PLANNING AND ZONING DEPARTMENT  INCLUDING PERMITTING

PARISH OF NATCHITOCHES

Office: 318-352-2714 EXT 2

Email: planning@npgov.org

USPS mailing address: P. O. BOX 799, NATCHITOCHES, LA 71458-0799

Physical Address: 625 Bienville Circle, Room 153, Natchitoches, LA 71457. Ph # 318-352-2714 EXT 2

Planning/Zoning and Permitting will be completed by the Rapides Area Planning Commission (RAPC). Please, send emails to <ballard@rapc.info>.

The Natchitoches Parish Planning Commission consists of 9 members nominated by the Parish President and appointed by the Parish Council to serve four-year renewable terms.

The commissioners review proposed development within the jurisdiction of the Parish and have the authority for final decisions on the development.

The Planning Commission meets once a month at 5:00 p.m. in Room 211 (Council Board Room) on the second floor of the Courthouse located at 200 Church Street, Natchitoches, Louisiana 71457.

All Planning Commission and Parish Council meetings are recorded public meetings. Meeting minutes are sent to Natchitoches Times to be placed in the newspaper for the public.

Please look at the calendar for the projected Planning Commission meeting dates. Dates are subject to change.

Ordinance 007-2022 was passed and approved by the Parish Council. This sets the minimum square footage of a lot to be the same as the LA Health Sanitary Code. *This document is legal (8-1/2″ x 14″) sized.

LA Public Health – Sanitary code

Title 51, Part XIII

Chapter 5: Community Sewage Systems

*This document is letter (8-1/2″ x 11″) sized.

Natchitoches Parish Zoning Map

Disclaimer: The zoning map may need updating. If you have any questions, please, call Planning and Zoning.

1. Zoning Amendments and/or Variances must be approved by the Planning Commission and the Parish Council through a process of 4 of the monthly meetings. 
2. Application, associated documents, and payment must be turned in by the 20th of the month to be placed on the next month’s agenda. Please, call Planning (318-352-2714 EXT 2) if you are unable to meet the deadline.

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Check the Property land District zone for the Permitted Use of the property.

• Obtain a parcel number (Tax Assessor’s office 318-352-2377) and 911 address (911 Coordinator 318-357-8300) for the property.
  1. If the property is within a municipality, then an approval letter for zoning may be needed from the mayor of that municipality.
• Verify the zoning district. Zoning Districts are online under Parish Ordinances.
• Check the current Zoning map online.
• Subdivision covenants overrule Parish ordinances.
• For example, if the covenants state that only residential site-built homes are allowed, then the zoning can not be changed to allow anything other than residential site-built homes.

**A zoning change is required if the applicant wishes to use this property for uses, not within the permitted uses of the current Zoning District.

If the land District zone has not already been approved by the Planning Commission for the desired use, then the property will need to be approved.

• • 1. Fill out the “Development Application” or a fillable version, with all associated documents and plats. Please, provide an email on the application. *This document is legal (8-1/2″ x 14″) sized. Please, use black ink pens, blue ink pens, or type using black ink.
    2. Provide a survey plat that has already been approved by the Planning Commission and recorded in the Clerk of Court department, if the applicant wishes to get the entire property approved for the desired use.
    3. Preliminary plats are not accepted. The plat must be signed and sealed by the surveyor.
    4. Provide a new survey plat with signatures for subdivision, if the applicant wishes to divide off a section for the desired use.
       1. Signatures: Planning Commission, the owner (All owners must sign), the Health Department, and the Water District
       2. Letter of intent for the property from the owner, or authorized agent.
       3. Letter authorizing a representative to complete the zoning process in the place of the owner.
       4. Preliminary plats are not accepted. The plat must be signed and sealed by the surveyor.

