Please help clarify this statement by WAFB

Andre announced he's leaving WAFB. Maybe he no longer cares.

It made no sense to me. I get things like renovations where you move a gas line. But just because someone had 2 ft of water they need a permit to fix the walls and floors. No way right?

To do what? Change receptacles?

If you tore out wet drywall due to the flood, you need a permit before putting in new drywall. Most cities are waiving the permit fees.

I looked this up once and I believe the code is if the renovation is $7500 or more including materials, permits are required.

This is the technicality that got me out of a lease in the last 2 years.

Your mileage may vary.

I know the City of Denham Springs said if you had more than 18" of water you will need to pull permits.

Your contractor should be able to handle pulling all permits. If you're pulling the permits yourself you need to contact your parish/city permit office to find out what they're going to require. And if your permit office is DPW you better just go down there and talk to someone face to face so you'll get helped. They tend to not answer the phones and/or hate transferring you.

quote:

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Our office is working diligently for our citizens and we hope for a safe and speedy recovery. For more information, please call (225) 665-2181, visit our website at www.cityofdenhamsprings.com, or on Facebook at "City of Denham Springs - Mayor & City Council." Permit applications are available online at
https://cityofdenhamsprings.com/online.shtml.

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LINK

This comes from the Facebook page of a East Baton Rouge City Parish Department of Public Works permit reviewer:

Attention to the residents of East Baton Rouge Parish – Our parish participates in a community flood rating program which allows insurance companies to keep our flood insurance premiums at a lower rate than other parishes because we require construction to be built one foot above the FIRM base flood elevation, one foot above the record inundation, one foot above the center line of the street, and one foot above the top of the lower upstream or downstream sanitary sewer manholes between the house connection.

FEMA requires our parish to require a new elevation certificate to be submitted prior to any construction and before a permit can be issued if it is considered a SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT. Substantial improvement is any repair, reconstruction, or improvement of a structure in which the cost equals or exceeds 40 percent of the market value of the structure either before the improvement or repair is started, or if the structure has been damaged and is being restored, before the damage occurred. For the purpose of this definition, "substantial improvement" is considered to occur when the first alteration of any wall, ceiling, floor, or other structural part of the building commences whether or not that alteration affects the external dimensions of the structure.

What this means – IF the reconstruction of your home exceeds 40% of the market value, you will have to have a licensed surveyor to provide a proposed elevation and existing elevation of your home based on the current flood data. IF the current elevation of your home is below the required elevation, you will have to raise your home to meet current elevation requirements in order for it to be permitted and insured. FEMA regulations will not allow us to permit any reconstruction of a home below the required elevation. Your insurance company will not reimburse you for any money you spend to repair your home if it is not at the required elevation and permitted and inspected properly. FEMA will not reimburse you for any money you spend to repair your home if it is not at the required elevation.

If your power has been turned off by Entergy or DEMCO you will most likely have to get a permit from us to have it turned back on. Depending on the water level in your home (water level over the meter) you may have to have a licensed electrician perform the work.

Unfortunately, City/Parish ordinance requires a permit for removing more than one wall of sheetrock. So basically that rule affects anyone who flooded. I personally know many of you won’t get a permit to do the work you’re doing and that is completely understandable. If it were me in your place, I probably wouldn’t get a permit either. It’s your property, you should be able to do whatever you want with it right? Just be forewarned that mortgage companies, insurance companies and FEMA do NOT see it the way we would all like to see it.

I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news for some of you, but I just thought I should put this info out there to be known. It’s going to kill me to tell someone they can’t rebuild their home and someone may kill me when I tell them they can’t rebuild their home.

"" Your insurance company will not reimburse you for any money you spend to repair your home if it is not at the required elevation and permitted and inspected properly. FEMA will not reimburse you for any money you spend to repair your home if it is not at the required elevation.""

Bull shite. The claim is based on damages not on the ability to rebuild. You are damaged, they pay the claim. frick the future about your house.