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EVERYONE.[Start Here! Your Roadmap to Opening a Business in Jefferson Parish]
FOR JEFFERSON PARISH.UH, WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH A QUICK AGENDA TODAY SO YOU'LL KNOW WHAT WE'RE, UH, WHERE WE'RE GONNA DISCUSS AND WHERE WE'RE GOING, DO THE WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS.
THEN WE'RE GONNA DISCUSS, UM, UNDERSTANDING WHY IT MATTERS, WHERE YOUR BUSINESS IS LOCATED, AND THEN UNDERSTANDING WHAT APPROVALS FROM PARISH, GOVERNMENT AND THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE ARE NECESSARY TO OPEN YOUR BUSINESS.
AND THEN WE'LL DO A Q AND A SESSION TODAY FROM THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT, WE HAVE SHANE YOKO.
HE'S OUR ZONING ADMINISTRATOR.
HE IS GONNA TALK ABOUT ZONING CLEARANCES, WHICH THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT DOES FROM BUILDING PERMITS.
WE HAVE MR. DANNY FERRARA, HE'S THE DIRECTOR OF BUILDER BUILDING PERMITS.
WE HAVE MR. MONETA, SHE'S THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR.
AND THEN SITTING UP HERE WITH ME PRESENTING TODAY IS MR. RICKY OYE.
HE'S THE REGULATORY MANAGER FOR BUILDING PERMITS.
FROM THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, WE HAVE MS. JESSICA KNIGHT.
SHE IS THE DIRECTOR OF TAX OPERATIONS, AND WE HAVE MS. MELISSA SELTZER, SHE'S THE DIRECTOR OF THE SALES TAX DIVISION.
THEY'RE GONNA TALK TO YOU ABOUT YOUR OCCUPATIONAL LICENSE TAXES.
AND THEN FINALLY, FROM JEFFERSON PARISH CODE COMPLIANCE AND ENFORCEMENT, WE HAVE MS. LIZA KADA, SHE'S THE DIRECTOR.
SO WHY WE'RE HERE TODAY? WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO LEGALLY OPEN A BUSINESS IN JEFFERSON PARISH? SOMEONE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT ZONING OR, HEY, WHERE I'M GOING.
IT'S A COMMERCIAL BUILDING ANYWAY, SO I CAN JUST GO IN AND OPEN, RIGHT? WE WANT TO BE CLEAR WITH EVERYONE THAT APPROVALS ARE REQUIRED FROM TWO SEPARATE AGENCIES WITHIN JEFFERSON PARISH.
AND YOU'RE GONNA HEAR FROM BOTH OF THOSE TODAY.
JEFFERSON PARISH GOVERNMENT HANDLES, ZONING CLEARANCES, YOUR BUILDING PERMITS, AND OF COURSE, WE ISSUE VIOLATIONS IF YOU'RE NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE REGULATIONS.
THE JEFFERSON PARISH SHERIFF'S OFFICE HANDLES YOUR OCCUPATIONAL LICENSE TAX.
BOTH OF THOSE THINGS, AND BOTH THESE AGENCIES ARE VERY IMPORTANT PARTS OF THE PROCESS TO OPENING YOUR BUSINESS.
AND AT THIS POINT, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO SHANE YOAKUM, OUR ZONING ADMINISTRATOR.
SO BEFORE WE GET STARTED, I WANT TO KIND OF GIVE YOU A BACKGROUND AS TO WHAT THE ZONING CLEARANCES LOOK LIKE FROM A, UM, NUMBERS STANDPOINT.
UH, IN 2023, WE PROCESSED APPROXIMATELY 1300, WHICH IS ABOUT 100 A MONTH.
AND IN 2024, THUS FAR, WE'RE STILL TARGETING THAT NUMBER.
WE'RE RIGHT AT ABOUT THE SAME LEVEL.
UM, MOST APPLICATIONS TAKE APPROXIMATELY TWO TO THREE DAYS TO COMPLETE, AND THAT'S FROM THE TIME THAT YOU SUBMIT THEM.
SO WE DO MOVE THESE REALLY QUICKLY.
UM, AND ALSO THEY ARE TYPICALLY APPLIED FOR BEFORE THE OCCUPATIONAL LICENSE TAX IS APPLIED FOR.
AND WE'RE GONNA GO INTO WHY THAT'S IMPORTANT HERE IN A SECOND.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HEAR IS WE'RE CONFUSED AS TO WHAT WE NEED.
WE HEAR ALL OF THESE SIMILAR TERMS. THERE'S A ZONING CLEARANCE VERSUS A ZONING DETERMINATION.
THERE'S A ZONING CLEARANCE VERSUS AN OCCUPATIONAL LICENSE, AND THERE'S OCCUPATIONAL LICENSE AND A CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY TO SOMEONE WHO DOES NOT DO THIS DAY IN AND DAY OUT.
WE UNDERSTAND HOW CONFUSING THIS COULD BE, AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE TO HELP.
UM, WE ARE HERE FOR ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE, AND WE WILL TRY TO ANSWER THEM AS BEST TO OUR ABILITY.
SO THE FIRST STEP IS TO KNOW THAT ZONING CLEARANCES ARE REQUIRED BY LAW.
THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM SECTION OR CHAPTER EIGHT OF OUR CODE OF ORDINANCES THAT STATES ALL NEW BUSINESSES IN JEFFERSON PARISH SHALL HAVE AN APPROVED ZONING CLEARANCE BEFORE COMMENCING OPERATIONS.
FURTHER DOWN IN HERE TO TOWARDS THE BOTTOM, YOU NOTICE THAT THE FEE IS ALSO SET AT $50.
SO THIS LAW IS BASICALLY REQUIRING ALL NEW BUSINESSES TO OBTAIN A ZONING CLEARANCE AND PAY THE REQUIRED $50 FEE.
SO BESIDES THIS LAW, WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? WELL, WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT ALL BUSINESSES ARE ALLOWED IN THE DESIRED LOCATION.
IE MEETS THE ZONING REQUIREMENTS AND CONFORMS TO ALL APPLICABLE PARISH REGULATIONS SUCH AS BUILDING FIRE CODE.
UM, MR. RICKY WILL BE TALKING MORE ABOUT THAT NEXT.
UM, SO ALL NEW BUSINESSES, EVEN HOME OCCUPATIONS, WHETHER IT'S A NEW BUSINESS OR AN EXISTING BUILDING, NEEDS TO GET A ZONING CLEARANCE.
AND ALSO, IF YOU CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS WITHIN UNINCORPORATED JEFFERSON PARISH, YOU'RE REQUIRED TO GET A NEW ZONING CLEARANCE OR AN UPDATED ZONING CLEARANCE.
ALSO, ADDITIONAL LOCATIONS OF THAT BUSINESS.
SO IF YOU HAVE A BUSINESS THAT'S VERY SUCCESSFUL AND YOU'RE LOOKING TO BRANCH OUT AND AND GROW THAT BUSINESS, ANY SECONDARY, THIRD, FOURTH, FIFTH, ANY OTHER BUSINESSES THAT COME ONLINE DOWN THE ROAD WILL ALSO NEED TO OBTAIN AN INDIVIDUAL ZONING CLEARANCE.
DO I NEED A ZONING CLEARANCE IF I AM BUYING AN EXISTING BUSINESS AND STAYING IN THE SAME LOCATION? YES.
