Deck permit checklist — New Orleans, Louisiana
Assembled from New Orleans’s own published permit rules. Every line below is quoted from a city document and linked to it. Nothing here is generated, estimated, or inferred from another jurisdiction.
Do you need a permit?
New Orleans requires a permit for a deck.
An uncovered deck at a residential property goes up without a building permit when four things hold: area of 200 sq. ft. or less, height above grade of thirty in. or less at every point, no attachment to a dwelling unit, and no service as an exit door. Deteriorated porches and steps that are open and uncovered may also be pulled out and rebuilt at five feet or less above grade, so long as the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance is not in conflict; putting a roof over an otherwise open porch, framing included, falls outside the exemption. An exemption is not permission to build something that violates the code, and property in a local historic district may still require approval from the Vieux Carre Commission or the Historic District Landmarks Commission.
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Sources
- deck — permit rules ↗verified August 2026
Other permits New Orleans publishes rules for
Listed because the city publishes a separate rule for each type — not because this project necessarily triggers one. Whether it does depends on your scope of work.
- Fence permit checklist
- Shed permit checklist
- Water heater permit checklist
- Re-roof permit checklist
- Retaining wall permit checklist
- Electrical work permit checklist
- General building work permit checklist
BuildSpec is a reference, not the authority having jurisdiction. Confirm requirements with New Orleans before you build.