Building permits, zoning and land rules in Union Parish, Louisiana

Unincorporated Union Parish requires a building permit for new construction and enforces the Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code^1,5. Inside Farmerville, town building permits come from the general manager of public services for construction, extensions and alterations³. Septic permits remain with the state health officer through the parish health unit⁴. A new-construction plan review must be completed before the permit is issued, and the application must carry both E-911 and sanitation signatures¹. The Union Parish Police Jury fee is $100, and Lagniappe Inspection Services collects $150 for applicable permits other than mobile homes⁷. The Police Jury accepts checks, money orders and credit cards, adds a 4% card charge, and does not accept cash⁷. A qualifying farm structure such as a barn, shed or poultry house is exempt from construction-code enforcement, but the parish may still require a building permit; residences and structures attached to them do not qualify⁸. A qualifying owner may supervise work on a personal residence with the required affidavit while licensed subcontractors must remain licensed⁶; the exemption generally limits the owner to 1 residence per year, with a qualifying marital-status or employment-relocation exception, and concerns contractor licensing rather than building permits⁶.

For unincorporated Union Parish building permits, begin with the Union Parish E-911 Administration Office at 100 E Bayou St., Suite 102 in Farmerville or call 318-368-0911⁷. The office handles building-permit applications on weekdays from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, including lunch, and asks for the road name and approximate distance to the nearest 911 neighbor⁷. After E-911 and sanitation sign the application, take it, any required flood-elevation documents and the new-construction plan review to the Union Parish Police Jury, which issues the building permit once the qualifications are met¹. Permit-covered work requires inspections, and the applicant must contact the building inspector; a third-party inspector must send inspection records to the Police Jury and Building Official¹.

Unincorporated Union Parish has no parish zoning rule setting zoning districts, minimum dwelling size, ordinary minimum lot size, setbacks, lot coverage or building height, or restricting accessory dwellings, RVs, tiny homes, manufactured homes or temporary camping². Certain qualifying single-family subdivisions outside incorporated areas remain subject to a state rule requiring 22,500 square feet of lot area and 125 feet of frontage, along with suitable sewage disposal and water systems⁹. A division into 5 or more lots, any under 3 acres, falls within the parish subdivision definition, subject to its exclusions, and needs Police Jury plat approval before lot sales¹⁰.

Louisiana's state health officer issues individual sewerage-system permits, while the local parish health unit must be notified before installation and its sanitarian handles final approval⁴. State approval is required before a system is installed, altered or operated, and the approved plans and specifications control the installation⁴. Final approval follows installation verification and receipt of the licensed installer's certification⁴. For a lot in a formal subdivision, the Office of Public Health must approve the recorded plat or property survey before issuing the permit⁴. In Union Parish subdivisions governed by the parish ordinance, sewage-disposal facilities must be approved by and built under the supervision of the parish health unit when no sanitary sewer is accessible; the plat must state that requirement¹⁰. Only about 1.4% of Union Parish soils are rated without severe limits for a conventional drain field, so make septic feasibility an early purchase contingency¹¹.

Unincorporated Union Parish does not restrict RV or tiny-home occupancy through parish zoning². A tiny home that qualifies as new construction still enters the parish building-permit and inspection process, and a mobile-home application begins with the E-911 office^1,7. Any individual sewerage system in Union Parish still needs state approval¹². Off-grid wastewater options are limited: an individual system is allowed when community sewer is unavailable or infeasible, and alternative systems remain subject to state approval¹². For construction inside Farmerville, ask the general manager of public services about the town building permit³.

1. Contact the E-911 Administration Office with the road name and approximate distance to the nearest 911 neighbor, then obtain the address and building-permit application⁷.
2. Contact the parish health unit for the sewerage-system permit and sanitation signature before installation⁴.
3. Complete the required new-construction plan review¹.
4. If the site is in a flood zone, obtain a Base Flood Elevation Certificate and document that a licensed surveyor will provide the final Elevation Certificate¹.
5. Take the signed application, plans and any flood documents to the Union Parish Police Jury and pay the applicable parish and inspection-service fees^1,7.
6. Contact the building inspector for required inspections and make sure any third-party records reach the Police Jury and Building Official¹.
7. For a state-highway driveway, obtain a signed and numbered LaDOTD Access Connection Permit before construction¹³.

Check flood status before committing: a flood-zone building site needs a Base Flood Elevation Certificate and a commitment for a licensed surveyor's final Elevation Certificate before the building permit can issue¹. Test septic feasibility early because only about 1.4% of Union Parish soils are rated without severe limits for a conventional drain field¹¹. In a subdivision, accessible public sewer and public water must be extended to each lot; where sewer is inaccessible, the parish health unit must approve and supervise sewage-disposal facilities, and the plat must carry that requirement¹⁰. Confirm legal road access and determine whether a driveway connects to a state highway, where a LaDOTD permit is required before construction¹³. A new water well must be drilled by a licensed contractor and registered within 30 days; domestic wells follow post-installation notification rules¹⁴.