St. Helena Parish, Louisiana Building Permit Guide

In unincorporated St. Helena Parish, building permits come from the Police Jury’s Building Department in the Police Jury Building, 17911 Highway 43, Greensburg (225-222-4549), open weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Applications can be filed in person or through MyPermitNow. The process starts with a 911 address and a plan review of two sets of plans, and no permit is issued until the parish has delineated the flood zone.

What needs a permit in St. Helena Parish?

The Building Department asks any owner or agent who plans to build, enlarge, alter, repair, move or demolish a building, change its occupancy, or install or change electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems to apply to the building official first. The parish code adds separate permits for these:

Because the parish issues construction permits, R.S. 37:3737(I), re-enacted by Act 881 of 2026, also requires it to permit and inspect roof construction and re-roofing. A separate statute, R.S. 37:3738(B), keeps parishes from enforcing the construction code on a detached residential accessory building with a footprint of 200 sq ft or less, except in hurricane-prone regions where the ultimate design wind speed is 130 mph or more.

Who issues building permits in St. Helena Parish?

The parish code appoints a parish building official to enforce the state construction code outside any incorporated area. The Building Department’s page lists Edward Galmon as Chief Building Official, and in September 2026 the Police Jury named Larry Thompson supervisor and head of the Building Department. Commercial buildings need State Fire Marshal approval before the parish permit process starts.

Populations are Census 2025 estimates; the parish has 10,758 residents. The parish’s mobile home permit rules likewise exclude the incorporated municipalities.

St. Helena Parish permit fees

The Building Department collects a plan review fee when plans are submitted (call 225-222-4549 for the amount) and takes cash, check or money order for permit fees. The amounts written in the parish code date from Ordinance 211 of 2001 and Ordinance 293 of 2011; the 2001 ordinance says its delineation and building permit fees are reviewed every year and are non-refundable.

Trades, septic and power

Electrical, gas, mechanical and plumbing systems fall under the same application to the building official. Septic systems need a permit from the state health officer, handled by the St. Helena Environmental Office at the St. Helena Health Unit, 53 North Second Street, Greensburg (225-222-4412). Before the sanitarian evaluates the site, bring proof of ownership, the survey and legal description, the proposed use, the number of bedrooms (or employees for an office or business), the 911 address, the type of water service, the owner’s signature or a notarized agent form, and the permits already issued by the parish permit office.

Permanent electricity is not released until every inspection has passed and the parish has received the environmental confirmation form with the utility connection form, and in flood Zone A or AE the parish also needs the surveyor’s or engineer’s elevation certification.

Documents for a St. Helena Parish permit

• A 911 address from the parish 911 office in the Police Jury Building.
• Two sets of plans and a site plan for plan review.
• The legal description of the property.
• A survey of the property.
• A site plan showing where the house will sit on the lot.
• Cash, check or money order for the fees.
• For the sewer permit: the survey, the deed, and copies of the sewer and building permits.
• For a commercial building: State Fire Marshal approval.

The Building Department’s six steps

Inspections and occupancy

Permanent power stays off until all inspections are approved, and the certificate of occupancy follows once every requirement is met. For a mobile or manufactured home, the anchoring and full perimeter skirting must be finished before anyone moves in, and the home must be moved in and installed within 60 days of the permit or the permit has to be updated.

Mobile home and flood rules

Mobile homes: only properly skirted HUD-code homes built after July 1, 1994, with the red metal HUD label and ownership papers, can be placed in the parish, though an older titled home that has been lived in, with power, at a location in the parish can get a special relocation permit if its registered owners sign a statement that it may lose FEMA or HUD disaster aid eligibility. Each application is reviewed by the Police Jury. Homes need 25 ft setbacks from the front, side and rear lines and 25 ft between buildings, and a lot on its own septic system needs about half an acre (22,500 sq ft) for each living unit. Water providers may not serve an unpermitted unit.

Flood maps: the parish flood chapter adopts the FEMA flood insurance study and rate maps dated April 2, 2013, with the Police Jury President or a designee as floodplain administrator. In Zone A or AE, the lowest floor of a new home must be built above the base flood elevation the floodplain administrator sets.

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 St. Helena Parish permit resources

• St. Helena Parish Building Department: six steps to a permit
• Apply for a permit (MyPermitNow link)
• St. Helena Environmental Health: sewage permit requirements
• St. Helena Parish Code, chapter 5: building, mobile home and flood rules
• St. Helena Parish municipalities: Greensburg and Montpelier
• St. Helena Parish Police Jury agendas and minutes

St. Helena Parish permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in St. Helena Parish?

The Police Jury’s Building Department, 17911 Highway 43, Greensburg (225-222-4549), for unincorporated areas. For Greensburg or Montpelier, ask the town or village hall.

Can I apply online?

Yes. The parish’s Apply for a Permit page links to MyPermitNow, or you can apply at the Building Department.

What does a mobile home permit cost?

The parish code lists a $200 inspection fee, a $25 sewerage fee, a $25 building-occupancy fee and $35 for the elevation certificate, doubled if the home is placed without a permit.

Do I need a flood determination?

Yes. The parish code says no permit is issued until a flood zone delineation has been made, and homes in Zone A or AE must be built above the base flood elevation.

Where do I get a septic permit?

From the St. Helena Environmental Office at the Health Unit, 53 North Second Street, Greensburg (225-222-4412). Bring your 911 address and the parish permits.

When will the power be turned on?

Only after all inspections are approved and the environmental confirmation form is received; in Zone A or AE an elevation certification is also needed.

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