•  Plat: a print of a survey of land prepared and certified by an engineer reflecting the legal description and perimeter boundaries and dimensions of the subdivision, the location, and dimensions of all lots, streets, parks, alleys, and servitudes situated therein.
•  Licensed Surveyors in Natchitoches Parish:
  1. Davis surveying 318-356-9050 (926 3rd Street, Natchitoches, LA 71457)
  2. Delta Consulting 318-352-3665 (740 Front Street, Natchitoches, LA 71457)
  3. The surveyor is not required to be from Natchitoches Parish but is required to be licensed.
• A variance must be applied for, if the subdivision or zoning falls within the parameters of ordinance Sec 120-8, does not conform with established Parish ordinances, or is required for a certain zoning amendment.

• Ownership of the property does not change unless there is a deed exchange of the property. A deed exchange of property is not done through the Planning Commission.

• Attend the subdivision and zoning meetings. Meetings are held once a month.
• A) Planning Commission subdivision and/or Preliminary zoning meeting (Introduction) – usually 1^st Monday of the month
  1. Newly approved survey plats must be recorded at the Clerk of Court department (318-352-8152) (Courthouse, 200 Church Street, 1st Floor, Natchitoches, LA 71457) after subdivision approval.
  2. The Clerk of Court department determines the cost of recording and copies of recorded documents.

 **A non-certified copy of the recorded survey plat and/or variance letter must be returned to Planning and Zoning to be filed with your application. **

B) Planning Commission Public zoning meeting – usually 1^st Monday of the month

C) Parish Council Introductory zoning meeting – usually 3^rd week of the month

D) Parish Council Public zoning meeting – usually 3^rd week of the month

• A variance letter of approval is received from the Planning Department and must be recorded at the Clerk of Court department after variance approval.
• After final zoning approval, the property is approved to be used as applied for, whether it be a zoning amendment and/or a variance to the permitted uses, and the zoning will be mapped on the Natchitoches Parish zoning map.

• 1. Application and Survey Plat must be turned in by the 20th of the month to be placed on the next month’s agenda. Please, call Planning (318-352-2714 EXT 2) if you are unable to meet the deadline.

   Dividing Land and Variances must be approved by the Planning Commission in one of the monthly meetings. 

• 1.   Fill out “Development Application” or a fillable version, with all associated documents and plats. Please, provide an email on the application. *This document is legal (8-1/2″ x 14″) sized. Please, use black ink pens, blue ink pens, or type using black ink.
  2. Provide a new survey plat with divisions of the land, signatures, and a Surveyor’s stamp completed by a licensed surveyor. Preliminary plats are not accepted. The plat must be signed and sealed by the surveyor.Licensed Surveyors in Natchitoches Parish:
     1. Davis surveying 318-356-9050 (926 3rd Street, Natchitoches, LA 71457)
     2. Delta Consulting 318-352-3665 (740 Front Street, Natchitoches, LA 71457)
     3. The surveyor is not required to be from Natchitoches Parish but is required to be licensed.
  3. Plat: a print of a survey of land prepared and certified by an engineer reflecting the legal description and perimeter boundaries and dimensions of the subdivision, the location, and dimensions of all lots, streets, parks, alleys, and servitudes situated therein.
  4. Signatures: Planning Commission, the owner (All owners must sign), the Health Department, and the Water District
  5. The only blank signature line should be the Planning Commission. Please, acquire all other signatures before the plat is turned in to the Planning Department.
  6. Letter authorizing a representative to complete the subdivision process in the place of the owner(s). 
  7. Subdivision covenants overrule Parish ordinances and Parish Planning Commission rulings. For example, if the covenants state that a lot can be no smaller than 25,000 square feet, then the Planning Commission can not approve a lot size smaller than 25,000 square feet.
  8. If the Planning Commission approves the division of the land, the Chairman, or a representative, will sign the survey plat.
  9. The signed survey plat must be recorded at the Clerk of Court department (318-352-8152) (Courthouse, 200 Church Street, 1st Floor, Natchitoches, LA 71457).
  10. **A non-certified copy of the recorded survey plat must be returned to the Planning Department to be filed with your application.**
  11. A variance must be applied for, if the subdivision falls within the parameters of ordinance Sec 120-8 or does not conform with established Parish ordinances.
  12. The variance letter of approval must be recorded at the Clerk of Court department (318-352-8152) (Courthouse, 200 Church Street, 1st Floor, Natchitoches, LA 71457) after variance approval. The letter of approval is received from the Planning Department.
  13.   **A non-certified copy of the recorded Variance letter must be returned to Planning to be placed with your application.**
• There is no fee charged for a division of land.
• Creating a Subdivision must comply with the subdivision ordinances.
• An example of a subdivision plat. 
• Ownership of the property does not change unless there is a deed exchange of the property. A deed exchange of property is not done through the Planning Commission.

