Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Donaldsonville, Louisiana

Donaldsonville’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Donaldsonville city limits

  • Ordinance was passed Nov. 11, 1975 and amended; Ord. No. 2024-09 (May 14, 2024) renumbered former Appendix A as Appendix B.
  • Administered with a zoning administrator and a board of adjustment.

  “this ordinance shall be known, referred to, and cited as "the comprehensive zoning ordinance of the city of donaldsonville, louisiana."”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Donaldsonville city

  • Districts: O, R-1, R-2, R-3, C-1, C-1(a), C-2, I.
  • Boundaries shown on the comprehensive zoning district map on file with the zoning administrator.

  “o open space district r-1 single family residential district r-2 single family residential district r-3 multiple family district c-1 limited commercial district c-1(a) expanded limited commercial district c-2 general commercial district i industrial district”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 single-family residential district inside Donaldsonville city

  • From Plate 2 schedule of zoning district regulations; other districts have separate figures.

  minimum lot area: >= 7200 sq ft per family · minimum lot width: >= 60 ft · minimum lot depth: >= 100 ft

  “7,200 square feet per family 60 feet 100 feet 20% of the lot depth not required to exceed 20 feet 25 feet 20% of lot width 7 feet 35 feet”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 single-family residential district inside Donaldsonville city

  • Column mapping inferred from Plate 2 headings (rear yard, front yard, side yards total/per side).
  • Other districts (R-2, R-3, O, etc.) not recorded here.

  rear yard: 20% of lot depth, not required to exceed 20 ft · front yard: >= 25 ft · side yards total: 20% of lot width · side yard per side: >= 7 ft

  “7,200 square feet per family 60 feet 100 feet 20% of the lot depth not required to exceed 20 feet 25 feet 20% of lot width 7 feet 35 feet”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1 single-family residential district inside Donaldsonville city

  • Maximum height column of Plate 2; other districts not recorded.

  maximum height: <= 35 ft

  “7,200 square feet per family 60 feet 100 feet 20% of the lot depth not required to exceed 20 feet 25 feet 20% of lot width 7 feet 35 feet”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Donaldsonville or Ascension Parish directly.

• Building permit — Building permits inside Donaldsonville city
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Donaldsonville city
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Donaldsonville city
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Donaldsonville city
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Donaldsonville city

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Donaldsonville means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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