Department of Safety & Permits
- Phone
- (504) 658-7200
- Hours
- Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. CT
Louisiana
New Orleans, LA permit fees and requirements
New Orleans splits its permit fees between two governments.
The Department of Safety & Permits prices building permits at $60 plus $5 per $1,000 of construction value, with plan review at $1 per $1,000 (minimum $60) and a 50% surcharge inside the Historic District Landmarks and Vieux Carré districts; demolition runs $95 plus $5 per $1,000. Electrical permits are $40 plus $3 per new circuit and $0.30 per ampere of service. Plumbing is the Sewerage & Water Board's regime entirely: an SWBNO-registered master plumber files through the City's One Stop portal, where the published line item is a $50 filing fee.
Permit costs we have worked out
Each page shows the fee components, the formula the jurisdiction uses, and a worked example you can follow by hand.
Estimate your potential New Orleans permit fee with our Building Permit Fee Calculator.
| Permit | Category | Last reviewed |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Building Permit Cost | structural | 2026-09-26 |
| New Orleans Electrical Permit Cost | electrical | 2026-09-26 |
| New Orleans Plumbing Permit Cost (Sewerage & Water Board) | plumbing | 2026-09-26 |
Local context
What is specific to New Orleans
New Orleans is the rare city whose plumbing permits are issued by a separate political corporation: the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans has inspected plumbing under its own S&WB Plumbing Code for over a century, because the Board — not the City — owns the water and sewer mains every fixture connects to. The City's own guide says plainly that plumbing permit fees go to the Board.
The other New Orleans particular is the historic fabric: half the city's permit volume sits inside the HDLC and Vieux Carré districts, where the 50% surcharge funds the architectural review that protects it, and where unpermitted work draws the 200% penalty on top.
Valuation
How valuation is determined here
Construction value is the value of work to be performed — the City's own formula multiplies job value by .005 and adds $60. Documentation supporting the stated job value should accompany the application.
Who to contact
The office that issues the permit, with the details we have verified. Confirm current hours before travelling.
Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans — Plumbing Department
- Phone
- (504) 529-2837
- Hours
- Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. CT (customer service)
What these fees do not include
The list is not a disclaimer: on a new house the fees left out can outweigh the permit fee several times over. Every entry here is stated on the permit page as well.
Not included in our estimates
These figures cover the City of New Orleans building and electrical permit fees and the one published Sewerage & Water Board filing fee. They exclude:
- SWBNO's inspection fees beyond the filing fee, which the Board publishes no schedule for.
- Water and sewer tap, meter and connection charges from the Board.
- Mechanical (HVAC) permits, priced separately by Safety & Permits.
- Zoning review fees ($125 for sign work, and use/occupancy separations).
- Neighborhood Conservation District application fees ($250/$500 on demolition) and sign permits.
- Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code Council state-level administration.
Official sources for this jurisdiction
The documents these figures are transcribed from. Where a source contradicts itself we keep both readings and say so on the permit page.
- City websiteCityPrimary source
City of New Orleans — Building Permit Fee Estimator page
Prints 'a plan review fee of $120 or $1 per $1000 of work' against the schedule's $60 minimum — a City-internal conflict recorded on the page, charged at the schedule's figure.
- Fee schedule (PDF)CityPrimary source
City of New Orleans — Building Permit Fee Schedule (Department of Safety & Permits)
Building permits (not demolition): $60 base + $5 per $1,000 of construction value; plan review $1 per $1,000 with a $60 minimum and re-review at $0.50 per $1,000 (minimum $45); demolition $95 base + $5 per $1,000 of demolition cost; NCD application fees $250/$500; 50% surcharge for HDLC/Vieux Carré work; 200% penalty for unpermitted work. Read from the PDF directly (two extractions agree).
- City websiteCityPrimary source
City of New Orleans — Electrical Permit page
Fees: $40 application + $3 per new circuit + $0.30 per service amperage; $40 per construction loop; $60 per elevator/moving stair/dumbwaiter/man lift; $40 per sign. Class 'A' Electrical License required. Page dated by its own 'Last updated: 5/11/2026'.
- City websiteCityPrimary source
City of New Orleans — Guide to Building Permits (fees section)
States the permit formula (job value × .005 + $60), the plan review fee and $60 minimum, the historic-district surcharge on the permit fee, the 2× penalty for ordinary construction and 5× (or 10% of assessed value) for unpermitted demolition — and the sentence that separates the plumbing authority: 'There is also a separate fee for plumbing permits from the Sewerage & Water Board.' Page dated by its own 'Last updated: 1/22/2026'.
- Permit portalCityPrimary source
City of New Orleans — One Stop App (permit records, fee line items)
Public permit records show plumbing permits' fee line items, including 'SWB Filing Fee, $50.00' — the source for the one SWBNO amount modelled here.
- City websiteAuthorityPrimary source
Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans — Plumbing Information (Plumbing Department)
Establishes the plumbing authority: permits under the S&WB Plumbing Code (§§2.2.1, 2.2.4, 3.2), filed by a Licensed Master Plumber registered with the Board, inspected by the Board's Plumbing Department. Page dated by its own 'last modified on Jan 6, 2025'. The Board publishes no complete public schedule of plumbing permit/inspection fees; the $50.00 filing fee is read from the City's One Stop permit records (line item 'SWB Filing Fee').