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

Two permit provisions meet at a fence. Chapter 8 of the Code of Ordinances opens with § 8-1: no person shall construct or cause to be constructed any structure without a permit from the parish building permit agent. The Zoning Ordinance in Appendix C defines Structure as a construction other than a building and lists fences among the examples, beside stadiums, platforms, radio towers, sheds, storage bins and display signs. Art. IX § 7 then bars erecting, altering, repairing or relocating any building or structure until the director of planning and development issues a permit. The application follows the development code, and no permit issues until a certificate of zoning compliance has been applied for and approved. Under art. IX § 3, the director issues that certificate at the same time as the development permit, provided the structure meets the ordinance.

Placement comes from the Supplementary Regulations in art. V. Fences can be erected along the boundaries of a lot or yard area subject to the development code, and one (1) segment of a fence can be erected in a required side yard. On a corner lot in any district, no fence, wall, hedge, or other structure or planting more than three (3) feet in height can stand inside the triangle formed by the intersecting street lines and a line joining points thirty (30) feet from the intersection, measured along the street lines.

Fees are set in § 8-5, which requires the parish's designated agent to collect building permit fees before any building permit issues; its residential schedule prints a rate of $3.50 per $1,000.00 and a Minimum Permit of $100.00. Section 8-2 excludes farm structures from the adopted construction code. A property owner who disagrees with a decision of the director can appeal to the board of zoning adjustment, which is the Parish Council sitting in that role.