Permit for my Chicken Coop?
Original File date of 7/5/2002
In response to some anonymous whiner who notified the Police Jury because he had to
cough up permit money for his new home.
When you write a letter to the editor, the newspapers always want the
articles signed, for verification of authenticity. If
your going to complain or voice your opinion and use the local newspaper as your vehicle,
then you have to reveal your identity. However
if you want anonymity, all one has to do is complain to your police juror and he/she will
carry your argument for you straight to the press and instead of getting a little spot on
an inside page you can get your complaint right on the front page. You can stir things up,
get your voice heard, and keep your nose clean in the process.
Such as the case with a past discussion
about the "so-called" numerous residents who have complained about having to pay
for permits while their neighbors do not. The
persons complained under anonymity and the newspaper printed it and the Police Jury is
acting on it.
The initial complaint was from a resident who had to pay $500.00 for a building permit while the neighbors did not have to pay anything. As I understand it, based on the articles in this paper, The ordinance requires that residents have to buy a permit for any construction in the parish. Now, I understand that I need a permit if I build a new house, but do I need a permit to add a barn, bird bath, or chicken coop? I can understand the issue with building a new home with meeting codes and all that. I wouldn't think, permitting was necessary, for my chicken coop or barn, because after all, it's my land, I can do whatever I want to….right?
For verification, I contacted the police jury to learn how
"permitting" works. As it turns out I was wrong.
The cost of permits are based on the value of the structure being
built. Based on what I learned, this
anonymous parish resident, who had to pay $500.00 for a permit was building a structure
with a value between $250,000 to $300,000.00. Quite
frankly, if you can afford to build a structure for that price you can afford the permits.
There is so much more going on in this country…pick something else to whine about!
I asked the nice lady at the courthouse a hypothetical situation. I
want to build a duplex luxury chicken coop, performing all the labor myself. The cost
would be $500.00 using old lumber. Here's
what I discovered:
I would have to apply for a permit and cough up $25.00. During the
permitting process I might discover that my "luxury coop" would be right in the
middle of a "flood zone". The health department now has to get involved to
insure the coop is high enough so the chickens won't drown. The health department inspects
the area and instructs me on the minimum height due to possible flooding. While the health
inspector is there he/she will have to determine if I
will have a bathroom in my chicken coop.
I learn that if decide to ever put a bathroom in my "duplex luxury coop", I will have to permit for a mechanical sewer system, installed to code of course. I don't have any knowledge of "sewer codes" beyond what I know already and that is "shit runs down hill." Now I need an experienced plumber. Need lights? To be in compliance with ordinances I would have to hire an electrician. I can do all these things for myself however things change when you want to be in compliance of all the ordinances and permitting laws. The labor costs would mount, and I am already looking at harvesting chickens before my chickens lay their first egg.