State guide
Louisiana
Louisiana runs onsite wastewater through the Louisiana Department of Health's Office of Public Health, with parish health units and sanitarians handling local permitting and environmental health work. The public LDH pages I found point residents to parish health units, permit application packets, and installer licensing materials rather than a statewide soil-evaluator roster.
Checked against official sources on October 4, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.
- Who regulates septic permits
- Louisiana Department of Health, Office of Public Health, Onsite Wastewater Program regulates onsite wastewater statewide, while parish health units and sanitarians handle local permitting and environmental health services.
- Who can do the soil or perc test
- Parish health unit sanitarians operate the permit system and LDH forms record percolation data, but the official LDH pages I found did not clearly state who may physically perform the percolation test or soil evaluation, so this is null for a definitive tester list.
- Official septic permit page
- Official page →
- State fee
- Not published by an official source we could verify. Ask the office.
Official resources in Louisiana
State program page with homeowner information, installer licensing links, complaint form, and onsite wastewater contacts.
LDH permit page linking the application packets residents use for septic and treatment-system permitting.
Official permit form used for onsite wastewater disposal systems.
Directory residents can use to find the parish office that handles environmental health and septic permitting.
Official licensing/training page for new and renewing onsite wastewater installers.
Key facts for Louisiana
- LDH says parish health unit sanitarians inform, advise, and operate the onsite wastewater permitting system.
- The LHS-47 permit form includes fields for percolation average and sanitarian registration.
- LDH says individual sewage treatment systems must be installed only by individuals licensed through the Office of Public Health.
- LDH's homeowner mechanical-treatment guidance says the usual $100.00 installer license fee is waived for qualified homeowners.
- LDH's public pages I found do not publish a statewide list of licensed soil evaluators/designers for residential onsite systems.
County septic and soil-evaluation offices in Louisiana
| County office | city | phone | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Tammany Parish (Mandeville) Health Unit - Environmental Health St. Tammany | Mandeville | 985.893.6296 | Environmental Health services only; the page says service hours are 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday - Friday. |
| St. Tammany Parish (Slidell) Health Unit-Environmental Health St. Tammany | Slidell | 985. 646.6448 | Environmental Health and Vital Records only; the page says service hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday. |
| Tangipahoa Parish (Amite) Health Unit Tangipahoa | Amite City | 985.748.2020 | Health unit page lists Environmental Health among its services. |
| Tangipahoa Parish (Hammond) Health Unit Tangipahoa | Hammond | 985-543-4165 | Health unit page lists Environmental Health among its services. |
| Livingston Parish Health Unit Livingston | Livingston | 225. 686.7017 | Health unit page lists Environmental Health among its services. |
| Washington Parish (Franklinton) Health Unit Washington | Franklinton | 985. 839.5646 | The page says Environmental Health office hours are 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday - Friday. |
| Rapides Parish Health Unit Rapides | Alexandria | 318. 487.5282 | The page says clinic hours and Environmental Health are 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday to Friday. |
| Ouachita Parish Health Unit Ouachita | Monroe | Not published* | LDH directory page exists for this parish health unit, but the snippet I found did not show a phone number. |
* Not published: the official page doesn't list it. Call the office to confirm before you rely on it.
What to do next
- Start with your parish health unit's environmental health office before hiring anyone; LDH routes residents there for local onsite wastewater help.
- Use the LDH permit application packet that matches your proposed system type and confirm your installer is licensed through the onsite wastewater program.
- If you plan a homeowner-installed mechanical treatment plant at your primary residence, review LDH's homeowner certification instructions before applying.
Not seeing your county office or county?
Not every county office publishes its rules online. Try these, in order:
- General Start with the statewide information above.
- Closest verified Nearest places where we have verified local data outside this state (distance from Louisiana's population center, for comparison only):
- Pearl River County Health Department, Mississippi · about 111 miles
- Lamar County Health Department, Mississippi · about 121 miles
- Forrest County Health Department, Mississippi · about 134 miles
- Call to confirm Ask the official office.Onsite Wastewater Program
Website →Phone: (225) 123-4567 (as listed on that page, checked Oct 4, 2026)Your city or county office: Local governments →Not sure who handles it locally? USAGov's free help line, 1-844-872-4681, or the Louisiana page on USA.gov can point you to the right office. - Know the current info? Tell us with a link to the official page.