Sabine Parish, Louisiana Building Permit Guide

For land outside the towns and villages, building permits in Sabine Parish come from the Police Jury’s Building Code Office at 415 Capitol Street, Many (318-256-8929), where the parish building official enforces the state construction code. Under an intergovernmental agreement the Police Jury approved in May 2026, the State Fire Marshal’s office reviews commercial plans for the parish and collects its fee from the applicant.

What needs a permit in Sabine Parish?

Chapter 10 of the parish code makes it unlawful to build, enlarge, alter, repair, move or demolish a building, change its occupancy, or install, alter or replace an electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system without a permit from the parish building official. That covers houses, additions, remodels, accessory buildings, commercial buildings and trade work in unincorporated areas. Work on a parish road needs a separate road use permit from the Police Jury’s Road Department.

Roofing is covered too: R.S. 37:3737(I), re-enacted by Act 881 of 2026, requires a parish that issues construction permits to permit and inspect roofs and re-roofs. On the other hand, R.S. 37:3738(B) keeps the parish from enforcing the code on a detached residential accessory structure with a footprint of 200 sq ft or less, unless the site is in a hurricane-prone region with an ultimate design wind speed of at least 130 mph.

Who issues building permits in Sabine Parish?

The parish code creates a parish building official, appointed by the Police Jury, who enforces the Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code only in the unincorporated parish, and the same official serves as the parish floodplain administrator. The Building Code Office is that official’s office.

For commercial work, the Police Jury approved an intergovernmental agreement with the Office of State Fire Marshal’s Division of Code Enforcement and Building Safety on May 20, 2026 (Resolution 10016), so the state reviews commercial plans for code compliance and charges the applicant directly.

Populations are Census 2025 estimates; the parish has 21,834 residents. In Many, no building permit is issued until the zoning administrator certifies the use complies with the town’s zoning ordinance, and the certificate is countersigned by the zoning commission chairman.

Sabine Parish permit fees

Neither the parish code nor the Police Jury’s permit pages set out a building permit fee; the Building Code Office (318-256-8929) gives the fee for each job. Commercial applicants also pay the State Fire Marshal’s plan review fee to the state. The parish code sets a fine of $100 to $500 for each violation of the building permit chapter.

Electrical, plumbing, gas and septic

The parish permit covers electrical, gas, mechanical and plumbing systems along with the building, and the application must say which of these trades the job involves. Septic systems are permitted through the Sabine Parish Health Unit of the Louisiana Department of Health, 1230 Louisiana Avenue, Many (318-256-4105).

What the application must include

Under section 10-4 of the parish code, the building official issues a permit only after approving an application that gives:

• The owner’s name, address and daytime phone number.
• The name, address and daytime phone number of every contractor.
• The location of the work.
• A description with the square footage, type of construction and intended occupancy.
• Whether the job includes electrical, concrete or masonry, plumbing, structural or gas work.
• The expected completion date.
• A statement, under penalty of perjury, that the work will meet the codes.

Commercial plans go to the State Fire Marshal for review under the 2026 agreement.

How to get a Sabine Parish permit

Completion and occupancy

The parish code bars occupying or using a permitted building until the owner or the owner’s designee files a certificate of completion and compliance on the building official’s form. It gives the owner and contractors, the location, the square footage, type of construction and occupancy, the construction date and a statement under penalty of perjury that the work meets the codes. The building official can go to court, through the parish attorney, to stop work or occupancy without a valid permit.

Flood, subdivision and road rules

Flood maps: the parish flood chapter adopts the FEMA flood insurance study and rate maps dated August 5, 1991, and new or substantially improved homes in special flood hazard areas need the lowest floor at or above the base flood elevation.

Dividing land: Ordinance No. 2 of 2026, adopted May 20, 2026 and in force since June 1, 2026, governs subdivisions outside the towns. A plat of two or more lots needs Planning Commission approval and recording with the Clerk of Court. The rules do not apply to lots in subdivisions already recorded (unless resubdivided), judicial partitions, divisions of heir property, small parcels sold or swapped between neighbors that create no new lot, or partitions where every lot is at least 1 acre with 35 ft of legal access to a public road and no road is built. Preliminary plats (6 copies) are due 10 days before the commission meeting and need a Health Department letter accepting the sewage plan, an E-911 street-name letter and, for shoreline lots, Sabine River Authority approval. Selling a lot before the final plat and final health approval carries a $500 penalty per lot.

Planning Commission: a five-member board that advises the Police Jury on growth, land use and infrastructure; its office is in Room 101 of the courthouse.

Power connections: Section VI of Ordinance 2 of 2026 bars electric utilities in the parish from connecting temporary or permanent service to any building, mobile home or RV until the final sewer and building permits have been issued.

Roads: road use permits come from the Police Jury’s Road Department.

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 Sabine Parish permit resources

• Sabine Parish Building Code Office
• Sabine Parish Police Jury permits (road use)
• Sabine Parish Code, chapter 10: building codes and permits
• Sabine Parish Code, chapter 16: flood damage prevention
• Sabine Parish Planning Commission and subdivision ordinance
• Police Jury minutes, May 20, 2026 (State Fire Marshal plan review agreement, subdivision ordinance)
• Sabine Parish Health Unit
• Town of Many: Town Hall contacts
• Town of Many zoning ordinance (certificate of zoning compliance, sec. VII)
• Village of Florien

Sabine Parish permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Sabine Parish?

The Police Jury’s Building Code Office, 415 Capitol Street, Many (318-256-8929), for unincorporated areas. Inside Many, Zwolle and the villages, ask the town or village hall.

How much does a Sabine Parish building permit cost?

The parish does not publish a fee schedule; the Building Code Office sets the fee for each job. Commercial projects also pay the State Fire Marshal’s plan review fee.

Who reviews commercial plans?

The Office of State Fire Marshal, under an agreement the Police Jury approved on May 20, 2026.

Do I need a permit to subdivide land?

Yes, a plat approved by the Planning Commission, except for judicial or heir partitions, small exchanges between neighbors, and partitions where every lot is at least 1 acre with 35 ft of road access and no road is built.

Where do I get a septic permit?

From the Louisiana Department of Health at the Sabine Parish Health Unit, 1230 Louisiana Avenue, Many (318-256-4105).

Can I move into a new house before the paperwork is done?

No. The parish code bars occupancy until the owner files a certificate of completion and compliance with the building official.

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