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

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 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. 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.

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). 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.

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). 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.

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 and the Covington page 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 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 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 and open wire are barred in front of the house and front fences top out at 4 ft, which leaves picket, 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).

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 shows where the permit fits between the survey and the 811 locate, and the fence installation cost guide shows where fees sit in the budget.

Call Palisades Hammond Fence at (985) 866-3827 or request an estimate to have the permit rule for your address confirmed before the design is set.