room 147 of the same building (318-357-2266). Bring hard copies of the temporary and final sewage permits with a new building application, or, on a community sewer, an official letter from the sewer provider showing the property is connected and in good standing. The application also asks for the power company and account number; the parish lists SWEPCO, CLECO, Entergy and the City of Natchitoches utility.

What to bring for new construction

• The parish permit application, on paper or as the fillable legal-size PDF.
• A Louisiana contractor’s licence, or a notarized homeowner affidavit (residential new construction only) or commercial affidavit.
• A 911 address from the 911 Communication District (318-357-8300), with the 911 affidavit for a new address.
• The temporary and final sewage permits, or the community sewer letter.
• A site drawing showing the driveway, existing and proposed buildings and setbacks; you may draw on the assessor’s aerial image.
• Ownership papers, or a notarized letter from the owner allowing the work.
• Plans, with engineered drawings for structural steel or anything beyond the scope of the International Residential Code.
• The Tax Assessor’s listing of the property (parcel numbers: 318-352-2377).
• In a flood zone, preliminary and final elevation certificates from a licensed surveyor; in a floodway, a no-rise certificate from a licensed engineer.

Applications can be emailed, mailed to P.O. Box 799, Natchitoches, LA 71458, or brought to Room 153. For commercial buildings, RAPC needs two plan sets: the set reviewed by the State Fire Marshal and a second set for its own review.

How to get a Natchitoches Parish permit

Booking parish inspections

Inspections are booked through the parish permit office (318-352-2714, ext. 2) and are scheduled for the next business day; an inspection can be cancelled by phone or email within 24 hours of the request. RAPC’s inspector leaves a notice and sticker with the result at each visit, and the next stage can start once that inspection is approved. RAPC charges $75 for a re-inspection after the second failed inspection, or after the first on trade and manufactured home permits.

A building may not be occupied until the owner has filed the parish’s certificate of completion and compliance, and the permit becomes void if the work is suspended or abandoned for 180 days.

Zoning, land division and flood rules

Zoning changes and variances: both the Planning Commission and the Parish Council must approve them, a process spread over 4 monthly meetings. File the Development Application, plats and payment by the 20th of the month to make the next agenda. The 9-member Planning Commission meets monthly at 5:00 p.m. in Room 211 of the courthouse, 200 Church Street.

Dividing land: a division needs a survey plat sealed by a licensed surveyor and signed by every owner, the Health Department and the water district, then Planning Commission approval; the parish charges no fee for it. Record the signed plat with the Clerk of Court (318-352-8152). Ordinance 007-2022 ties minimum lot sizes to the state sanitary code.

Flood maps: the parish flood chapter adopts the FEMA flood insurance study and rate maps dated July 6, 2015, and new or substantially improved homes in a special flood hazard area must have the lowest floor at or above the base flood elevation.

Owner-builders: the state homeowner affidavit covers a new house you will live in, if you have not built another house in the past year (unless your marital status changed or you moved for work); the parish accepts it only for residential new construction. The parish’s commercial affidavit lets a business owner act as contractor when the commercial project costs under $50,000 in labor and materials.

Permit activity: Planning & Zoning posts a monthly report of applied permits and a cash log of RAPC fees collected.

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 Natchitoches Parish permit resources

• Natchitoches Parish Planning & Zoning: permits, zoning and fees
• Natchitoches Parish permit application (fillable PDF)
• Ordinance 006-2022: Natchitoches Parish permit fees
• RAPC permit fee list posted by the parish
• RAPC building code enforcement fee schedule, 2026 updates
• Rapides Area Planning Commission: building code enforcement
• Homeowner affidavit claiming exemption from contractor licensure
• Natchitoches Parish commercial affidavit
• Natchitoches Parish Development Application (zoning, variances, land division)
• Natchitoches Parish Code, chapter 105: building codes and permits
• Natchitoches Parish Code, chapter 110: floodplain management
• Natchitoches Parish mayors and town phone numbers
• City of Natchitoches Planning & Zoning

Natchitoches Parish permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Natchitoches Parish?

For unincorporated land, Natchitoches Parish Planning & Zoning (318-352-2714, ext. 2), with the Rapides Area Planning Commission as building official. The City of Natchitoches issues its own permits; in the smaller towns and villages, call the town hall.

How much is a parish permit for a new house?

The parish charges $0.45 per sq ft of building, and RAPC adds a $200 plan review fee and 48 cents per sq ft for inspections (at least $150). A 1,500 sq ft house comes to $675 for the parish plus $920 for RAPC.

Can a homeowner pull the permit?

Only for a new house the owner will live in, with the notarized homeowner affidavit. The parish requires a Louisiana licensed contractor for all other projects, except a commercial project under $50,000 whose owner files the parish’s commercial affidavit.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call the parish permit office at 318-352-2714, ext. 2. Inspections are set for the next business day.

Do I need a permit for a shed or a barn?

The parish fee list charges $0.25 per sq ft for detached sheds, barns and garages, but its code excludes barns used only for storage, and state law bars parish code enforcement on a detached residential accessory structure of 200 sq ft or less outside hurricane-prone areas with a 130 mph design wind speed. Ask Planning & Zoning before you build.

Who issues septic permits?

Environmental Health of the Louisiana Department of Health, 625 Bienville Circle, Room 147 (318-357-2266). The parish needs the temporary and final sewage permits before it issues a building permit for new construction.

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