Unincorporated Grant Parish, Louisiana requires a building permit for new residential structures, shops with living quarters, camps and mobile homes1. The Police Jury has state authority to zone the parish, but we could not confirm an adopted parish-wide zoning ordinance, and incorporated Pollock has its own zoning rules2,3. Septic permits start with the Grant Parish Health Unit, acting under the Louisiana Department of Health1,4.
Do you need a building permit in Grant Parish, Louisiana?
Yes.
Yes. Unincorporated Grant Parish requires a permit for new residential structures, shops with living quarters, camps and mobile homes1. Grant Parish enforces the Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code5. The residential fee is $100 and the commercial fee is $300, while roofing permits have no charge1. A farm structure other than a residence or an attached structure may be exempt from state-code enforcement, but other laws and permit requirements still apply5. More than four homes on one property is treated as a subdivision, while more than two mobile homes is treated as a mobile-home park; either needs Planning Commission approval before the parish issues a permit1.
Who is the Grant Parish building department, and how do you reach them?
The Grant Parish Police Jury Building Permit Office is the local starting point for building permits and floodplain review; it is at 200 Main Street, Colfax, LA 71417, and its phone number is (318) 627-3333.
The Grant Parish Police Jury Building Permit Office is the local starting point for building permits and floodplain review; it is at 200 Main Street, Colfax, LA 71417, and its phone number is (318) 627-33331. Applicants must request or update an E-911 address, obtain sanitation approval where applicable, and complete the application at the Permit Office1. The office checks the site for flood-zone status and completion of other permits1. Grant Parish relies on inspection reports during construction: temporary electrical service requires an electrical inspection report and temporary sewer permit, while permanent service requires all inspection reports, final sewer approval and any required elevation certificate1,7. Mobile-home electrical inspections come from a certified ICC inspector, and the Permit Office does not collect inspection fees7.
Does Grant Parish have zoning?
Louisiana law authorizes the Grant Parish Police Jury to regulate building height and size, lot coverage, yard sizes, population density and the location and use of buildings and land.
Louisiana law authorizes the Grant Parish Police Jury to regulate building height and size, lot coverage, yard sizes, population density and the location and use of buildings and land2. That authority does not by itself show which zoning districts, map or dimensional schedule the parish has adopted, so we could not confirm a current parish-wide zoning ordinance for unincorporated land2,8. Incorporated Pollock has its own zoning ordinances, including a municipal amendment allowing modular homes in an R-1 Residential District, so Pollock's rules should not be applied to unincorporated land3. The parish rules establish separate development thresholds: more than four homes on one property is a subdivision, and more than two mobile homes on one property is a mobile-home park; Planning Commission approval is required before a permit can issue1. Those thresholds do not establish a setback, minimum home size or lot-coverage rule for an individual parcel. Before buying, ask the Grant Parish Building Permit Office which parish or municipal rules govern the address.
How do septic permits work in Grant Parish?
Septic permits in Grant Parish, come from the Grant Parish Health Unit, where state sanitarians run the onsite sewage permitting system for the Louisiana Department of Health.
Septic permits in Grant Parish, come from the Grant Parish Health Unit, where state sanitarians run the onsite sewage permitting system for the Louisiana Department of Health1,4. The parish's building permit instructions send applicants there first1. Louisiana requires state-health-officer approval before an individual sewerage system is installed, altered or operated9. A conventional septic system may be used only where community sewer is unavailable and the site meets the sanitary-code requirements10. Temporary electrical service requires a temporary sewer permit, and permanent service requires final sewer approval1. Final verification may use an on-site inspection, an installer certification or both9. Only about 8% of Grant Parish soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional drain field, so establish system feasibility before treating a homesite as buildable6.
Can you live in an RV or tiny home on your land in Grant Parish?
We could not confirm whether Grant Parish allows an RV or tiny home to be used as a full-time residence on private land.
We could not confirm whether Grant Parish allows an RV or tiny home to be used as a full-time residence on private land. The parish does distinguish an exempt recreational camp from a residence: once the camp affidavit is filed and notarized, the camp cannot be used for permanent living1. Installing a mobile home requires a building permit1. More than two mobile homes on one property makes the property a mobile-home park that needs Planning Commission approval before a permit can issue1. Those rules do not answer long-term RV occupancy or establish a separate tiny-home category, so ask the Building Permit Office about the proposed structure, utilities and intended occupancy.
Building a home in Grant Parish: the steps, in order
Request or update the E-911 address.
- Request or update the E-911 address1.
- Contact the Grant Parish Health Unit for the sanitation permit and temporary approval for any onsite sewerage system1.
- Apply at the Grant Parish Permit Office, which checks flood-zone status and completion of other permits1.
- If acting as your own general contractor, file the notarized exemption affidavit listing contractor names and license numbers for the work1.
- In a flood zone, supply the required elevation certificate1.
- Before temporary power, submit the electrical inspection report and temporary sewer permit1,7.
- For permanent power and any required Certificate of Occupancy, submit all inspection reports, final sewer approval and the final elevation certificate when applicable1.
What to check before you buy land in Grant Parish
Confirm flood status first.
Confirm flood status first. Grant Parish checks the proposed site, requires an elevation certificate in a flood zone, and may require pre-construction and final elevation certificates before permanent electrical service is released1. Check sewer availability and soils before assuming a conventional septic field will work; only about 8% of Grant Parish soils are rated without severe limitations for one6,10. If access connects to a state highway, a signed and numbered LaDOTD access permit is required before driveway construction begins; the rule for a parish road could not be confirmed11. A new water well must be installed by a licensed drilling contractor and registered after completion, while domestic wells follow the state's post-installation notification path12. Grant Parish is about 85% wooded, so verify clearing needs and usable acreage on the actual parcel6. The effective property-tax rate is about 0.6%, and the median annual bill is about $8646.
Watch-outs
- Parish-wide zoning could not be confirmed even though the Police Jury has state zoning authority, and Pollock has municipal zoning; ask which jurisdiction's use and dimensional rules apply to the parcel2,3.
- A recreational camp using the parish exemption cannot become a residence, while the full-time RV and tiny-home rules could not be confirmed; ask before planning to live on-site1.
- A code exemption for a qualifying farm structure is not a building-permit exemption; other permit requirements may still apply5.
Sources
12 official pages, each quoted and re-checked · written October 9, 2026
- Building Permits
- RS 33:140.121 — Regulation of size and use of buildings
- Town of Pollock Ordinances
- Onsite Wastewater Program
- Uniform Construction Code Enforcement 2024
- Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
- Building Permits
- (2026 county census)
- Louisiana Administrative Code Title 51, Part XIII, Public Health—Sanitary Code (Louisiana statewide rule)
- Onsite Wastewater Study Material and Louisiana Sanitary Code
- LaDOTD Access Connections Policy (Louisiana statewide rule)
- Louisiana Administrative Code, Title 43, Part VI, §701 (Louisiana statewide rule)
Written October 9, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.
Off-grid gear
Going off-grid in Grant Parish 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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