Application for business license approval can be obtained from the Natchitoches Tax Commission.

220 East 5^th Street, Natchitoches, LA 71457 Office Number: 318-357-8871

Natchitoches Parish Planning and Zoning, Natchitoches Department of Health, and Natchitoches Tax Commission must sign their approvals for your business license.

See the Business license application. *This document is letter (8-1/2″ x 14″) sized.

Please, use black ink pens, blue ink pens, or type using black ink.

A fully filled-out application must be returned to the Natchitoches Tax Commission.

Code enforcement is a necessary part of neighborhood preservation and enhancement. Code violations may negatively affect the health, safety, welfare, and environment of the community, and reduce property values. A code enforcement program exists to maintain the greater good of the community by gaining compliance with adopted codes in the Parish of Natchitoches.

The Process

1. Code compliance requests (CCR) may be received by mail, personally handed in, or emailed to the Parish of Natchitoches Planning Department: Code Violation.

Physical Location: 625 Bienville Circle, Room 153, Natchitoches, LA 71457.

Postal Mail: P. O. Box 799, Natchitoches, LA 71458

Email: planning@npgov.org

2. To ensure your privacy, you are encouraged to place your complaint form, or fillable pdf complaint form,  in an envelope or provide a cover sheet directing the form to the Planning Department: Code Enforcement.
3. Code violation complaints shall only be accepted on complaint forms. Violation can no longer be called in or emailed without a complaint form being filled out.
4. When a code violation complaint is received, Parish staff will verify the complaint with a site visit.
5. If a code violation is confirmed, the owner and/or tenant of the subject property will be notified by mail with an official notice. This notice will give allotted days (depending on the violation) to clear the code violation and bring their property into conformance.
6. Following the allowed days, the site will be re-inspected. If the violation still exists with no cooperation from the owner and/or tenant, the violation will result in a method of action that is necessary to abate the nuisance. Some cases may require fines, permit holds, or other actions necessary as determined by the Parish staff, the Parish Sheriff’s Department, or the Parish Attorney.
7. A person has the right to ask for an extension on the allotted days for the violation. Natchitoches Parish reserves the right to approve or deny a request for an extension.

8. RELEASE OF INFORMATION

As the applicant, you understand that:

• The applicant filing the complaint has the right to request a copy of the initial violation letter if they are not anonymous.
• Once the Planning Department discloses the violation by request, it cannot guarantee that the Recipient will not re-disclose the violation to a third party. The third party may not be required to abide by this Authorization or applicable federal and state laws governing the use and disclosure of code violation information.
• You may request in writing at any time to inspect and/or obtain a copy of my violation maintained in the Planning Department.
• Violation records are public and can be disclosed without written permission.
• This Authorization will remain in effect for life.

9. Permission to inspect the property.

By filling out a complaint form, the signer consents to inspection by the Natchitoches Parish (NP) Planning Department, or an NP representative of the site for which a complaint is referencing, and to the extent necessary, areas adjacent to the site. This consent allows NP representatives to enter upon and pass through the applicant’s property, to inspect the complaint site, without prior notice, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. If the NP representative should wish to inspect at any other time, the NP representative will notify the applicant and will obtain a separate consent for such an inspection.

