Do you need a permit to build a fence in St. Tammany Parish?
It depends on one thing first: are you inside a city, or in the unincorporated parish? In unincorporated St. Tammany Parish, a residential fence 7 feet tall or shorter needs no building permit. The moment your address is inside Covington, Mandeville, Slidell, Madisonville, or Abita Springs, that exemption goes away and you apply for a permit with the city. Either way, corner sight-line rules and drainage rules still apply.
The short answer: parish vs. city
St. Tammany Parish’s development code exempts fences 7 feet and under from a building permit. So in the unincorporated parish, a normal 4-foot front fence or 6-foot privacy fence needs no building permit. A fence taller than 7 feet does require one. Getting your fence installed right starts with knowing which set of rules you fall under.
The incorporated cities run their own permit offices, and the parish exemption does not apply inside city limits.
| Where your property is | Fence permit needed? |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated St. Tammany Parish | No for fences 7 ft or under; yes (building permit) for over 7 ft |
| City of Covington | Yes, a city fence permit |
| Mandeville, Slidell, Madisonville, Abita Springs | Yes, each city requires its own permit |
If you are not sure whether your address is inside a city or in the unincorporated parish, the permit office can tell you in a minute, and so can we when we quote the job.
Height and corner-lot rules
In the unincorporated parish there is no flat height cap for a single-family fence, but the 7-foot mark is the line where a permit kicks in. Corner lots are the exception that catches people. Within the clear-vision area near an intersection, nothing over 3 feet may block the sightline, so a tall fence has to be set back or switched to an open design there. If you use decorative columns in that zone, they cannot be wider than 18 inches or spaced closer than 5 feet apart.
The cities each set their own fence heights and setbacks in their zoning codes, and those numbers vary from town to town. Rather than repeat a figure that might not match your street, confirm your exact limit with your city’s permit office. We do that lookup as part of every fence we build, so you do not have to.
Covington’s rules
Inside the City of Covington, a fence needs a permit, the fee is modest, and the city requires the finished side of the fence to face the street or public space, with the posts facing your own property. You submit a simple site drawing showing the fence height, location, property lines, and gates. If your property sits in a historic district, expect an extra design review on top of the permit.
Fences, flood zones, and drainage
St. Tammany is heavily mapped into FEMA flood zones, so drainage rules matter here more than in most places. Two things hold no matter where you are in the parish. You cannot obstruct any ditch, waterway, or drainage structure, that is parish law. And any fill or earthwork in the floodplain, anything that changes the grade or how water moves, requires a permit on its own. A standard fence under 7 feet does not trigger a flood permit by itself, but if your fence work involves moving dirt in a flood zone, check with the parish floodplain office first.
What happens if you skip a required permit
Where a permit is required, skipping it gets expensive. A code violation can carry fines of up to $500 a day, and each day counts as a separate offense. The parish can issue a stop-work order, charge a higher permit fee for starting without one, and withhold other permits on the property until the violation is cleared, even for a new owner. And if the fence ends up over the property line or in the right-of-way, you can be ordered to remove it at your own cost.
Two things to do before any fence goes in, permit or not: call 811 to have underground utilities located, and confirm your true property lines. A fence built a foot over the line is your problem to move.
FAQ
Do I need a permit to put a fence around my yard in St. Tammany Parish? In the unincorporated parish, no, as long as the fence is 7 feet tall or shorter. The parish exempts a standard residential fence from a building permit. If your property is inside a city like Covington, Mandeville, or Slidell, that exemption does not apply and you apply for a permit with the city. Corner sight-line and drainage rules apply either way.
How tall can a fence be in St. Tammany Parish? In the unincorporated parish there is no flat height cap for a single-family fence, but anything over 7 feet requires a building permit. On corner lots, nothing over 3 feet can block the clear-vision area near the intersection. The cities set their own height limits in their zoning codes, so confirm yours with the city before you build.
Can I build a fence without permission? In the unincorporated parish you can build a standard fence, 7 feet or under, without a building permit. That is not the same as no rules: you still cannot block a ditch or drainage, you have to keep corner sight-lines clear, you must stay on your own property, and your HOA may have its own requirements. Inside a city, you need the city’s permit first.
Does the finished side of the fence have to face out? In Covington, yes. The city requires the finished side to face the street or public space, with the posts facing your own property. The unincorporated parish does not require it, but it is standard practice and many Northshore subdivisions require it through their HOA.
What happens if I build a fence without a required permit? Where a permit is required, building without one can bring fines, a stop-work order, and the parish can withhold other permits on the property until it is fixed. A fence built over the property line or into the right-of-way may have to come down at your expense. It is cheaper to pull the permit than to undo the work.
Do I need a permit for a fence in a flood zone? The fence itself, if it is 7 feet or under in the unincorporated parish, does not need a building permit. But you cannot obstruct a ditch, waterway, or drainage flow, and any fill or earthwork in the floodplain does require a permit. Since much of St. Tammany is mapped into flood zones, check with the parish floodplain office before you dig.
Once the permit question is settled, the next two are usually cost and material. See what a fence costs around the Northshore and how the fence materials compare for those.
Let us handle the rules with the fence
Permits, corner sight-lines, flood-zone drainage, HOA approval: it is a lot to track, and it changes from the parish to each city. W2 Commercial Construction builds fences across Covington, Mandeville, Slidell, and the Northshore and we know which rules apply where. Ask for a free estimate and we will sort out the permit and the local requirements as part of the job, so your fence goes up clean and stays up.