Terrebonne Parish, LA: Auto Repair on Residential Property (2026)
Key Facts
- R-1 use list
- Automotive repair absent from every R-1 use category
- Home occupation trades
- List excludes vehicle repair entirely
- Where it's zoned
- By right only in C-1 and I-1 Districts
- Repair area
- Must be enclosed, screened from adjacent view
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $500 fine or 30 days jail
Summary
Terrebonne Parish's zoning code confines 'automotive and equipment repair' to commercial and industrial districts like C-1 and I-1. The exhaustive R-1 use list never includes it, and the home occupation category's approved trades stop at personal services like a physician or seamstress, never vehicle repair.
Automotive and equipment repair: Repair of automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, motor homes, recreational vehicles, or boats, including the sale, installation, and servicing of equipment and parts in an enclosed area screened from view of any adjacent streets or property. Typical uses include muffler shops, auto repair garages, tire sales and installation, wheel and brake shops, body and fender shops, and similar repair and service activities, but excluding dismantling or salvage. ... (1)Permitted uses. In R-1 Districts only the following uses are permitted ... b.Uses requiring planning approval—The uses listed below are permitted, upon approval of the location and site plan thereof by the zoning and land use commission ... Home occupation. ... (1)Permitted uses. ... In the C-1 Districts only the following uses are permitted:a.Uses by right—The uses listed below are permitted subject to the conditions specified (see definitions in section 28-1): ... Automotive and equipment repair.
Full Breakdown
Terrebonne Parish's zoning chapter defines automotive and equipment repair as repair of automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, motor homes, recreational vehicles or boats, including sale, installation and servicing of parts, conducted in an enclosed area screened from view of adjacent streets or property. Section 28-47(a) states that in R-1 Districts only the uses listed in that section are permitted, whether by right or through planning approval, and automotive and equipment repair appears in neither list; the home occupation category's own enumerated trades stop at personal services such as a physician, dentist, musician, artist, cosmetician or seamstress in R-1, extending only to attorneys, agents, engineers, planners and accountants in R-2/R-3, never to vehicle repair.
By contrast, Section 28-48(a) lists automotive and equipment repair as a use permitted by right in the C-1 Central Business District, and Section 28-49(a) lists it by right again in the I-1 Light Industrial District. Reading the exhaustive residential lists against the commercial and industrial lists shows the parish zoned this use out of every residential district and into commercial and industrial zoning only. Section 28-29 bars operating any use not in conformity with the chapter, so a paid auto repair operation run from a residential garage or driveway is a Chapter 28 violation.
Violations & Fines
Running a paid auto or equipment repair operation from a residential garage or driveway is an unlisted, non-conforming use under Chapter 28. Code Enforcement can cite the property, and Terrebonne Parish Code § 1-6 makes the violation a misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in the parish jail or a $500 fine, with each day the operation continues counted as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I fix cars for money in my Terrebonne Parish garage?
Where is a paid auto repair business allowed in Terrebonne Parish?
What happens if I run an unlicensed home repair shop anyway?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Terrebonne Parish
Compare Terrebonne Parish to another location·View the Louisiana business licensing & operations overview
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