Terrebonne Parish, LA Fire Regulations: Smoke Detectors (2026)

The requirement is written into Sec. 9-32, 'Procedures for compliance,' the section of Chapter 9 (Flood Damage Prevention) that walks a residential permit applicant through the steps needed to build or add onto a home: filing a flood control/utility permit application with the floodplain administrator, submitting a site plan and, where the site sits in a special flood hazard zone, a ground elevation certificate; notifying the office when the finished floor is complete so it can certify the elevation; and requesting a final inspection before the structure is occupied.

Subsection (d) adds the smoke detector condition to that same sequence: 'new construction,' 'substantial improvement,' or a 'structural addition' to any residential unit must have a smoke detector or fire alarm installed before permanent occupancy. Because the certificate of occupancy and the authorization to connect permanent utilities are issued by the floodplain administrator's office only after a satisfactory final inspection (Sec. 9-32(a)(4)-(5)), the smoke detector check effectively becomes part of that final sign-off. The rule applies parish-wide, including the former City of Houma, since Chapter 9 covers both under Sec.

9-7. It does not specify a particular detector type, count, or placement, unlike a full residential building code, so applicants should expect the inspector to confirm at least one working unit is in place.