Baton Rouge does not charge general residential development impact fees on ADUs. Louisiana has no statewide impact-fee enabling act, and the City-Parish has not established an impact-fee program for residential construction. Costs are limited to Permits and Inspections building permit fees, Baton Rouge Water Company connection fees, and East Baton Rouge sewer connection fees under the Sanitary Sewer Master Plan / SSO Consent Decree program.
Louisiana is one of the few states without a general impact-fee enabling statute. Most Louisiana jurisdictions including East Baton Rouge Parish have not adopted residential development impact fees. The City-Parish funds infrastructure primarily through general fund appropriations, sales tax dedications, and the long-running federal Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) Consent Decree investment program. Costs for a Baton Rouge ADU therefore consist of: (1) Permits and Inspections building permit fees based on construction valuation per the City-Parish fee schedule, typically $0.40-0.80 per square foot for residential; (2) zoning compliance review and plan-check fees through the Department of Development; (3) Baton Rouge Water Company water service connection fees (private investor-owned utility for most of the parish) only when a new tap or meter is installed — shared service with the principal dwelling avoids these charges; (4) East Baton Rouge Department of Environmental Services sewer connection fees, including any user-charge or capacity components tied to the SSO Consent Decree investments; (5) drainage and stormwater fees if new impervious surface exceeds Floodplain Management Ordinance thresholds. Properties in FEMA flood zones require an Elevation Certificate. Property reassessment is performed by the East Baton Rouge Parish Assessor. Affordable housing programs run through the Office of Community Development may waive certain fees for income-restricted units but require separate application.
Building without permits to avoid fees: stop-work orders, double permit fees on after-the-fact applications, and possible mandatory exposure of concealed work. Unpaid Baton Rouge Water Company or sewer connection fees block service connection. Floodplain violations under the City-Parish Floodplain Management Ordinance can void NFIP flood insurance and reduce the parish's CRS rating, raising premiums for all parish policyholders.
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