UM, SIMPLY PUT, YOU WILL NEED A ZONING CLEARANCE BECAUSE THE NAME OF THE BUSINESS WILL EITHER CHANGE OR THE OWNERSHIP OF THE BUSINESS IS ACTUALLY CHAIN
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CHANGING.SO WE WOULD REQUIRE A ZONING CLEARANCE TO MAKE SURE WE ARE CAPTURING ANY NAME CHANGE OR ANYTHING THAT IS DIFFERENT FROM THE PREVIOUS OPERATOR.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE JEFFERSON PARISH SHERIFF'S OFFICE IS NOT LOOKING AT ZONING OR BUILDING CODES.
THEY'RE NOT GONNA ENFORCE THAT.
SO WHERE TO BEGIN, THE OLD ADAGE AND REAL ESTATE IS LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION.
AND THAT STAYS TRUE IN THIS EXAMPLE AS WELL.
SO NUMBER ONE, IT IS CRUCIAL TO DETERMINE WHAT THE ZONING IS OF THAT LOCATION BEFORE WE TAKE ANY NEXT STEPS.
SO OVER HERE YOU'LL SEE A MAP OF JEFFERSON PARISH.
UM, IN THAT INSERT IS THE SOUTHERN HALF, UM, GOING DOWN TO GRAND ISLE.
BUT YOU CAN NOTICE THAT IN THIS, THIS PURPLEISH AREA, THERE ARE FIVE DISTINCT OR SIX DISTINCT AREAS THAT HAVE BEEN, UM, MORE OR LESS THE, THE ABSENCE OF COLOR.
UM, THOSE ARE THE MUNICIPALITIES OF GRAND ISLE, GRETNA, HARAHAN, JEAN LAFITTE, KENNER, AND WESTWEGO.
IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO LOCATE WITHIN ANY OF THESE MUNICIPALITIES, YOU HAVE TO CONTACT THESE JURISDICTIONS INDIVIDUALLY.
THEY HAVE THEIR OWN RULES AND THEY DO THINGS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN UNINCORPORATED JEFFERSON.
WE ARE JUST HANDLING EVERYTHING THAT'S IN THE PURPLE AREA.
UM, YOU SEE HERE, WE GOT A HYPERLINK TO THE PARISH ONLINE MAP.
THIS WILL BRING IT TO THE GEO PORTAL.
THIS WILL BE THE, THE TOOL THAT YOU COULD USE FROM YOUR, YOUR HANDHELD DEVICE, YOUR LAPTOP, TO CHECK TO SEE WHAT THE ZONING OF THE PROPERTY IS.
WE HAVE A ROOM SET UP, UH, ACROSS THE HALL HERE WHERE THERE ARE SOME LADIES THAT WILL SHOW YOU EXACTLY HOW TO NAVIGATE THIS SITE SO YOU CAN LOOK FOR YOURSELF.
BUT WE DO RECOMMEND EVERYONE DO THIS FIRST.
SO HOW CAN YOU KNOW YOUR ZONING AHEAD OF TIME? AGAIN, I CANNOT STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS.
YOU COULD GO TO THAT GEO PORTAL SITE THAT I JUST SHOWED YOU THE LINK TO, OR YOU CAN REQUEST A ZONING DETERMINATION FROM ME AND MY STAFF, WHICH IS WHERE WE'LL GO BACK TO 1958, WHICH IS THE YEAR THAT ZONING WAS ADOPTED BY THE JEFFERSON PARISH, UH, INCORPORATED UNINCORPORATED GOVERNMENT.
AND I'LL LOOK AT THOSE MAPS GOING ALL THE WAY THROUGH PRESENT, AND I WILL PUT ON PARISH LETTERHEAD BOTH THE ZONING DESIGNATION AND IF THE USE THAT YOU ARE PROPOSING IS ALLOWED IN THAT DISTRICT.
SO YOU'LL HAVE SOMETHING IN WRITING THAT SAYS, I CAN DO THIS OR I CANNOT DO THIS.
UM, THAT IS AN ADDITIONAL $50 FEE.
SO IT MIGHT NOT BE THE BEST OPTION FOR, FOR MOST, BUT IT IS A, A SERVICE THAT WE DO PROVIDE.
UM, YOU COULD ALSO WORK WITH A REALTOR OR WITH A MEMBER OF JED CO AS MS. MR. JERRY EXPLAINED EARLIER, AND THEY WILL BE HAPPY TO HELP YOU OR POINT YOU INTO THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
UM, YOU COULD ALSO SCHEDULE A MEETING WITH SOMEONE IN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT.
WE WILL SIT DOWN WITH YOU AND EXPLAIN, UM, HOW TO USE THE MAP, WHAT THAT ZONING DESIGNATION MEANS FOR YOU AND FOR YOUR USES.
SO WHAT IF THE ZONING DOESN'T ALLOW YOUR BUSINESS? UNFORTUNATELY, WE COME ACROSS THIS EXAMPLE, UH, MORE OFTEN THAN WE WOULD LIKE.
YOU NEED TO FIND THE NEW LOCATION WOULD BE ONE ANSWER.
UM, WE CAN WORK WITH REALTOR JED CO OR THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT.
AGAIN, WE CAN REDIRECT YOU TO A SPOT THAT MAY, WELL, THAT WILL BE MORE USEFUL FOR YOUR NEEDS.
UH, OR YOU CAN APPLY FOR A CURRENT ZONING CHANGE.
THIS IS A LENGTHY PROCESS THAT WOULD REQUIRE PUBLIC HEARINGS AND ULTIMATELY JEFFERSON PARISH COUNCIL APPROVAL.
THIS COULD TAKE UP TO THREE TO FOUR MONTHS, SOMETIMES LONGER.
UM, THERE ARE GONNA BE SOME COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS APPLICATION.
UM, YOU MIGHT, YOU MAY NEED TO GET A SURVEY.
THERE'S AN APPLICATION FEE, AND THERE'S ALSO NOTIFICATION FEES FOR ALL YOUR ABUTTING PROPERTY OWNERS AND OWNERS WITHIN 300 FEET TO LET THEM KNOW THAT THIS PETITION HAS BEEN SUBMITTED.
UM, AGAIN, THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL GET THIS, SO YOU MAY BE OUT ALL OF THIS MONEY AND BE TOLD, UH, NO, ULTIMATELY AT THE END.
SO NOW THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED WHY IT'S IMPORTANT, HERE'S WHERE WE'RE GONNA START TALKING ABOUT THE TYPES OF ZONING CLEARANCES AND WHICH YOU WOULD NEED FOR YOUR INDIVIDUAL NEEDS.
SO THE FIRST IS THE RESIDENTIAL OR HOME OCCUPATION, AND THEN THE SECOND IS COMMERCIAL OR INDUSTRIAL.
SO FOR RESIDENTIAL OR HOME OCCUPATION ZONING CLEARANCES, OBVIOUSLY THIS WOULD BE WITHIN A RESIDENTIAL DWELLING.
SO THIS IS IF YOU'RE WORKING OUT OF YOUR HOME.
UM, THESE ARE VERY LIMITED IN SCOPE AND PERMISSIONS.
UH, YOU COULDN'T JUST OPEN ANY TYPE OF BUSINESS WHERE WE HAVE A SHORT LIST OF, OF WHAT'S ALLOWED.
THEY REQUIRE PROOF OF RESIDENCY.
SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU DO INDEED RESIDE AT THAT ADDRESS.
