# Do You Need a Permit to Build a Fence in Louisiana?

> Do you need a permit to build a fence in Louisiana? It depends on the city or parish. Hammond and Covington rules, fees, heights and what an application needs.

URL: https://palisadeshammondfence.com/guide/fence-permits/

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Louisiana leaves fence permits to each city and parish. Here is what Hammond and Covington require, what is known about Mandeville, and how heights, setbacks and corner lots shape the application.

Last Updated: November 1, 2026

There is no statewide fence permit. The address decides which office, which fee and which height limits apply.

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There is no statewide fence permit in Louisiana. Whether you need one depends on the city or parish where the property sits. Inside the City of Hammond, every fence needs a permit before it goes in ($10 residential, $50 commercial). Covington requires one too, for $5 with a drawing. Elsewhere, the rule is confirmed for each address.

[Palisades Hammond Fence](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/) installs and replaces fences in Hammond and across Tangipahoa Parish, western St. Tammany and eastern Livingston Parish, and the permit question comes up on almost every [fence installation](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/fence-installation/). This guide covers why the answer is local, what each nearby authority is known to require, and how height, setback and corner rules shape what you can apply for.

Key takeaways

- Louisiana's building code does not settle fence permits, so each city or parish ordinance does.
- City of Hammond: a permit is required before any fence is placed, with the location approved from a survey or parcel map. $10 residential, $50 commercial, doubled if work starts first.
- City of Covington: $5 permit with a drawing showing heights, locations, property lines, streets, building footprints and a north arrow.
- Mandeville, Ponchatoula, unincorporated parish areas and the smaller towns each set their own rules; those are confirmed per address.
- Height limits change by yard, and Hammond measures height from the lower side of the fence.

## Why the answer depends on the address

Louisiana adopts the International Residential Code statewide, but without its administrative chapter, which is where the model code handles permits ([LAC 17:I.107, Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code Council](https://luccc.louisiana.gov/)). The practical result is that the state code does not tell you whether a fence needs a permit. City and parish ordinances do, and they differ.

The mailing address can mislead. Many homes with Hammond, Ponchatoula or Covington mailing addresses sit outside those cities’ limits, where the parish rules instead. The first step is confirming which government the property is actually in.

## What each nearby authority requires

This table reflects what has been verified from each authority’s own documents. Where a rule could not be read at the source, it says so.

| Where the property is | Permit rule | Fee | Contact |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| City of Hammond | Required before any fence is placed; design and location approved from a survey or parcel map ([UDC 4.1.8](https://hammond.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/20240624_UDC.pdf)) | $10 residential, $50 commercial; doubled if work begins first | [Building Department](https://hammond.org/departments/building/), 219 E Robert St; permits (985) 277-5655 |
| City of Covington | Fence Permit Application with a dimensioned drawing | $5, check or money order | [Permit Department](https://www.covla.com/city-departments/building-permits/), (985) 898-4725 |
| City of Mandeville | Height and placement limits in the city’s land use code; specifics confirmed per address | Confirmed per address | See the [Mandeville page](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/service-areas/mandeville/) |
| City of Ponchatoula | Site plans must show proposed fencing; the fence ordinance itself was not verified | Confirmed per address | [Building permits](https://cityofponchatoula.com/city-department/building-permits), (985) 386-6484 |
| Unincorporated Tangipahoa Parish | Not verified | Confirmed per address | Tangipahoa Parish permit office |
| Unincorporated Livingston Parish | No fence rule found on the parish site | Confirmed per address | [Building and Permit](https://www.livingstonparishla.gov/buildingsandpermit), (225) 686-2266 |
| Unincorporated St. Tammany and other towns | Not verified | Confirmed per address | The parish or town permit office |

Tangipahoa Parish’s open permit records list only a handful of permits described as fences since 2006. That says little about whether one is required, which is why parish jobs are checked address by address rather than assumed exempt.

A $10 state fee per local permit was adopted in July 2026 under Act 881 ([LUCCC](https://luccc.louisiana.gov/ten-dollar-fee-per-permit-clarification-on-applicable-permits/)). Whether it is added to a fence permit is confirmed with the permit office.

## Height limits and setbacks

Height and placement rules are what most often change a fence design, and they vary by yard.

| Rule | City of Hammond | City of Covington | City of Mandeville |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| In front of the house | 4 ft; wood, metal other than chain link or barbed wire, or masonry | Recorded per yard on the permit form | 4 ft; ornamental iron to 5.5 ft per a 2023 staff report |
| From the front of the house back | Solid fences up to 8 ft | Recorded per yard; privacy or 50% open | 7 ft side and rear per the same report |
| Street side of a corner lot | 3 ft within 30 ft of an intersection | Treated as a non-primary front | 4 ft where a required yard fronts a street |
| Commercial | Open wire to 10 ft; 6 to 8 ft solid buffers between uses | Owner authorization and gate locations | Barbed wire only in certain districts, above 6 ft |

Mandeville’s figures come from a 2023 city staff report quoting its code; the current text was not read at the source, so treat them as a starting point and confirm per address. The [Mandeville page](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/service-areas/mandeville/) and the [Covington page](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/service-areas/covington/) go further into each city.

