Do I Need a Permit for a Deck in Shreveport, LA?

Shreveport's Division of Permits and Inspections administers permits for all of Caddo Parish — not just the city — making it the central permitting authority for one of Louisiana's largest metropolitan areas. All decks require a building permit and a site plan. Two local factors distinguish Shreveport deck permitting from many other cities: a significant portion of the city sits within FEMA-designated special flood hazard areas requiring additional development permits, and the city's Downtown Development District offers complete fee waivers for renovations of pre-1960 buildings including decks.

Shreveport deck permit rules — the basics

Shreveport's Division of Permits and Inspections is located at 505 Travis Street, Suite 130, in the Government Plaza building. The division covers permitting for all of Caddo Parish (with the exception of Greenwood, which issues its own permits). All permit applications are submitted through My Government Online at mygovernmentonline.org — homeowners and contractors alike can apply, pay fees, submit files, request inspections, and download inspection reports and approved plans through this platform, accessible via smartphone app or computer. The phone number for the division is 318-673-6100, and the Chief Building Official is Mike Sepulvado (mike.sepulvado@shreveportla.gov).

Shreveport enforces the 2021 International Residential Code (IRC), 2021 International Building Code (IBC), 2021 International Mechanical Code, 2021 International Plumbing Code, 2021 International Fuel/Gas Code, and 2020 National Electrical Code, as adopted with Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code amendments. For decks, the 2021 IRC is the primary governing document — it sets the structural requirements for decking, framing, ledger attachment (for decks attached to the house), footings, and guardrails. In Shreveport's warm, humid climate, wood decay is a genuine concern: the IRC requires all wood in contact with or near the ground to be pressure-treated lumber rated for ground contact (UC4A or UC4B), or naturally decay-resistant wood. This is not optional in Louisiana's humidity.

The Shreveport UDC's setback provisions apply to deck construction. For residential zones, decks may encroach up to 8 feet into the required rear setback per UDC Table 7-1 — a meaningful allowance given that the minimum rear setback in most residential districts is 15 feet, effectively allowing a deck to extend to within 7 feet of the rear property line. Decks are not permitted to encroach into required front setbacks or reverse corner side setbacks. For the most common residential zones (R-1-7, R-1-12 single-family districts), minimum front setbacks are typically 25 feet, interior side setbacks 5 feet, and rear setbacks 15 feet. The site plan submitted with the permit application must show the deck's dimensions and location relative to all property lines and existing structures, confirming compliance with these setbacks.

Permit fees in Shreveport are established by city ordinance and vary based on project scale and valuation. Simple residential permit applications — including typical deck projects — can often be reviewed and approved in one to two business days. Projects that affect exits, stairs, seating arrangements, handicap accessibility, or other features covered under state statutes must also be reviewed by the Louisiana State Fire Marshal, which can take two to three weeks. For a standard residential deck that doesn't involve these features, the State Fire Marshal review is typically not required. If you begin work without obtaining a permit, Shreveport doubles the permit fee as a penalty, on top of any other code enforcement actions.

Three Shreveport deck permit scenarios that play out differently

Shreveport's flood zone reality: the defining factor for deck construction near the Red River and Cross Lake

Shreveport's geography puts a substantial portion of the city within FEMA-designated flood hazard areas. The Red River forms Shreveport's eastern boundary, and multiple tributaries including Bayou Pierre and Cross Lake feed into drainage systems that regularly overflow during severe weather events. The June 2015 and March 2016 flood events affected multiple Shreveport neighborhoods along the Red River and its tributaries, including Cross Lake and Wallace Lake, making the flood zone designation highly relevant for actual homeowners rather than a theoretical bureaucratic concern.

For deck construction in a Special Flood Hazard Area, the additional civil permit process managed by the City Engineer's office requires documentation that the proposed structure complies with Shreveport's floodplain management ordinance (Chapter 34 of the Code of Ordinances) and FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program requirements. This typically means the deck must be either elevated above the Base Flood Elevation or constructed as a breakaway structure designed to collapse under flood forces without damaging the foundation of the main house. The City of Shreveport voluntarily participates in NFIP's Community Rating System (CRS), which recognizes communities that exceed minimum flood management requirements — this is good for homeowners because it reduces flood insurance premiums for all properties in the city, but it also means the city takes its flood ordinance enforcement seriously.

To determine whether your specific address is in a flood zone, you can use the FEMA Flood Map Service Center (msc.fema.gov) to search by address, call the Shreveport City Engineer's office at 318-673-6000 for a property-specific flood zone determination, or visit the Government Plaza building at 505 Travis Street, Suite 300. The Engineering staff can review the FEMA-designated flood maps, provide the projected flood elevation for your property, and tell you exactly what additional requirements apply to your deck project before you spend any money on design. This free service is particularly valuable in Shreveport's variable floodplain topography, where elevation differences of just a few feet can determine whether a property is inside or outside the Special Flood Hazard Area.

What the inspector checks in Shreveport

Deck inspections in Shreveport follow the 2021 IRC structural requirements. Two inspections are standard for a typical deck: a footing inspection before concrete is poured (verifying footing depth, diameter, and location relative to property lines and setbacks) and a final inspection after all work is complete. The final inspection covers the deck structure (framing, joists, beams, posts, hardware), guardrail and handrail compliance (height, baluster spacing, connection to framing), ledger attachment details (flashing, fastener pattern, spacing), stair construction (rise/run uniformity, handrail presence for stairs with four or more risers), and materials compliance (pressure treatment rating for ground-contact members). Inspections are requested through mygovernmentonline.org or by calling 318-673-6100.

What decks cost in Shreveport

Shreveport's construction market reflects northwest Louisiana labor rates, which are meaningfully below national averages. A basic pressure-treated pine deck (10 × 16 feet) runs $6,000–$11,000 installed by a local contractor. A larger 16 × 24-foot deck with stairs and railings runs $14,000–$22,000. Composite decking (Trex, TimberTech, etc.) adds $3,000–$6,000 to these ranges but is gaining popularity in the Shreveport market given its lower maintenance requirements in the region's humid climate, where untreated wood decks show rapid wear. Permit fees are a modest percentage of these costs and well justified by the protection of having an inspected, code-compliant structure documented in the city's permit records.

Common questions about Shreveport deck permits

This page provides general guidance based on publicly available municipal sources as of April 2026. Permit rules change. For a personalized report based on your exact address and project details, use our permit research tool.