The signer agrees that this consent remains in effect as long as the application is open, and is effective regardless of whether the signer, applicant, agent, or violator is present at the time of the inspection. The signer further agrees that during an inspection, NP representatives may, among other things, take measurements, analyze the physical characteristics of the site, make drawings, take photographs, tag property, conduct inspections, converse with the applicant, owner, or neighbors, and investigate possible violations. Failure to grant consent for an inspection is grounds for, and may result in, denial of the permit(s) sought by the application.

Warrant for inspection. If the person accused of a violation or a representative of the person accused of a violation refuses within 72 hours of the department’s request, admittance to the director of the department or a duly authorized representative to make an inspection or examination of the premises, the director or a representative may present an official letter to the Parish Sheriff’s department stating that there is cause to believe that an inspection of the designated premises will reveal designated violations of parish ordinance(s).

1. The official letter alleging probable cause shall identify the factual basis for the belief that the development is not in compliance with parish ordinance(s).
2. Upon receiving the official letter, the Sheriff or a designee may issue a warrant authorizing a deputy to search the premises. The scope of the search authorized by the warrant shall be limited to a search for those designated, alleged violations. Photographic proof of the violation shall be acquired.

Nothing herein shall limit the authority of a law enforcement body to secure a search warrant in connection with criminal activity at a property unrelated to compliance with this complaint or the authority of the department to conduct lawful inspections of a property unrelated to compliance with this violation complaint.

Natchitoches Parish’s current Building official and Inspector is:

Rapides Area Planning Commission (RAPC)

Office: 318-487-5401

803 Johnston Street, Alexandria, LA 71301       www.rapc.info 

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Please, check subdivision covenants and Density Restriction ordinances before placing more than one structure on a parcel.

Permits are completed through the Parish using RAPC’s webpage MYPERMITNOW. Please, contact Planning to complete the permit process.

How to apply for a permit:

• Paper form
  1.  Acquire a paper application from the Planning and Zoning department.

Natchitoches Parish Permit Application

or the Fillable application.

*This document is legal (8-1/2″ x 14″) sized. Please, use black ink pens, blue ink pens, or type using black ink.

1. Parcel numbers come from the Tax Assessor’s site. < https://www.natchitochesassessor.org/>
2. GPS coordinates can come from a pin drop or Google Maps — insert address —- right-click or hold the red dot for GPS coordinates. For example, using the GPS coordinates, the first number (31.75126) is the latitude, and the second number (-93.07580) is the longitude.
3. You should know your power company and the account number. Call the power company.

Customer service:

SWEPCO PH# 1-888-216-3523

CLECO PH # 1-800-622-6537

ENTERGY PH # 1-800-368-3749

CITY OF NATCHITOCHES  PH# 318-357-3844

ITEMS NEEDED:

1. For all New Construction, the applicant must be a Louisiana State Licensed contractor, who is licensed with the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors <https://lslbc.louisiana.gov/>, or the homeowner must complete a homeowner affidavit for exemption for licensure.
2. For all new development (new buildings, additions, remodels, new generator installations, etc.) the applicant needs items 3-11.
3. Obtain an address from the 911 Communication District (318-357-8300). For new addresses, please provide a hard copy of the 911 affidavit for the 911 Communication District with the application.
4. Hard copy of the sewage permit, temporary and final. For property connected to community sewage, please submit an official letter from the community sewage owner, or provider that proves that the property is connected and in good standing. 
5. Environmental Health Department [318-357-2266] is located at 625 Bienville Circle, Room 147, Natchitoches, LA 71457
6. Property plat and draw where the applicant is building. (site location) – the applicant must draw where the driveway is located, all existing building locations, and all proposed building locations, showing setbacks from the property line and the other buildings, with the proper measurements. You may use the tax assessor’s map aerial image and draw on the image.
7. Ownership papers showing that the applicant owns the property. If the applicant does not own the property, a notarized letter of ownership and the allowance for the property development must be provided to the Permitting Department.
8. Set of plans. Engineered drawings are required for structural steel construction or any construction beyond the scope of the currently approved edition of the International Residential Code (IRC).
9. Flood zone will be acquired from the LSU AgCenter Flood maps website <http://maps.lsuagcenter.com/floodmaps/>. Requirements for flood elevation certificates will be from the RAPC Flood Administrator, Ms. Melissa Becker. <318-487-5401 EXT 16>
10. Return the fully filled out application to the Planning department:  by email (ballard@rapc.info),
    through postal mail (P. O. Box 799, Natchitoches, LA 71458),
    or to the office (625 Bienville Circle, Room 153, Natchitoches, LA 71457).

