Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Homer, Louisiana

Town of Homer’s own rules

• Building permitLimited

  Plumbing work in buildings inside Homer town; electrical wiring permit also required under Sec. 5-67

  • A general building permit sentence was not located in the readable text; only trade permits were confirmed.
  • Electrical wiring requires a written permit under Sec. 5-67; gas work under Sec. 5-126.

  “no installation, alteration, or removal shall be made in or of the plumbing of any building or structure, nor shall any plumbing be done without a written permit therefor being first obtained from the town”

• Owner-builder exemptionConditional

  Individuals doing their own electrical work inside Homer town

  • Exempt from the electrician license only; the regular permit is still required.
  • Work must be personal, on the individual's own job, not a service to the public.

  “any individual desiring to perform his own electrical work personally shall not be required to obtain the required license, but shall be required to obtain the regular permit for that particular job.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Buildings and structures within Homer corporate limits

  • Adopted code is the 1976 edition of the abbreviated national building code, as amended; electrical (1987 NEC) and plumbing (1985 Standard Plumbing Code) codes are adopted separately.
  • Code text in the supplement may predate later amendments.

  adopted edition: National Building Code, abbreviated edition (AIA), 1976 (save and except portions deleted, modified or amended)

  “that certain building code known as the national building code, abbreviated edition, recommended by the american insurance association, being particularly the 1976 edition thereof, and the whole thereof as amended, save and except such portions as are hereinafter deleted, modified, or amended”

• InspectionsLimited

  Electrical wiring installations inside Homer town

  • Electric current may not be turned on until the inspector's certificate is issued.
  • Inspection fee is fixed by the selectmen from time to time.

  “it shall be the duty of the person having direct charge of such to notify the electrical inspector who shall, as early as possible, inspect such wiring”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Homer town limits

  • Only the code's cross-reference to Appendix A (Zoning) was confirmed; the Appendix A PDF returned no readable text, so its content was not read.

  “planning, ch. 13; streets and sidewalks, ch. 14; utilities, ch. 17; zoning, app. a; airport zoning, app. b; subdivision regulations, app. c.”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  New dwellings and commercial buildings inside Homer town

  • Applies within 300 feet of a sewer main; beyond 300 feet a septic tank and tile system meeting state health requirements is required instead.
  • Gravity-flow availability affects older-building rules in Sec. 17-72.
  • No water-connection mandate found.

  sewer main distance: <= 300 feet (beyond 300 feet, state-compliant septic system required)

  “no new dwelling or commercial building shall be constructed in the town within three hundred (300) feet of a sewer main unless it is connected to a sewer main.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivisions inside Homer town

  • Appendix C subdivision regulations were not read; flood chapter also applies to subdivision proposals.

  “planning, ch. 13; streets and sidewalks, ch. 14; utilities, ch. 17; zoning, app. a; airport zoning, app. b; subdivision regulations, app. c.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development in Homer's special flood hazard areas

  • Application goes to the building inspector; includes elevation of lowest floor and floodproofing certification for nonresidential structures.
  • No new construction or fill in zones A1-30 and AE unless it is shown not to raise the base flood level more than one foot (Sec. 8-37).

  “a development permit shall be required to ensure conformance with the provisions of this chapter.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Gas-work permits inside Homer town (similar language for other trade permits)

  • Fee amounts are not in the code; schedule is on file in the town clerk's office and set by the mayor and selectmen.

  “the fee for such permit shall be set from time to time by the mayor and selectmen and is on file in the town clerk's office.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Homer or Claiborne Parish directly.

• Certificate of occupancy — Homer town
• Zoning districts — Homer town
• Minimum dwelling size — Homer town
• Minimum lot size — Homer town
• Setbacks — Homer town

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.