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Permit Report » Permits by City » New Orleans

New Orleans Building Permit Search & History Reports

The City of New Orleans Department of Code Enforcement — also known as the One Stop Shop — issues every building permit for properties inside Orleans Parish (excluding unincorporated Jefferson Parish and St. Bernard Parish). New Orleans has a famously complex permit landscape: a permit application must clear Zoning Review, Structural Review, and Historic District Landmarks Commission (HDLC) review separately in many cases, and properties in the French Quarter or Vieux Carré require Vieux Carré Commission approval before the permit is issued. Records go back to 2018 via the city's open data portal (aib5-en5t); older records from 1990s–2017 require a request through the Department of Code Enforcement's public records desk. Louisiana is unique in that contractor licensing is enforced at the state level (Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors) and the contractor's license number appears on each issued permit. Our lookup covers Orleans Parish city-side permits only — unincorporated Orleans Parish is unique to New Orleans (the city and parish are coextensive), but Jefferson Parish and St. Bernard Parish use completely separate systems.

Live data direct from City of New Orleans Code Enforcement / One Stop Shop · Results in seconds

Records available

What's included in a New Orleans permit search.

City of New Orleans Code Enforcement issued permits via the City of New Orleans Socrata open data portal (aib5-en5t): residential renovations, demolitions, mechanical (HVAC/gas), accessory structures, new construction, special event permits. Records from 2018–present in the open dataset; older records via code enforcement public records request. Includes permit number, type, valuation, status, and full description of work.

Source: City of New Orleans Code Enforcement / One Stop Shop https://nola.gov/onestop/

  • Permit type and scope of work Full description of the work covered by each permit
  • Issue date, final date, current status Track open vs. finaled vs. expired permits
  • Contractor name & license Where recorded — required for LA permits
  • Original PDF document (Premium tier) Certified copy from City of New Orleans Code Enforcement / One Stop Shop
Coverage limits

What this search does not include.

Jefferson Parish and St. Bernard Parish permits (separate jurisdictions — Jefferson Parish uses jpclerk.dadeschools.net, St. Bernard uses their own); pre-2018 records (require direct code enforcement request); Vieux Carré Commission and HDLC decisions (issued separately from the building permit, though both are required for work in those districts); permits still in active review.

  • Outside New Orleans, LA jurisdiction Adjacent counties and municipalities use separate systems
  • Pending / in-review permits Not yet issued — not in the public records database
  • Unpermitted work Not in the records — flagged via history gaps, not direct data
  • Voided / expired (cleared) records New Orleans may clear old records from public view after a retention period
Common questions

Frequently asked about New Orleans permits.

How far back do New Orleans Code Enforcement records go?
The Socrata open data portal covers issued permit applications from January 1, 2018 to the present day. Older records (pre-2018) require a public records request directly to Code Enforcement at codes@nola.gov.
What is the Vieux Carré Commission and when does it apply?
The Vieux Carré Commission (VCC) is the historic preservation authority for the French Quarter / Vieux Carré historic district. Any exterior work visible from a public street — including the courtyard side — requires VCC approval BEFORE Code Enforcement issues the building permit. VCC decisions are recorded separately and appear in property research as a precursor to the building permit.
Can unpermitted additions be detected in New Orleans?
Yes — cross-reference Code Enforcement permit history with the Orleans Parish Assessor records. Many of the city's iconic doubles and camelbacks have rear or rooftop additions that predate 2018 or were completed without permits — flag any gap in permit history against the assessor's total square footage.
What is Louisiana's contractor licensing requirement?
Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) requires all contractors performing work valued over $50,000 (or $7,500 for plumbing and electrical) to hold an active residential or commercial license. The license number is recorded on every issued permit beyond these thresholds.
Can I get the actual New Orleans permit document?
Code Enforcement issues digital permit documents through the One Stop Shop portal. Our Premium tier retrieves available permit documents directly from Code Enforcement records for Orleans Parish properties.

Get permit data for New Orleans, LA.

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