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AND THERE'S REGULATIONS THAT ARE IN PLACE TO REDUCE THE IMPACT ON NEIGHBORING PROPERTIES.SO FOR EXAMPLE, YOU MAY BE TOLD FOR A CERTAIN TYPE OF RESIDENTIAL HOME OCCUPATION THAT YOU NEED ADDITIONAL PARKING SPACE.
THIS IS SIMPLY TO KEEP PARKING FROM OVERFLOWING ONTO THE STREETS AND CAUSING, UM, A PROBLEM WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS OR, UM, NOT ALLOWING TRAFFIC TO PASS.
UM, THERE ALSO COULD BE OTHER ADDITIONAL APPROVALS IN THE FORM OF A SPECIAL PERMITTED USE APPLICATION, WHICH THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT ALSO DOES HANDLE AS WELL.
SO FOR BUSINESSES ALLOWED IN THE HOME, AGAIN, I TOLD YOU IT'S A VERY SHORT LIST.
SOME EXAMPLES WOULD BE A SHORT TERM RENTAL.
THESE ARE HEAVILY REGULATED, NOT MANY PLACES WITHIN THE PARISH THAT THEY CAN GO.
UM, THERE'S ALSO INSTRUCTION BASED BUSINESSES FOR THOSE WHO TEACH MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
THERE'S HOME OFFICES, WHICH IS WHAT THE MAJORITY OF OUR RESIDENTIAL HOME OCCUPATIONS CONSIST OF.
UM, THERE'S HAIR CARE, WHICH IS ONE OF THOSE SPECIAL PERMITTED USE EXAMPLES THAT I WAS JUST DESCRIBING.
AND AS WELL AS HOME DAYCARES FOR THE COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL ZONING.
THIS IS THE, THE BULK OF WHAT YOU SEE IN JEFFERSON PARISH.
UM, FOR COMMERCIAL, YOU KNOW, THINK OF LIKE YOUR MAIN CORRIDORS, LAPALCO BOULEVARD VETERANS, UH, WEST BANK EXPRESSWAY, WHERE YOU SEE RETAIL, RESTAURANT OFFICES, CLINICS, VARIETY OF PERSONAL SERVICES.
AND THEN FOR INDUSTRIAL, YOU KNOW, ALONG LIKE RIVER ROAD, UM, YOU SEE YOUR MANUFACTURING, YOUR WAREHOUSING, YOUR SALVAGE YARDS AND BULK STORAGE OR PROCESSING OF FLAMMABLE OR COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS.
UM, SO WHAT WE DO FOR THESE IS THE APPLICATION WILL COME IN, ZONING, ADMIN WILL REVIEW NOT ONLY THE ZONING DISTRICT, THAT'S WHERE WE START.
WE LOOK AT FIRST WHAT THE ZONING IS, BUT THE SECOND THING WE ALSO ARE GONNA LOOK AT IS THE PREVIOUS USE OF THAT BUILDING OR THAT SUITE.
IF THIS IS A CHANGE OF USE, MEANING IF YOU GO FROM LET'S SAY, A OFFICE TO A RESTAURANT, YOU ARE GONNA BE TOLD THAT YOU NEED TO CLEAR THAT THROUGH A BUILDING PERMIT WITH THE BUILDING PERMITS DEPARTMENT.
SO NOW THAT YOU FEEL THAT YOU HAVE FOUND A SPOT THAT SUITS YOUR NEEDS AND THE ZONING IS CORRECT, YOU CHECKED IT ON THAT GEO PORTAL MAP, OR YOU CALLED PLANNING DEPARTMENT, OR YOU WORKED WITH EDCO OR A REALTOR AND YOU'RE SURE THAT THIS IS THE DIRECTION YOU WANT TO GO.
BASICALLY IT'S A STEP-BY-STEP WALKTHROUGH OF HOW TO APPLY.
UM, WE TRIED TO, WE BASICALLY SAT DOWN AT THE COMPUTER, MADE THE APPLICATION OURSELVES, AND WROTE DOWN EVERY STEP IN HOW TO DO IT AS QUICKLY AND, AND CLEARLY AS POSSIBLE.
UM, BE SURE THAT YOU REGISTERED YOUR BUSINESS NAME WITH THE LOUISIANA SECRETARY OF STATE, OR AS A SOLE PROPRIETORSHIP WITH THE JP CLERK OF COURT BEFORE FILING A ZONING CLEARANCE APPLICATION WITH US.
THIS IS KIND OF A, AN IMPORTANT STEP THAT'S OFTEN OVERLOOKED, BUT IT COULD HAVE SOME CONSEQUENCES ON THE BACK END IF YOU DO NOT DO THAT STEP FIRST.
WE ALSO HAVE INSTRUCTIONS AVAILABLE IN SPANISH.
UM, POSSIBLY BE ABLE TO DO OTHER LANGUAGES AS NEEDED.
SO NOW THAT YOU'RE READY TO APPLY, WE'VE DONE HERE A VIDEO SHOWING EXACTLY THE STEPS OF MAKING A ZONING CLEARANCE APPLICATION.
UM, HERE WE ARE ON OUR PARISH WEBSITE, AND SO WE'RE GONNA REDIRECT NOW TO MGO CONNECT.ORG.
AND THAT IS THE THE THIRD PARTY WEBSITE WHERE YOU CAN FILE ALL OF THESE APPLICATIONS.
YOU'RE GONNA SEE, YOU'RE GONNA GO TO THE CUSTOMER PORTAL AND YOU'RE GONNA TYPE IN YOUR JURISDICTIONAL INFORMATION.
SO, JEFFERSON PARISH, LOUISIANA, YOU WANT TO CLICK ON APPLYING FOR A PLANNING AND ZONING PROJECT, YOU WANT TO GET STARTED ON A NEW ONE.
SCROLL DOWN, SCROLL DOWN TO THE ZONING CLEARANCE APPLICATION SECTION, AND THEN YOU'RE GONNA FILL IN ALL THE REQUIRED FIELDS.
SO THE FIRST ONE'S GONNA BE LIKE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION, WELL, THE ADDRESS OF THE SITE, UM, WHAT CITY IT'S LOCATED IN, ZIP CODE STATE.
NOW YOU PUT IN YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION OR YOUR BUSINESS NAME AS IT'S REGISTERED WITH THE LOUISIANA SECRETARY OF STATE.
A LOT OF PEOPLE FORGET TO PUT LLC OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT BEHIND IT, BUT THAT'S IMPORTANT.
SO THE NEXT STEP IS, IS IT GONNA NEED ANY REMODELING, YES OR NO? THE TYPE OF BUSINESS OR DESCRIPTION.
IS IT A, IS IT A RESTAURANT? IS IT RETAIL? IS IT AN OFFICE? UM, AND THEN YOU PUT YOUR INITIALS IN YOUR TYPE OF APPLICATION.
AND THEN CHECK THESE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS HERE AT THE BOTTOM THERE, THEY GO SCROLLING THROUGH THEM.
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THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ARE SIMPLY STATING THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS DOESN'T SAY YOU DON'T NEED A PERMIT, YOU MAY NEED TO DO OTHER THINGS.I HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF CLARIFICATION BACK HERE.
SO YOU RECOGNIZE THAT YOU DO HAVE TO REGISTER EVEN IF YOU'VE GOT IT IN HOME BUSINESS, BUT IS THIS PROCESS STRICTLY FOR A COMMERCIAL BUILDING PROCESS, OR DO YOU, AND DO YOU NEED TO GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS? UH, IF IT'S AN IN-HOME BUSINESS OR NO? YES.
UM, YOU STILL HAVE TO GO THROUGH.
