Lafayette Parish, LA Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing agency
- Lafayette Historic Preservation Commission
- Permit required
- Certificate of Appropriateness for exterior changes
- Geographic scope
- City of Lafayette + unincorporated parish
- New owner option
- 180 days to rescind landmark designation
- Violation enforcement
- Administrative Adjudication Bureau stop-work orders
Summary
Any exterior change, demolition, or relocation affecting a designated historic landmark or historic district in Lafayette Parish needs a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Lafayette Historic Preservation Commission before work begins.
A COA shall be required for any exterior change to any property within a designated historic district or landmark, or the demolition or relocation of a designated landmark or historic element within a historic district, unless the change is determined to be ordinary maintenance and repair under the applicable design guidelines.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 65).
Full Breakdown
The Lafayette City-Parish Code lets the city council or parish council designate historic districts and landmarks on LHPC recommendation, using criteria like architectural, cultural, or historic significance. Once designated, owners must get a Certificate of Appropriateness before any exterior alteration, demolition, or relocation, unless the work is ordinary maintenance. The rule applies in both the City of Lafayette and the unincorporated parish -- not in Broussard, Carencro, Duson, Scott, Youngsville, or Milton. Letting a landmark deteriorate through neglect is also a violation, and a new owner has 180 days after a purchase to file for rescission of a landmark designation.
Violations & Fines
Altering, demolishing, or relocating a designated landmark or historic-district structure without an approved COA, or letting it decay through neglect, triggers a stop-work order and Administrative Adjudication Bureau enforcement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this rule cover areas outside Lafayette city limits?
Can a new property owner cancel a landmark designation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lafayette Parish
Compare Lafayette Parish to another location·View the Louisiana historic preservation overview
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