Terrebonne Parish, LA Hurricane Preparedness: Storm Debris (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- Emergency declaration signed by the parish president
- Notice waived
- Standard 5-business-day removal notice, section 11-36(c)(3)a
- Cost example
- Grapple truck $53.22/hour, loader $41.33/hour
- Enforcement tool
- Property lien plus invoice, appeal to parish council
- Nature of penalty
- Civil only, not criminal, per § 11-36(9)
Summary
When the parish president signs an emergency declaration, Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government can skip the standard five-business-day notice and go straight to removing bulky waste and storm debris under section 11-36(c)(3)(a), billing owners afterward and filing a lien for the cost.
(b)Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this section, and without prior notice, if necessary to protect the health, safety, and welfare of adjacent property owners ... Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government may pick up and dispose of the waste and/or debris set forth in subsection 11-26(c), impose a lien on the property, and send an invoice for costs and expenses with a notice of lien. ... (3)Within five (5) business days of receipt of a notice in accordance with this section, the owner of the property found to be in violation of this section must remove and properly dispose of the bulky waste. If the bulky waste is not removed ... the Terrebonne Parish Solid, Hazardous, and Recycling Waste Department or its agent shall remove and dispose of the bulky waste at the expense of the property owner, impose a lien against the property for costs and expenses, and invoice the property owner or persons deemed in violation for all costs.a.In the event of an emergency declaration signed by the parish president, the Terrebonne Parish Solid Waste Department does not need to issue a notice in accordance with the five (5) business day protocol. All other sections shall remain in effect.
Full Breakdown
Terrebonne Parish's bulky-waste ordinance, section 11-36, builds in a fast lane for disasters. Under normal conditions, subsection (c)(3) gives a property owner five business days after notice to remove bulky waste that isn't eligible for regular pickup before the Solid, Hazardous, and Recycling Waste Department steps in. Subsection (c)(3)a suspends that notice requirement entirely in the event of an emergency declaration signed by the parish president, letting the department clear storm debris and bulky waste from roadsides and rights-of-way without waiting on the usual notice-and-cure period, while every other part of the lien and billing process in section 11-36 stays in effect.
Subsection (b) reinforces this: the parish may pick up and dispose of debris without prior notice whenever necessary to protect the health, safety and welfare of adjacent property owners, occupants or the roadway, then invoice the owner and record a lien for the cost. 92 an hour. An owner billed this way can still appeal: subsection (c)(5) allows a request for an administrative hearing before the parish council within thirty days of the lien notice, and from there judicial review in the 32nd Judicial District Court for the Parish of Terrebonne. The penalties under this section are civil, not criminal, per subsection (c)(9).
Violations & Fines
There's no separate criminal penalty for storm debris; instead section 11-36(c)(9) makes the costs strictly civil. An owner who doesn't clear ineligible debris, and whose property the parish clears during a declared emergency, is billed at the hourly equipment and labor rates in subsection (c)(8) and faces a property lien senior to mortgages, enforceable under R.S. 33:4766.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Terrebonne Parish clear storm debris from my property?
Do I get any notice before the parish removes debris in a disaster?
How much does the parish charge for removing debris?
Can I dispute the charges for parish-removed debris?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Terrebonne Parish
Compare Terrebonne Parish to another location·View the Louisiana hurricane preparedness overview
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