SO, AND, AND LOOK, I'LL REWIND IT ONE SECOND.
IT'S SET UP FOR TO, IT'S SET UP FOR BOTH, UM, APPLICATIONS.
IT'S JUST THE PROCESS OF A COUPLE TWEAKS TO THAT APPLICATION.
SO ON THIS SLIDE HERE, YOU SEE WHERE IT SAYS TYPE OF APPLICATION, AND THEN IT SAYS COMMERCIAL.
YOU CAN CHANGE THAT TO ALSO, IT'S A DROPDOWN MENU.
SO ANOTHER OPTION WOULD BE, UM, RESIDENTIAL HOME OFFICE OR RESIDENTIAL HOME OCCUPATION.
IF YOU CHOOSE THAT DROPDOWN MENU, IT WILL THEN INSERT A COUPLE MORE QUESTIONS HERE THAT ARE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN THE COMMERCIAL APPLICATION.
AND THEN THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO APPLICATIONS BESIDES A COUPLE QUESTIONS IS THE NEXT SLIDE IS GOING TO SHOW THIS RIGHT HERE.
THAT'S IF YOU WERE DOING ONE, YOU HAVE TO UPLOAD SEVERAL DOCUMENTS, LIKE A COPY OF YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE.
THAT'S HOW WE, WE NOTICE THE PROOF OF RESIDENCY.
I MAKE SURE THE LICENSE WITH YOUR NAME AND, AND IMAGE MATCHES THE ADDRESS OF THE APPLICATION YOU JUST APPLIED FOR.
SO FOR THE HOME OFFICE, THE HOME OCCUPATION STUFF, THERE IS A COUPLE THINGS YOU MIGHT HAVE TO UPLOAD.
UM, WHEREAS THE COMMERCIAL, THERE IS NOTHING YOU NEED TO UPLOAD.
WE KNOW IT'S A COMMERCIAL BUSINESS.
I WILL CHECK OUR RECORDS TO SEE WHAT THAT PREVIOUS USE WAS.
THERE'S NOTHING FURTHER THAT YOU NEED TO DO.
SO NOW THAT YOU'VE MADE AN APPLICATION AND IT'S BEEN SUBMITTED TO US FOR REVIEW, YOU'LL GET ONE OF TWO COMMENTS BACK FROM US.
YOU'RE GONNA BE TOLD, PAY THE $50, EVERYTHING IS FINE, AND YOU'RE READY TO, YOU'RE READY TO OBTAIN YOUR ZONING CLEARANCE, OR IT'S GOING TO BE RETURNED BACK TO YOU WITH A COMMENT OF YOU NEED TO SPEAK WITH SOMEONE IN BUILDING PERMITS.
PLEASE CONTACT THEM AND THEY WILL WALK YOU THROUGH OBTAINING A WHATEVER PERMIT IT IS THAT YOU NEED FROM THERE.
SO, TO TALK MORE ABOUT THIS, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO MR. RICKY OYE AND HE CAN EXPLAIN THAT PROCESS.
I REPRESENT DEPARTMENT OF BUILDING PERMITS, AND TODAY I'M GONNA TRY TO GIVE YOU SOME BASELINE OF KNOWLEDGE, SO IT MAKES IT AN EASIER PROCESS TO APPLY FOR PERMIT, WHAT TYPE OF PERMITS YOU WANNA APPLY FOR, AND WHAT WE AND WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO.
WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THE WHY AND PURPOSE OF THE BUILDING CODE.
WE ARE GONNA LOOK AT THE OVERVIEW OF HOW TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF GETTING A PERMIT, UM, HOW OUR DEPARTMENT IS ORGANIZED, WHICH IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW DURING THE PERMITTING PROCESS.
AND ALSO WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT SOME COMMON PERMITS AS A BUSINESS OWNER YOU WOULD APPLY FOR.
SO WHY DO WE DO WHAT WE DO? PRIOR TO HURRICANE KATRINA, THE STATE AS A WHOLE HAD NO, UM, BILLING PERMITTING SYSTEM PER SE, FROM ONE JURISDICTION TO ANOTHER.
EVERYBODY SORT OF DID WHAT THEY WANTED TO DO.
THE LEGISLATURE IN, UH, THROUGH ACT 12 IN 2005 PUT TOGETHER WHAT WAS CALLED THE LOUISIANA STATE UNIFORM CONSTRUCTION CODE COUNCIL.
THAT ORGANIZATION GATHERED TOGETHER AND THEY DECIDED ON A BUILDING CODE THAT THE ENTIRE STATE USES.
AND BY THE WAY, JUST FOR YOUR KNOWLEDGE, IT'S NOT ONLY LOUISIANA.
IF YOU GO TO ANY OTHER STATE IN THE UNION, YOU'RE GONNA, THEY, THEY USE THIS SIMILAR CODE.
LOUISIANA JUST DIDN'T ADOPT SOME CODE OUT OF THE BLUE.
BUT IF YOU WOULD GO, FOR EXAMPLE, TO ST.
CHARLES PARISH, YOU DO BUILDING PERMITTING.
THIS IS THE CODE THAT THEY'RE GONNA APPLY AND USE.
SO THE CURRENT CODE THAT WE'RE USING IS A 21 RRC FOR RESIDENTIAL, WHICH MEANS ONE IN TWO FAMILY DWELLINGS.
ANYTHING LARGER THAN A TWO FAMILY DWELLING IS CONSIDERED COMMERCIAL USE.
AND YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO USE OUR, THE IBC CODE.
THE IBC 21 IS FOR COMMERCIAL, AND THEN ALSO ALL TECHNICAL CODES THAT APPLY.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE INTER INTERNATIONAL MECHANICAL CODE 21 IS BEING USED, THE NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE 20 IS BEING USED AND THE INTERNATIONAL PLUMBING CODE 21.
SO ALL PROJECTS USUALLY ARE REVIEWED FOR CODE COMPLIANCE, STRUCTURAL FOUNDATION WISE TO THE IBC OR IRC.
AND THEN TECHNICAL CODE WISE, THEY'RE GONNA BE REVIEWED MECHANICAL,
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PLUMBING, ELECTRICAL ACCORDING TO THEIR RESPECTIVE CODES, ALL PROJECTS.OKAY? SO WHAT IS THE MAIN PURPOSE OF BUILDING CODE, BY THE WAY? THE PURPOSE OF THIS CODE IS TO ESTABLISH MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS TO SAFEGUARD THE PUBLIC SAFETY, HEALTH AND GENERAL WELFARE THROUGH AFFORDABILITY.
STRUCTURAL STRENGTH MEANS THE EGRESS FACILITIES, STABILITY, SANITATION, LIGHT AND VENTILATION, ENERGY CONSERVATION AND SAFETY TO LIFE AND PROPERTY FROM FIRE AND OTHER HAZARDS.
AND ABOVE ALL, IT PROTECTS YOUR PROPERTY VALUES.
OKAY, LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW TO OBTAIN A PERMIT.
IT ALL STARTS WITH PUTTING IN AN APPLICATION SEAMLESS.
NOWADAYS, YOU CAN UPLOAD AN APP ON YOUR PHONE, MGO CONNECT ON YOUR PHONE, ON YOUR TABLET, ON YOUR, YOUR LAPTOP.
THE APP IS THERE, YOU CAN GO AND CONNECT TO IT, AND THEN YOU CAN START THE PERMITTING PROCESS.
