New Orleans Building Department | Permits, Inspections & Contact

The City of New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits is the primary building and zoning authority for property inside New Orleans, which is coterminous with Orleans Parish. The city’s One Stop App supports permit applications, project tracking, inspections, licenses, and permit searches. Properties outside New Orleans should be directed to the applicable parish or municipal authority rather than assumed to be covered by this guide.

New Orleans building permits and plan review

Most new construction, additions, structural renovations, demolitions, and changes affecting regulated building systems require a permit. Safety and Permits reviews building, mechanical, gas, and related work, while the Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code and State Fire Marshal requirements apply to the project type. Commercial work commonly requires professionally prepared plans, zoning review, and any required historic-district or life-safety approvals before issuance.

New Orleans zoning verification is tied to the building-permit, certificate-of-occupancy, or business-license process. The Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance requires the proposed use and site improvements to comply before a structure is used or occupied. Use One Stop to submit and track the application, then check the city’s permit-search service by address, applicant, or permit number.

Inspections, floodplain, and certificates of occupancy

The permit holder must schedule the inspections shown on the approved permit and keep approved documents available at the job site. Final inspections and any required life-safety, zoning, stormwater, historic-district, or floodplain approvals should be complete before a certificate of occupancy is requested. New Orleans floodplain and elevation requirements can affect substantial improvements, renovations, and new construction; confirm the parcel’s flood-zone and elevation requirements with Safety and Permits before design or demolition work begins.

Official contact information

The Department of Safety and Permits lists 1340 Poydras Street, Suite 800, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, and (504) 658-7200, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Use the official One Stop App for current applications, inspections, project status, and permit documents.