Siding Permits in St. Tammany Parish: Slidell, Mandeville, Covington and Unincorporated Areas

Written by Turnkey Siding

Who Handles a Siding Permit in St. Tammany Parish?

Quick Answer: Start with your address. If it’s outside city limits, the siding permit question goes to St. Tammany Parish’s Department of Permits and Inspections. If it’s inside Slidell, Mandeville, or Covington, the city handles building permits and has its own historic district review. Other incorporated towns in the parish run their own offices, so call town hall there. A flood zone can add floodplain review on top of either path. Call the right office before work starts, because a missed review is harder to fix after the old siding is off.

Our June post on siding permits in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish covers the south shore. The Northshore works differently, mostly because the parish and its cities split the job, and each city with a historic core layers its own review on top.

Unincorporated St. Tammany Parish

The parish’s Unified Development Code applies to property in unincorporated St. Tammany. For building permits, that means the Department of Permits and Inspections at 21454 Koop Drive, Building B, Suite 1B, in Mandeville. The department’s page invites questions such as how to apply for a building permit and what the fees are, and it’s the right first call for an address outside city limits.

We couldn’t find a published list on the parish site that spells out when siding replacement alone needs a building permit, so ask the department directly before work begins. Tell them the scope in plain terms, such as whether it’s a full tear-off or a partial repair and whether the siding material is changing.

Floodplain Permits in the Parish

This part is written down clearly. St. Tammany Parish states that all development in the floodplain requires a permit, including new construction, substantial improvement, demolition, and earthwork, and it warns that violators may face penalties and have to restore the land at their own cost. You can look up your property’s flood zone on the LSU AgCenter flood map linked from the parish site, or contact the parish floodplain administrator for flood zone and flood history information.

Substantial improvement is a federal floodplain term. Under 44 CFR 59.1, it means improvement work whose cost equals or exceeds 50 percent of the structure’s market value before the work starts. Our guide to siding in a flood zone explains how that rule can pull a large exterior project into elevation requirements.

Slidell Siding Permits and Olde Towne

The City of Slidell’s development guide says a building permit is required for new construction and may be required for changes to an existing building, such as additions or repairs. Building permits run through the city’s Building Safety division, and the Planning Department can be reached at (985) 646-4320 or planningdept@cityofslidell.org.

Inside the Olde Towne Preservation District, the rules are firmer. The city says any new construction, additions, exterior alterations, relocations, or demolitions in Olde Towne must have an approved certificate of appropriateness. Some requests are approved administratively by the Planning Department. Others go to the Olde Towne Preservation District Commission for a public hearing. There’s no application fee, but if your request needs a hearing, you pay for the required advertising. Siding work in Slidell near Olde Towne should start with a quick call to the city’s historic preservation officer.

Mandeville Siding Permits and the Historic Preservation District

The City of Mandeville says permits are required so construction complies with the current Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code, whether a company or the homeowner does the work. Homeowners can self-contract with the city’s affidavit. The Planning and Development Department takes applications at 3101 East Causeway Approach or by email at permits@cityofmandeville.com, and the phone number is (985) 624-3103.

Old Mandeville falls under the city’s Historic Preservation District Commission, which uses design guidelines for additions and exterior renovations on historic structures and publishes its own submittal deadlines. If your house is in the district, build that review time into the schedule before ordering materials. For material planning on the Northshore, our post on buying vinyl siding from a Mandeville or Covington supplier covers the questions to ask first.

Covington Siding Permits and the Historic District Commission

Of the 3 cities, Covington’s published guidance goes into the most detail on siding. Its Historic Preservation District Design Guidelines say that when an owner in the district wants to build, alter, add on to, or demolish a building, no work may begin until a certificate of appropriateness has been issued, and the Covington Historic District Commission must approve the plans before a building permit can be issued. Applications go through the Planning and Zoning Office at City Hall, 317 N. Jefferson Avenue, and the commission meets monthly. The office lists (985) 892-1811 and chdc@covla.com as contacts.

What Covington’s Guidelines Say About Siding

• Retain and maintain historic siding, and replace siding or shingles only as needed with materials that match the original as closely as possible.
• Synthetic replacement siding may be acceptable if the historic siding was removed or covered before the guidelines were adopted, or if it’s deteriorated beyond reasonable repair.
• When synthetic siding is used, hardboard products such as cement-wood boards are preferable to vinyl or aluminum.
• Vinyl, where used, should be a 4 or 5 inch lap design, not Dutch lap.

In practice, that steers many historic district jobs toward wood repair or fiber cement siding in Covington. If you’re weighing materials for a gable or accent wall there, our comparison of cedar shakes and fiber cement shingles may help.

Who Should Pull the Permit?

On a full-service job, it’s fair to expect the installer to pull the permit and schedule inspections, and that’s how we work. If a company asks you to pull the permit in your own name for work they’re doing, treat it as a warning sign and check their license using the steps in our guide to red flags when hiring a siding company. Mandeville does allow homeowners to self-contract, which makes sense when you really are managing the job yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a permit to replace siding in unincorporated St. Tammany Parish?

Ask the parish Department of Permits and Inspections with your exact scope. If the property is in a floodplain, the parish states that development there requires a permit.

Does Slidell require a permit for siding repairs?

Slidell says a building permit may be required for changes to an existing building, such as additions or repairs. In Olde Towne, exterior alterations also need a certificate of appropriateness.

How long does historic district review take on the Northshore?

It depends on whether staff can approve the request or it needs a commission hearing. Covington’s commission meets monthly, and Slidell and Mandeville publish meeting and submittal schedules, so check the current calendar before you set a start date.

Does a flood zone change a siding permit?

It can. A large enough project on a home in a Special Flood Hazard Area may count as substantial improvement, which brings floodplain requirements into play.

Plan Your Northshore Siding Project

We’ll help you sort out which office reviews your job before the first board comes off. Turnkey Siding works across the Northshore, including Mandeville and Covington. Call 504-882-9704 or request a free estimate.