UH, THE PERMITTING PROCESS, WHEN YOU'RE GONNA GO THERE, YOU'RE GONNA PICK OUR JURISDICTION ESSENTIALLY, AND THEN YOU'RE GONNA PICK THE TYPE OF PERMIT OR THE APPLICATION YOU'RE APPLYING FOR.
AND WE ARE GONNA TALK ABOUT THOSE IN A BIT.
I'M JUST GONNA USE, FOR EXAMPLE, A COMMERCIAL TENANT BUILD OUT.
SO WHEN YOU'RE GONNA CHOOSE THAT ONE, IT'S GONNA TAKE YOU THROUGH A PROCESS WHERE YOU ANSWERING QUESTIONS, OKAY? YOU CAN'T AVOID THE QUESTIONS, YOU MUST ANSWER 'EM TO THE BEST OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE.
THEN IT'S GONNA TAKE YOU TO A POINT WHERE YOU GONNA APPLY ALL INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE PURVIEW TO THAT PERMIT.
WHO'S THE APPLICANT? WHO'S THE OWNER, WHO'S THE CONTRACTOR? WHO IS THE, UH, DESIGN PROFESSIONAL THAT IS GONNA BE USED ON THAT PROJECT? THAT INFORMATION IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
UH, I MYSELF AM THE ONE THAT REVIEWS APPLICATIONS AND WILL EITHER SEND 'EM BACK TO YOU WITH A COMMENT SAYING, I NEED THIS INFORMATION BEFORE I CAN MOVE IT THROUGH OUR SYSTEM, OR I'LL ACCEPT IT.
AND ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS I'M GONNA LOOK FOR IS THAT ALL THOSE CATEGORIES ARE PROPERLY FILLED, AND YOU GOTTA UNDERSTAND OUR PROCESSES.
UH, FOR EXAMPLE, ONCE EVERYTHING IS PROCESSED, THE DES THE, UH, PLAN REVIEWER IS GOING TO EMAIL APPLICATION ACCEPTED TO ALL CONSTITUENTS OR ALL PEOPLE INVOLVED WITH THE PROCESS.
IT'S NOT UNUSUAL FOR A CONTRACTOR TO CALL OUR OFFICE AND SAY, I'M NOT DOING WORK ON THIS PROJECT.
WHY AM I LISTED? SO IT PREVENTS IMPROPRIETY.
SO YOU GOTTA UNDERSTAND WHAT WE DO.
WE HAVE A METHOD TO OUR MADNESS.
OKAY? SO IF ALL THAT IS FILLED OUT, THE NEXT SECTION, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO UPLOAD DOCUMENTS.
ALL INDIVIDUAL PERMITS WILL REQUIRE CERTAIN DOCUMENTS, AND IT, IT IDENTIFIES THEM TO YOU IN THE PROCESS.
YOU UPLOAD THE DOCUMENTS, IT BEHOOVES YOU TO UPLOAD PDF FILES, OKAY? JPEGS TYPICALLY ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE.
YOU KNOW, WHAT IS IT? IPHONE, HEIC FILES ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE.
AND YOU GOTTA UNDERSTAND OUR PROCESS.
WHEN A PLAN REVIEWER GETS A DRAWING, FOR EXAMPLE, AND IT'S NOT IN A PDF FORMAT, AND HE OR SHE NEEDS TO ENLARGE THE DRAWING TO IDENTIFY INFORMATION, IT WILL PIXELATE, IT'LL BLUR OUT.
YOU CANNOT READ THE INFORMATION.
SO HIGHLY SUGGESTED THAT YOU UPLOAD PDF FILES BEFORE I ACCEPT A PROJECT.
I USUALLY LOOK AT 'EM QUICKLY.
SOMETIMES I HELP, BUT NOT ALWAYS, BECAUSE IF I FEEL IT CANNOT BE READ DOWN THE LINE, I WILL SEND IT BACK TO YOU WITH SOME SUGGESTION.
AND IT'S REALLY EASY TO DO, RIGHT? YOU TAKE A PICTURE WITH YOUR IPHONE AND GIVE IT TO US.
NOT ACCEPTABLE, OKAY? PDF FILES.
SO IF THE DOCUMENT'S IN THERE, ALL THE INFORMATION IS DONE PROPERLY, THE NEXT PART OF THE PROCESS IS THAT I WILL SEND IT TO A PLAN REVIEWER.
I WILL SIGN IT TO A PLAN REVIEWER.
THE PLAN REVIEWER AT THAT POINT WILL ACCEPT THE PROJECT.
IT IS REALLY A PERMITTING REVIEW.
IT IS NOT A PERMIT THAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR HAND TO DO WORK.
DURING THAT PROCESS, THERE'S GONNA BE BACK AND FORTH.
THE PLAN REVIEWER IS GONNA REVIEW IT FOR GO FOR ZONING COMPLIANCE, FOR BUILDING CODE COMPLIANCE.
AND EVERYTHING IS ADDRESSED THAT WAY.
BY THE WAY, WE DON'T MAKE THINGS UP PER SE.
WHEN WE GIVE A YOU A COMMENT BACK IN THE FORM OF A REVIEW LETTER, WE ALWAYS ADDRESS IT WITH A CODE OR A ZONING CODE OR A BUILDING CODE REFERENCE.
SO THEN YOU CAN GO, OR YOUR DESIGN PROFESSIONAL CAN GO AND ADDRESS THOSE DEFICIENCIES, GIVE THEM BACK TO US.
ANOTHER REVIEW TAKES PLACE AND THE PROCESS HAPPENS THAT WAY.
OKAY? SO LET'S SAY YOU MOVE THROUGH THE PROCESS, YOU GET YOUR BUILDING PERMIT, OKAY? THE PLAN REVIEWER WILL, UH, ISSUE THE PERMIT, THEN IT, YOU CAN START YOUR WORK.
YOU HAVE A PHYSICAL PIECE OF PAPER SAYING YOU HAVE A BUILDING PERMIT IN YOUR HAND ALL THROUGH EMAIL, BY THE WAY.
UH, THEN YOU CAN START THE WORK, WHICH INCLUDES TECHNICAL CODE, COMPLIANCE, UM, INSPECTIONS, RIGHT? ONCE
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ALL THE WORK IS COMPLETED, YOU'RE GONNA CALL INTO THE PARISH AND GET A, WHAT'S CALLED A BUILDING FINAL.AN INSPECTOR GOES OUT THERE AND BASICALLY MAKES SURE THE WORK IS ALL COMPLETED.
AND THEN YOU'RE GONNA BE GIVEN A CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION.
AND THEN YOU'RE WELL ON YOUR WAY TO OPENING YOUR BUSINESS AND YOU, YOU'VE DONE THINGS PROPERLY.
LET'S TALK ABOUT OUR DEPARTMENT AND HOW WE, HOW WE STARTED BROKEN DOWN QUITE SIMPLY, WE HAVE A SECTION THAT DOES PLAN REVIEW CODE, COMPLIANCE INSPECTIONS, I'M SORRY, CODE COMPLIANCE REVIEWS, ZONING, BUILDING CODE.
THEY'RE GONNA TAKE THE PERMIT AND BREAK IT DOWN AND POPULATE EVERYTHING THAT IS NECESSARY.
THEY'RE GONNA PULL IN WHATEVER COMPONENTS THAT ARE NECESSARY TO DO REVIEWS.
PLANNING COULD POSSIBLY BE INVOLVED, UH, THE DIFFERENT ENTITIES, FIRE PREVENTION, ENVIRONMENTAL, DEPENDING ON THE NATURE OF THE PROJECT.
