Jefferson Parish, LA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Sec. 1(a) of the parish's Building and Related Construction Code sets the trigger: any owner, contractor or firm that wants to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a building or structure must first apply to the Code Official for a building permit, and the permit must be obtained before work starts. The same section carves out an exception list in Sec. 4, which the parish frames as work that does not need a permit unless the Code Official judges it hazardous or complex: interior painting and finish work such as tiling or carpeting on one- and two-family homes, exterior painting, like-for-like window and door replacement that fits an existing rough opening, roof covering or gutter work affecting less than 50 percent of the roof, playhouses and playground equipment, construction shacks and dumpsters during active building, pile load tests and soil borings, and fence board replacement that does not move or add posts.

Paving of private walkways and driveways is also exempt, though sidewalks, curb cuts and paving in the parish right-of-way still need a Public Works permit under chapter 29. Roof replacements covering more than half the roof area on a one- or two-family dwelling require their own application under Sec. 1(c), with photo or video documentation geotagged and uploaded to the parish permitting system, or a FORTIFIED designation certificate in lieu of photos. A permit issued under this chapter only authorizes the specific work shown on the approved plans; any construction not clearly shown on those plans is unauthorized and must stop until a separate permit is obtained, per Sec.

2. This applies throughout unincorporated Jefferson Parish, covering Metairie and Terrytown, which rely on the parish rather than a city hall; Kenner, Gretna, Harahan and Westwego administer their own building permits.