The cost of building inspections and permits will increase in Jeff Davis Parish, effective May 1.

The Jeff Davis Parish Police Jury recently approved the rate changes at the request of Building Code Inspection Services (BCIS) in Carencro.

BCIS owner Rodney “Cooney” Richard said the increases are necessary to offset rising expenses, including insurance, fuel and other operational costs.

“Many of the minimum insurance rates are increasing by over 100 percent,” he said. “This doesn’t even include the rising costs of fuel. We’re constantly facing higher insurance premiums, and the state requires us to carry omissions, general liability, and workman’s compensation insurance.”

Richard also noted that BCIS is one of the few companies that offer overtime inspections on weekends to help contractors stay on schedule.

The current minimum fees were so low in some cases and based on the honor system, that the company was having to incur losses on services provided, he said.

“When people are building an addition to their house and they tell us they’re doing a 1,000-square-foot addition that costs $20,000, there’s no way of knowing if that’s accurate, we put minimums for all small projects,” Richard said.

Because BCIS shares permit and inspection fees with the police jury, any rate increase would affect both entities, he said.

“The minimum fee for small projects was $100 and I’m proposing to bring the minimum cost for an inspection permit to $250,” he said. “Keep in mind, BCIS keeps 75 percent of the fees and the police jury keeps 25 percent.”

Richard said the rates are currently based on an International Code Council (ICC) evaluation that he feels is outdated.

He noted the 2019 ICC evaluation estimated costs at $120.75 per square feet, which was then reduced to $105 per square foot for new construction applying the Southern Regional Average multiple of 0.87. However, the 2023 ICC figure increased the cost assessment to $67 per square foot, but with the Southern Regional Average adjustment, it comes down to $145 per square foot, he said.

“I challenge anyone in the construction industry to build a new home for $145 per square foot,” Richard said. “I talk to contractors every day and they say the 2023 ICC evaluation for fees is reasonable. The 2025 ICC is higher but we’re going to try and stick to 2023’s ICCC evaluation.”

Under the proposal approved by the police jury, the minimum fee for inspection permits will increase by $150. This would apply to storage buildings, metal and steel buildings, swimming pools, new townhouses, townhouse renovations, commercial permits and commercial signs.

“We had several townhouse renovations, HUD houses that went through major renovations and our minimum fee was $100 but with the amount of trips we had to make for those townhouses, we really lost money,” Richard said. “That’s why we want to change it to $250.”

The $250 fee would also cover home relocations, apartment renovations, flood determination when needed, and general inspections for mobile homes.

Plan reviews would also increase from $70 to $100, while plan reviews for commercial property would increase from $100 to $200.

General mobile home services will increase from $50 to $100, depending on the specific inspection requirements. Temporary poles and meter inspections would increase from $50 to $75.

Other parishes have also approved the rate increases, or are currently considering them, according to Richard.