AND ALL THESE REVIEWS ARE DONE CONCURRENTLY.
AND THEN YOU'RE GONNA GET REVIEW LETTERS BACK FROM ALL THESE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS CONCURRENTLY.
IN OTHER WORDS, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT FROM ONE TO ANOTHER, IT'S ALL BEING DONE IN THE BACKGROUND.
BUT YOU ON YOUR END HAVE TO FOLLOW THE PERMIT, OKAY? YOU'RE GONNA GET EMAILS SO THAT FROM YOUR PART OF PERSPECTIVE, YOU KNOW WHAT THE DEFICIENCIES ARE AND YOU CAN ADDRESS YOU OR YOUR DESIGN PROFESSIONAL, WHOEVER'S INVOLVED WITH THE PROJECT.
ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WE OFTEN HAVE IS SOMEBODY WILL COME OVER TO THE OFFICE AND SAY, IT'S BEEN A MONTH NOW AND NO MOVEMENT HAS BEEN MADE ON MY PROJECT.
AND THEN I'LL GO LOOK AT IT AND SAY, WELL, YOU'VE GOT AN EMAIL.
IT SAID, YOU KNOW, A MONTH AGO, YOU NEED TO TAKE CARE OF THESE DEFICIENCIES AND NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE.
WE HEAR THESE KIND OF THINGS ALWAYS IN THE OFFICE.
BE AWARE THAT ONCE THE PROCESS STARTS, YOU GOTTA MONITOR WHAT GOES ON, OKAY? YOU HAVE TO MONITOR IT, OKAY? SO EVENTUALLY THE PLAN REVIEWER WILL ISSUE THE PROJECT WHEN ALL THE DEFICIENCIES ARE COMPLETED, THEN IT'S GONNA GO OVER TO THE INSPECTION SIDE.
THE INSPECTION SIDE PHYSICALLY GOES IN YOUR BUILDING AND WILL BASICALLY DO TECHNICAL CODE COMPLIANCE INSPECTIONS, OKAY? FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END TILL THE BILLING FINAL IS DONE.
SO TWO FUNCTIONS, PLAN REVIEW INSPECTIONS, ESSENTIALLY.
AND BY THE WAY, YOU CAN ALWAYS CALL AND ASK QUESTIONS AT ANY POINT DURING A PERMITTING PROCESS OR DURING THE INSPECTION SIDE, AND YOUR QUESTIONS ARE GONNA BE ADDRESSED.
LET'S TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS YOU CAN DO.
WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT PERMITS.
NOW, LET'S, I'M GONNA FIRST BEGIN BY SAYING, WHAT CAN I DO THAT I DO NOT NEED A PERMIT FOR? YOU CAN PAINT, AND WE HAVE A, BY THE WAY, EVERYTHING WE DO IS ALL CODE RELATED.
IF YOU LOOK, IF YOU WOULD LOOK AT SECTION EIGHT DASH ONE DASH 1 0 3 0.4, AND OUR MUNI CODE IS GONNA TELL YOU WHAT YOU CAN AND CANNOT DO AS FAR AS BUILDING PERMITS.
BUT WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, CALL THE OFFICE.
'CAUSE YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES IT'S NOT AS SIMPLE AS READING SOMETHING, BUT YOU CAN PAINT, YOU CAN CHANGE FLOORING, YOU CAN MAKE MINOR WALL REPAIRS.
YOU KNOW, A CHAIR BUTTS UP INTO A WALL, BUSTS A HOLE IN A WALL, YOU CAN REPAIR, NOT A PROBLEM.
YOU CAN REPLACE FIXTURES IF IT'S DONE BY A LICENSED PROFESSIONAL ELECTRICAL FIXTURE AND A LICENSED ELECTRICIAN, PLUMBING FIXTURE, LICENSED PLUMBER, AC GUY, LICENSED, OKAY? THEN THEY IN TURN HAVE TO DO A FILING WITH THE PARISH SO THE PARISH CAN GO AND REVIEW IT TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE WORK THAT WAS PERFORMED ON THAT PROJECT IS CODE COMPLIANT.
ALL RIGHT? BUT AGAIN, JUST BE VERY CAUTIOUS BEFORE YOU TAKE ON ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
WE'LL, WE'LL GIVE YOU AN ANSWER.
LET'S TALK ABOUT COMMERCIAL REMODELING AND RENOVATION PROJECTS AS A PROSPECTIVE BUSINESS OWNER.
UH, OR IF YOU'VE BEEN IN A BUSINESS A WHILE, THESE ARE COMMON THINGS, AND I'M GONNA BREAK IT DOWN TWO WAYS, BOTH COMING INTO THE SAME HEADING.
I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT WHAT I WOULD CONSIDER A SIMPLE REFRESH.
IF I'M JUST GOING INTO IT, MY SPACE AND I'M CHANGING OUT EXISTING CABINETS, I'M MAKING SIMPLE WALL REPAIRS.
I'M REPLACING ELECTRICAL AND PLUMBING FIXTURES.
I'M REMOVING AND REPLACING SHEET ROCK ON EXISTING WALLS.
I'M REPLACING DOORS SAME SIZE.
I'M NOT ALTERING THE SPACE WHATSOEVER.
I WILL NOT AFFECT INGRESS, EGRESS, I'M NOT CHANGING THE SIZE OF DOORS, ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
I CAN GET A SIMPLE COMMERCIAL REMODELING RENOVATION PERMIT.
ALL THAT WE ARE GONNA REQUIRE FROM YOU PROBABLY IS AN ESTIMATE FROM A LICENSED CONTRACTOR.
AND BY THE WAY, WE ALWAYS VERIFY CONTRACTORS, OKAY? AS PART OF THE PROCESS.
SO WE GET THE LICENSED PROFESSIONAL.
THE PLAN REVIEWER IN TURN IS GOING TO REVIEW IT BRIEFLY.
HE'S GONNA POPULATE WHATEVER INSPECTIONS ARE NECESSARY TO COMPLETE THIS PROJECT.
AND THEN YOU'RE ON YOUR WAY, YOU'LL GET YOURSELF A PERMIT.
LET'S TALK ABOUT A MORE COMPLEX RENOVATION PERMIT.
NOW, IF YOU LOOK AT THE PICTURE I HAVE HERE, YOU CAN SEE WALLS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE STRUCTURE.
THE NATURE OF THIS IS THAT THE INGRESS AND EGRESS OF THIS FACILITY OR THIS SPACE IS CHANGED WHENEVER THAT HAPPENS, IT HAS TO BE ADDRESSED THROUGH TECHNICAL
[00:30:01]
CODES AS WELL AS BUILDING CODES.OKAY? SO IN THIS CASE, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO GET A DESIGN PROFESSIONAL INVOLVED.
DESIGN PROFESSIONAL MEANS HE IS AN ARCHITECT OR ENGINEER THAT'S GONNA BASICALLY TAKE THIS SPACE AND MAKE A CODE COMPLIANT.
HE'S GONNA ADDRESS INGRESS EGRESS, OKAY? STATE FARM MARSHALS COULD BE INVOLVED IN, IN THIS ALSO.
LET'S LOOK AT, LET'S LOOK AT, ALRIGHT, LET'S TALK ABOUT TENANT BUILDOUTS.
UM, AND BEFORE I BEGIN, I WANNA GIVE YOU SOME CAUTION.
BEFORE SIGNING A LEASE, IT IS HIGHLY SUGGESTED THAT YOU CALL EITHER US OR PLANNING AND BASICALLY IDENTIFY THE ADDRESS AND SEE WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS SPACE PRIOR.