11. Provide a hard copy of the tax assessor’s listing of the property < https://www.natchitochesassessor.org/> or from the office.

For Electrical Connections or other single trade only permits (plumbing, mechanical), only the following is needed:

1. Completed Trade Permit Application
2. Utility Account Number

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Payment can be made by check/money order. No cash payments. Payment by credit or debit card shall be available in the future.

REMINDER TO ALL APPLICANTS PAYING BY CREDIT/DEBIT CARD THAT PAYEE WILL APPEAR ON THE STATEMENT AS RAPC. A credit card charge is added to the permit fee for payment with a debit or credit card.

PLEASE MAKE ALL CHECKS/MONEY ORDERS PAYABLE TO: NATCHITOCHES PARISH

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Inspections are scheduled through the permitting office (318-352-2714 EXT 2). The applicant must call or email <ballard@rapc.info> for inspections. The inspection will be scheduled for the next business day. The applicant has 24 hours from the date of the request to cancel the inspection. Cancellation of an inspection must be done by the applicant via phone call or email.

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If the homeowner wishes to be the general contractor for the Residential new construction project, then a homeowner’s affidavit or the fillable version must be filled out and notarized. *This document is letter (8-1/2″ x 11″) sized. Please, use black ink pens, blue ink pens, or type using black ink.

Homeowner affidavits can only be used for Residential new construction projects. All other projects must have a Louisiana state-licensed contractor.

Any projects needed only electrical or plumbing are recommended to use a Louisiana state-licensed contractor.

Permits are done electronically.

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If the business owner wishes to be the general contractor for the Commercial project, then a Commercial affidavit must be filled out and notarized. *This document is legal (8-1/2″ x 14″) sized. Please, use black ink pens, blue ink pens, or type using black ink.

All other projects must have a Louisiana state-licensed contractor. Any projects needed only electrical or plumbing are recommended to use a Louisiana state-licensed contractor.

Permits are done electronically.

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If the property is deemed in a flood zone, then a flood elevation certificate, temporary and final, is required from a licensed surveyor. This certificate may also be used for insurance purposes.

Licensed Surveyors in Natchitoches Parish:

1. Davis surveying 318-356-9050 (926 3rd Street, Natchitoches, LA 71457)
2. Delta Consulting 318-352-3665 (740 Front Street, Natchitoches, LA 71457)
3. The surveyor is not required to be from Natchitoches Parish but is required to be licensed.

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If the property is deemed in a natural floodway, then a No-Rise certificate is required from a licensed engineer.

No-Rise Certification for Floodways

Any project in a floodway must be reviewed to determine if the project will increase flood heights. An engineering analysis must be conducted before a permit can be issued.

Please, contact a licensed engineer for a no-rise certificate.

Near Natchitoches Parish:

* Willis Engineering and Scientific, LLC (1436 Peterman Drive, Alexandria, LA  71301)

Ph: 318.473.4100

Email: frank@willisengineering.com

* Nixon Engineering Solutions (1628 Benton Road, Bossier City, LA 71111)

Ph: 318-747-9669

Email: knixon@nixoneng.com

* Any licensed engineer who can provide a no-rise certificate.

Fees not shown on the permit lists will be determined by RAPC and Natchitoches Parish Planning and Zoning.

Ordinance 006-2022 revised permit fees

Rapides Area Planning Commission permit fee list.

*This document is legal (8-1/2″ x 14″) sized.