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Jefferson Parish, LA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Front yard cap
40% impervious surface
Corner side yard cap
40% impervious, calculated separately
District
Old Metairie Neighborhood Conservation District
Governing section
Sec. 33-3.65.4(c)
Related rule
20% of front/corner yard must be planted

Summary

In the Old Metairie Neighborhood Conservation District (OMNCD), no more than 40 percent of the front yard, and no more than 40 percent of the corner side yard, figured separately, can be paved or otherwise made impervious. The cap sits in the district's dimensional standards section and exists to protect the drainage and floodplain function the OMNCD was created to preserve.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Jefferson Parish. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

(c)Lot coverage. No more than forty (40) percent of the front yard and corner side yard, calculated separately, shall consist of impervious paving or other impervious surfaces.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 20 Update 2).

Full Breakdown

Sec. 4(c) sets the lot coverage standard for the OMNCD, an overlay district bounded by the New Orleans Terminal Railroad to the north, Metairie Road and Orpheum Avenue to the east, and the Metairie Country Club to the south and west (excluding C-1 zoned parcels, Metairie Country Day School, St. Francis Xavier Church and School, and the country club itself). The rule caps impervious paving, driveways, and other hard surfaces at 40 percent of the front yard, calculated separately from a 40 percent cap on the corner side yard, so a corner lot cannot offset an oversized driveway apron against a smaller front approach.

The purpose section of the district, Sec. 1, ties this cap directly to drainage: OMNCD's stated goals include preserving natural floodplain function, limiting the aesthetic impact of paved surfaces, and reducing runoff impact on the parish's drainage infrastructure. The lot coverage standard layers on top of the underlying zoning district's own setback and yard rules rather than replacing them, since Sec. 2(a) makes the OMNCD standard control whenever it conflicts with the base district. A related greenspace rule in Sec. 3(c) separately requires at least 20 percent of the required front or corner side yard to be living planted material such as grass, groundcover, shrubs, plants, or trees between the property line and the dwelling or paved areas, reinforcing the same 40 percent impervious ceiling from the other direction.

Violations & Fines

Exceeding the impervious coverage cap when adding a driveway, parking pad, patio, or walkway is enforced through the parish's standard building permit and zoning clearance process: the planning department can withhold approval for a site plan that shows more than 40 percent hardscape in either yard, and code compliance and enforcement can cite an owner who paves beyond the cap without approval. Because OMNCD standards override the underlying district wherever the two conflict, a variance from the front or corner side yard coverage limit has to go through the parish's normal board of zoning adjustments process rather than an automatic exception.

Frequently Asked Questions

What area does the OMNCD lot coverage rule cover?
It applies only inside the Old Metairie Neighborhood Conservation District, bounded by the New Orleans Terminal Railroad, Metairie Road, Orpheum Avenue, and the Metairie Country Club. Properties zoned C-1 inside that footprint, plus a handful of named institutions like Metairie Country Day School, are excluded from the district entirely.
Does the 40 percent limit cover the whole lot?
No, it applies separately to the front yard and to the corner side yard on corner lots. A driveway or patio in the rear or interior side yard is not capped by this specific subsection, though other OMNCD or underlying district standards can still apply there.
Can I get a variance for extra paving?
Yes, through the parish's board of zoning adjustments, but Sec. 33-3.65.2(a) makes the OMNCD's own standards control over the underlying zoning district whenever the two conflict, so a variance request has to address the conservation district's coverage cap directly, not just the base district's yard rules.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Jefferson Parish

All Jefferson Parish rules

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