WHAT DO WE HAVE RECORDS OF HAPPENING IN THIS SPACE PRIOR? BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES PEOPLE GET CAUGHT UP WITHOUT, THEY JUST START OPENING A BUSINESS AND OPERATING AND THINGS HAPPEN AND IT GETS IDENTIFIED TO US.
AND THEN, AND SHE'S GONNA, IN A MOMENT TALK ABOUT VIOLATIONS AND IT BECOMES A MESS TO GET OUT OF.
SO BEFORE YOU DO THAT, CALL US, AND WE ARE GONNA GIVE YOU SOME WAYS TO AVOID THAT.
LET'S LOOK AT THIS ONE REAL QUICK.
IF YOU NOTICE THE PICTURE HERE, IT'S A CLEAN SPACE.
THIS IS PRETTY SIMPLE BECAUSE A DESIGN PROFESSIONAL'S GONNA HAVE TO BE INVOLVED.
HE'S GONNA COME IN OR SHE WILL COME IN AND BASICALLY DESIGN THIS ENTIRE SPACE TO MEET WHATEVER YOUR OCCUPANCY IS, RESTAURANT, BUSINESS, MERCANTILE, RETAIL, UH, WHATEVER IT MAY BE.
IT WILL BE DESIGNED TO MEET YOUR NEEDS, OKAY? PRETTY SIMPLE FOR THE DESIGN PROFESSIONAL TO DO.
UM, IF IT WAS A SPACE THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY USED UNDER DIFFERENT USE, HE'S GONNA TAKE CARE OF THAT THROUGH BUILDING CODE, THROUGH HIS, THROUGH HIS PROCESS.
ONE OF THE ISSUES MAY BE WITH PARKING, BUT WE WILL, WE WILL TAKE CARE OF THAT FOR YOU.
AND THERE'S WAYS TO GET THROUGH ALL THAT.
LET'S LOOK AT ANOTHER ONE THAT IS SOMEWHAT MORE COMPLEX.
THIS ONE HAS TO DO WITH, I'M GETTING INTO A SPACE THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY USED BY BUILDING CODE FOR UNDER A DIFFERENT USE, DIFFERENT OCCUPANCY, OKAY? IN THIS CASE, AND I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA POINT THESE EXAMPLES IN A MOMENT.
I'M GONNA JUST DESCRIBE TO YOU CHANGING THE OCCUPANCY CLASSIFICATION OF AN EXISTING TENANT SPACE.
THE CODE HAS EVERY OCCUPANCY ADDRESSED ASSEMBLY.
AND HERE ARE THE REQUIREMENTS TO GET INTO THAT ASSEMBLY PROPERLY.
AND HERE ARE THE REQUIREMENTS, OKAY? AND YOU GOTTA REMEMBER IN ASSEMBLY, YOU MAY HAVE 50 PEOPLE, WHERE IN AN OFFICE YOU MAY HAVE SIX.
SO THE REQUIREMENTS ARE GONNA BE QUITE DIFFERENT.
ALL RIGHT? SO LET'S LOOK AT THIS GYMNASIUM IN HERE TO THE RIGHT, RIGHT HERE.
AND I'M JUST GONNA GIVE YOU A SCENARIO, A SCENARIO THAT ALWAYS, WE ALWAYS SEE SOMEBODY GOES INTO THIS SPACE, THEY DON'T DO THEIR DUE DILIGENCE, THEY START OPERATING, THIS IS AN OFFICE WAREHOUSE.
WELL, IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN AN OFFICE WAREHOUSE FOR YEARS IT EXISTED, FOR EXAMPLE, AS THEY STORED GOODS IN THIS PLACE, YOU MIGHT HAD TWO, THREE EMPLOYEES IN THE OFFICE, ONE OR TWO EMPLOYEES THAT TRUCK THINGS OUTTA THE BACK OF THIS SPACE.
WELL, NOW I'VE OPENED UP A GYM.
I MAY HAVE 30 PEOPLE IN THIS SPACE.
THE BUILDING CODE LOOKS ARE JUST TOTALLY DIFFERENT.
THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHERE THIS IS A CHANGE OF USE THAT YOU WOULD NEED TO GET A DESIGN PROFESSIONAL INVOLVED TO DO DRAWINGS TO SHOW EGRESS.
AND YOU MAY, YOU MAY NEED TO ADD THINGS SUCH AS A WATER FOUNTAIN, AN A, DA COMPLIANT BATHROOM.
THE BUILDING CODE ADDRESSES ALL THIS.
SO, AND BY THE WAY, WE SEE THESE, THESE KIND OF THINGS HAPPEN ALL THE TIME, YOU KNOW, AND PEOPLE GET THEMSELVES IN A BIND WITH THIS.
AND IT'S DIFFICULT FOR US TO GET YOU OUT OF IT.
AND, YOU KNOW, YOU GET FRUSTRATED WITH US, BUT WE CAN ONLY TELL YOU WHICH WAY TO GO.
AND THEN YOU GOTTA TAKE IT FROM THERE.
LET'S LOOK AT A SECOND EXAMPLE.
OKAY? THE CODE DOES ALLOW SECTION EIGHT ONE DASH 1 0 1 5.
IF YOU LOOK AT THIS YOUNG LADY, SHE OPENED UP THIS HAIR CUTTING BUSINESS AND WHAT WAS PREVIOUSLY AN OFFICE SPACE AS AN EXAMPLE.
OKAY? SO IF SHE WOULD CALL ME, I WOULD TELL HER HOW BIG IS THE SPACE? OR ASK HER HOW BIG IS THE SPACE? AND I CAN SEE IT'S A VERY SMALL SPACE HERE.
AND I'M GONNA TELL HER, DO THIS FOR ME.
OKAY? SHOW ME THE WIDTH AND LENGTH OF THE SPACE.
SHOW ME THE EGRESS POINTS, OKAY? AND I'LL WORK WITH YOU.
I MAY NOT MAKE YOU GO GET A, A DESIGN PROFESSIONAL TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS.
I MAY MAKE YOU GO TO A, A GET A STATE FIRE MARSHAL REVIEW.
AND THEN SHE, AND MOST OF THE TIME THEY'LL TELL US, I'M DOING NO WORK.
AND I'M GONNA SAY, WELL, AREN'T YOU WASHING HAIR? AND WE'RE GONNA SAY YES.
AND THEN I'M GONNA SAY, WELL, THEN YOU ARE DOING WORK.
OKAY? SO THEN YOU'RE GONNA HAVE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO PULL IN PLUMBING ROUGH INS, PLUMBING FINALS, BUT NOT THAT BAD.
OKAY? ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY COME TO US FIRST AND THEY GET IT ADDRESSED.
AND WE CAN LEAD 'EM IN A DIRECTION.
WHEN THEY GO INTO SOMETHING LIKE THIS AND THEY DON'T GET IT ADDRESSED, THEY DON'T DO IT THE CORRECT WAY.
SOMETIMES IT'S A VERY DIFFICULT
[00:35:01]
PROCESS.OKAY? SO JUST BE VERY CAUTIOUS WITH THIS.
IT'S ALWAYS ADVISABLE TO CALL US AND WE WILL LEAD YOU IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
AND OF COURSE, THIS WOULD BE A BRAND NEW CONSTRUCTION, UH, SIGNED PROFESSIONALS COULD BE INVOLVED.
DIFFERENT, UM, FACTIONS OF THE, THE, UH, OUR PLANNING COULD BE INVOLVED WITH THIS.