### Corner lots and sight triangles

Hammond does not allow any fence, shrub or plant more than 3 ft above the street centerline grade within 30 ft of a street intersection, and it requires clear sight triangles at driveways and on corner lots. A [privacy fence](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/privacy-fence-installation/) on a corner lot therefore either steps down near the corner or starts back from it. Covington’s form handles the same lot by treating its second street frontage as a non-primary front, recorded separately from the side yard.

### Measuring height on uneven ground

Hammond’s code defines fence height as the greater of the two measurements from the ground on each side to the top. On a raised bed, a ditch bank or a lot that steps down to the neighbor, the low side sets the height. An 8 ft panel set on the high side of a 1 ft grade change measures 9 ft on the low side and exceeds the limit.

### Rights-of-way and servitudes

No Hammond fence may extend into a street right-of-way. Plats in Hammond carry a note barring any fence within or over a servitude in a way that interferes with its purpose. The [drainage easement guide](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/guide/fence-drainage-easements/) explains what that means along ditches and utility strips.

## Historic districts and overlays

Two Hammond areas add steps. In the Hammond Historic District, any exterior work on property fronting a public street or alley, fences included, goes to the Historic District Commission with plans showing appearance, color, texture and materials. In the Hyer-Cate Preservation Overlay, bounded by W Dakota St, W Morris St, NW Railroad Ave and Arnold’s Creek, [chain link](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/chain-link-fence-installation/) and open wire are barred in front of the house and front fences top out at 4 ft, which leaves [picket](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/picket-fence-installation/), ornamental metal or masonry.

Covington’s historic district has its own design guidelines: front fences around 3 ft, privacy fences in back yards only, and chain link or horizontal styles kept out of street view. Its Historic District Commission issues certificates of appropriateness before work.

## What a fence permit application usually needs

Requirements differ by office, but these items cover what Hammond and Covington ask for:

- A survey or parcel map showing the property lines
- A drawing of the fence location with existing and proposed heights, streets, building footprints and a north arrow
- The material and style for each yard, and whether each run is privacy or open
- Gate locations, and whether any vehicle gate swings toward the street
- Owner authorization for non-residential property
- Historic district or HOA approval where it applies

Hammond also asks that fences be shown on any building permit application, so a fence that is part of a new house or an addition travels with that permit.

## Who pulls the permit, and what happens if nobody does

On a contracted job, the permit is usually handled as part of the work; confirm in the quote who pulls it. Installation is carried out by licensed and insured fence contractors. In Hammond, a contractor not licensed by the state pays a $150 city contractor license. At the state level, the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors requires a home improvement registration for residential projects over $7,500 ([LSLBC](https://lslbc.louisiana.gov/types-of-licenses)).

Skipping the permit is a poor trade. Hammond doubles the permit fee when work begins without one, and the city may halt the job, impose fines or require the work to be removed. A fence torn out over a $10 permit costs far more than the permit. The [fence planning guide](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/guide/fence-planning-guide/) shows where the permit fits between the survey and the 811 locate, and the [fence installation cost guide](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/guide/fence-installation-cost/) shows where fees sit in the budget.

Call Palisades Hammond Fence at [(985) 866-3827](tel:+19858663827) or [request an estimate](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/contact/) to have the permit rule for your address confirmed before the design is set.

## Questions about this guide

### How much does a fence permit cost in Hammond and Covington?

Hammond charges $10 for a residential fence permit and $50 for a commercial one, and doubles the fee if work starts before the permit is issued. Covington's fence permit is $5, paid by check or money order, with a dimensioned drawing. A separate $10 state fee per local permit may apply; the permit office confirms whether it covers fences.

### My mailing address says Hammond, but I live outside city limits. Who issues my permit?

The parish, not the city. A Hammond mailing address does not mean the property is inside Hammond's city limits, and the city's fence rules apply only within them. Unincorporated Tangipahoa Parish addresses fall under the parish, whose fence permit requirement is confirmed per address before work is scheduled.

### Can a fence be built in sections to stay under a permit threshold?

Not in Hammond, where there is no size threshold: any fence needs a permit before it is placed, and starting without one doubles the fee and can lead to an order to remove the work. Where another town's code sets a threshold, splitting one fence into phases to dodge it is the kind of thing a permit office looks at as a single project.

## Related service

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