Septic permit rules and requirements in Louisiana
In Louisiana, the state issues the septic permit itself. It comes from the Office of Public Health, Louisiana Department of Health. The smallest tank allowed is 500 gallons. Louisiana Administrative Code, Title 51, Part XIII, §701 — Permits · checked 2026-09-12
Office of Public Health
Writes the rules
checked 2026-09-23
The state
Issues the permit
checked 2026-09-12
Who issues a septic permit in Louisiana
The state issues the permit itself, through the Office of Public Health, Louisiana Department of Health.
The code requires a permit before a person installs or operates a septic system. The state issues the permit, not a parish government.
Louisiana Administrative Code, Title 51, Part XIII, §701 — Permits · checked 2026-09-12
What state law requires
Does Louisiana require a septic permit?
A person needs a permit to install, alter or run a septic system.
The state issues a short permit, then a final permit after a check.
Louisiana Administrative Code, Title 51, Part XIII, §701 — Permits · checked 2026-09-23
Does Louisiana require a percolation test?
The state requires a percolation test before it approves a soil absorption system.
A licensed installer digs three holes, then checks how fast the water drops.
Louisiana Administrative Code, Title 51, Part XIII, §719 — Absorption Trenches · checked 2026-09-23
The minimum septic tank size Louisiana allows.
500 gallons.
Applies to any home, as the statewide floor.
A bigger home needs a bigger tank, sized to its daily flow.
Louisiana Administrative Code, Title 51, Part XIII, §715 — Septic Tanks · checked 2026-09-23
How far a system must sit from a well in Louisiana.
50 feet.
Applies to a private well, whether the source is the tank or the drainfield.
A public or shared well needs a wider distance under the same table.
Louisiana Administrative Code, Title 51, Part XII, §169 — Groundwater · checked 2026-09-23
How far a system must sit from the property line in Louisiana.
10 feet.
Applies to an absorption trench. Most other system types use the same distance.
The same 10 feet applies to the distance from any dwelling.
Louisiana Administrative Code, Title 51, Part XIII, §719 — Absorption Trenches · checked 2026-09-23
Must the installer be licensed in Louisiana?
The Office of Public Health requires a permit to work as a septic installer.
An owner may install a basic system for personal use without this permit. A mechanical plant still needs one.
Louisiana Administrative Code, Title 51, Part XIII, §735 — Licensing Procedures for Installers · checked 2026-09-23
Louisiana counties on this site
We have not published a Louisiana county page yet. A county earns a page when we hold facts unique to it. Until then this page is the answer for every county in the state.
Telling us your county is how we decide which one to build next.
Sources
State records only. Each figure above has a government source and a checked-on date. County figures live on the county pages.
Verify before you act. Septic rules are set locally and they change. Check anything here with the Office of Public Health before you spend money on it.