St. Tammany Parish, LA Fence Regulations: Fence Permit Requirements (2026)

Sec. 300-2, Permits, opens with a blanket rule in subsection A: any owner or authorized agent who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, or demolish a structure, or install a regulated system, must first apply to the director and obtain a permit before starting work. Subsection B then lists narrow, specific exemptions, and fences are one of them: "Fences not over 7 feet high" do not need a building permit. Because the exemption is capped at 7 feet, any fence built taller than that height falls back under the general Sec. 300-2(A) requirement and needs a permit before construction begins.

The exemption sits alongside a short list of other minor work the parish does not require a permit for, such as one-story detached accessory structures under 200 square feet, finish work like painting and tiling, and small movable partitions under 5 feet 9 inches tall. None of those exemptions relieve a fence builder from complying with the UDC's substantive standards, including height limits by district, corner-lot clear-vision-triangle rules, and any setback that applies to accessory structures; the exemption only removes the paperwork step for a fence at or below 7 feet, not the underlying design rules. A homeowner planning anything taller, including a pool-enclosure fence or a fence around a commercial site, needs to apply to the Department of Permits and Inspections, submit the required plans, and pay the applicable fee under Sec. 300-4 before the fence goes up. Fees for accessory-structure permits, including fences, are calculated the same way as other building-permit valuations under Sec. 300-4.1, based on the value of materials and labor stated on the application.