re: Accessory building (shed) permit question — Jefferson Parish

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Are there any restrictions or requirements for drainage? The house behind me is building a 640 sq ft pool house 3’ from the property line with a gable roof facing my yard. Look like I’ll be getting a lot more water at the rear of our lot.

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There is very little in terms of restrictions and requirements for drainage within a lot. The only restriction is in the actual grading of a lot-- by code, it is supposed to handle all runoff falling on that lot and direct it to the front property line (and thence to the street), by being graded to a slope of no less than 1 inch in height per every 20 feet of length. See Sect 8-3-111 - Lot Grade Rules and Regulations. This is why with brand new construction for homes which meet the higher base floor elevation than older adjacent homes, you'll often see a retaining wall with a gradual slope going along the side lot lines back to the wall on the rear lot line. It's not just to hold the fill in (or serve as a concrete base for fence poles); it's supposed to hold runoff from flowing to adjacent lower properties.

The problem is, there is almost nothing in the code to deal with impervious surfaces like roofs and paved areas. Heck, unless you live in the Metairie Club Gardens area under the jurisdiction of the Old Metairie Commission, there is essentially no rule or oversight preventing you from paving your entire front yard and back yard with concrete or some other impervious surface.

The way I would address this is to (1) check and see if that lot is graded properly, and (2) as per the previous post, talk to the neighbor about the pool house roof drainage. Tell him of your concerns and ask about gutters, water flow direction and subsurface routing of runoff for that building. When we built our house in 2000, an adjacent neighbor voiced similar concerns as the two downspouts on my side yard were only 5 feet from his back yard line (our lots are at a 90 degree angle), so wanting to be a good new neighbor I personally dug a trench and ran a subsurface drain line to the street curb with a pop-up drain. Has worked well for me and him over the last 21 years.. and being good neighbors, he gives me a shiteload of delicious oranges from his backyard tree every year.