UH, DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS IN THE PARISH CAN BE INVOLVED WITH.
THIS IS HIGHLY AVIS ADVISABLE.
IF YOU GET A DESIGN PROFESSIONAL THAT HAS NOT DONE WORK WITH THE PARISH PREVIOUSLY TO COME MEET WITH US, OKAY? AND THEN WE WILL, WE WILL PULL ALL DEPARTMENTS TOGETHER AND YOU WILL GET ADVICE ON WHAT DIRECTION TO GO TO AVOID PROBLEMS DOWN THE ROAD.
IT COULD BE AS SIMPLE AS, UM, PUBLIC WORKS SAYING YOU DON'T HAVE THE, THE WATER TO FEED THIS BUILDING.
IT COULD BE SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS THAT.
BUT YOU KNOW, JUST BE AWARE OF THAT.
AND THEN ONE OF THE THINGS WE NEVER DO WITH A PROJECT, AND OF COURSE EVERYBODY WHEN ABLE A BUSINESS WANTS A SIGN THEY WANT TO ADVERTISE.
SIGNS ARE SEPARATE PERMITS, THEY ALL HAVE THEIR SEPARATE REQUIREMENTS.
PLANNING COULD POSSIBLY IN INVOLVE, BE INVOLVED.
AND OF COURSE, BULK CONTAINERS ALSO.
YOU MAY OR MAY NOT NEED IT DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF BUSINESS YOU HAVE.
OKAY? BUT IN OTHER WORDS, WE DO NOT PERMIT THESE WITH A BUILDING PERMIT.
I AM THE DIRECTOR OF THE SALES TAX AND OCCUPATIONAL LICENSE DEPARTMENT WITH THE JEFFERSON PARISH SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
UM, TO START, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT THE SUBJECT MATTER I'M DISCUSSING TODAY IS THE JEFFERSON PARISH SHERIFF'S OFFICE PROCEDURE.
AS OF TODAY, IT'S ALWAYS SUBJECT TO CHANGE, BUT YOU CAN ALWAYS ACCESS THE MOST UP-TO-DATE PROCEDURES THROUGH OUR WEBSITE.
ALRIGHT, SO WHAT IS AN OCCUPATIONAL LICENSE TAX? IT'S JUST THAT IT'S A TAX.
THE OCCUPATIONAL LICENSE TAX IS AN ANNUAL TAX BASED ON A BUSINESS'S GROSS RECEIPTS OR COMMISSIONS EARNED.
THE OCCUPATIONAL LICENSE TAX IS PAID IN THE CURRENT YEAR AND IS DUE JANUARY ONE, EXCUSE ME, AND DELINQUENT AFTER MARCH 1ST.
ALL BUSINESSES AND OR PERSONS PURSUING AN OCCUPATION IS REQUIRED BY LAW TO PAY THE OCCUPATIONAL LICENSE TAX FOR EACH LOCATION OF THE BUSINESS.
SIMILAR TO THE ZONING CLEARANCE, THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE ONLY COLLECTS THE OCCUPATIONAL LICENSE TAX FOR UNINCORPORATED CITIES OF JEFFERSON PARISH.
IF YOUR BUSINESS IS LOCATED IN THE CITIES OF GRETNA, HAR AND WESTWEGO KENNER OR GRAND ISLE, YOU MUST CONTACT THE MUNICIPALITY DIRECTLY FOR THEIR PROCEDURES.
WE DO, HOWEVER, COLLECT THE OCCUPATIONAL LICENSE TAX FOR JEAN LAFITTE.
WHEN SHOULD YOU APPLY? THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE IS ESSENTIALLY YOUR LAST STOP.
IF YOUR BUSINESS HAS NOT BEGUN OPERATING, YOU SHOULD WAIT UNTIL THE BUSINESSES TENTATIVE START DATE IS KNOWN.
IF YOUR BUSINESS HAS ALREADY BEGUN OPERATING, YOU SHOULD APPLY WITHIN 40 DAYS OF THE START TO AVOID ANY PENALTY.
ALRIGHT, SO WHAT IS REQUIRED? PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT THE REQUIREMENTS I'M ABOUT TO DISCUSS ARE THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL BUSINESSES.
SO TYPES OF BUSINESSES MAY REQUIRE MORE INFORMATION TO BE PROVIDED.
ALL BUSINESSES ARE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT A COMPLETED GENERAL REGISTRATION APPLICATION.
IF THE BUSINESS IS A CORPORATION, THEY MUST BE REGISTERED.
AND IN GOOD STANDING WITH THE LOUISIANA SECRETARY OF STATE, WE REQUIRE A COPY OF THE ZONING CLEARANCE, UM, THAT YOU HAVE OBTAINED THROUGH THE JEFFERSON PARISH PLANNING DEPARTMENT.
A COPY OF YOUR RECORDED TRADE APP, TRADE NAME AFFIDAVIT, IF IT'S APPLICABLE, APPLICABLE TO THE, YOUR TYPE OF BUSINESS.
THIS IS A DOCUMENT IF, IF YOU'RE A BUSINESS THAT'S, UM, RUNNING WITH A DBA.
IN OTHER WORDS, IF YOU'RE DOING BUSINESS AS NAME IS DIFFERENT THAN YOUR OWNERSHIP NAME, YOU ARE REQUIRED TO RECORD THAT EITHER WITH THE LOUISIANA SECRETARY OF STATE OR THE JEFFERSON PARISH CLERK OF COURT.
AND IT'S JUST A LEGAL DOCUMENT SHOWING THAT I AM OPERATING UNDER THIS NAME AND IT'S DIFFERENT THAN MY OWNERSHIP NAME.
SO FOR INSTANCE, IF UM, YOU ARE A SOLE PROPRIETOR AND YOUR NAME IS JOHN SMITH, BUT YOUR BUSINESS NAME IS JOHN'S AUTO REPAIR, YOU WOULD NEED TO RECORD THAT NAME WITH THE JEFFERSON PARISH CLERK COURT OR THE SECRETARY OF STATE TO, UM, HAVE THAT AS YOUR BUSINESS NAME.
IF YOUR BUSINESS INCLUDES THE SALE OF FOOD, BEV, FOOD OR BEVERAGES, WE DO ASK THAT YOU, UH, PROVIDE US A COPY OF YOUR PLAN REVIEW AND A SUBMISSION OF OUR REGISTRATION FEE.
OUR NEW BUSINESS CHECKLIST AND ALL APPLICATIONS AND FORMS CAN BE VIEWED AND DOWNLOADED FROM OUR WEBSITE.
AND ALL OF THESE ITEMS CAN BE SUBMITTED IN PERSON AT OUR OFFICE OR THROUGH THE MAIL.
WHAT IS THE COST TO APPLY FOR A TAX ACCOUNT? MOST BUSINESSES ARE REQUIRED TO REMIT A $50 REGISTRATION FEE WHEN APPLYING.
THIS AMOUNT IS REDUCED TO $25 WHEN THE BUSINESS START DATE IS AFTER JUNE 1ST, I'M SORRY, JUNE 30TH.
THIS FIGURE IS THE MINIMUM OCCUPATIONAL LICENSE TAX DETERMINED BY THE LOUISIANA STATUTES.
[00:40:01]
REGISTRATION FEE ALSO ACTS AS A TAX DEPOSIT TOWARDS THE ACTUAL OCCUPATIONAL LICENSE TAX DUE FOR THE YEAR.THE TOTAL DAC TAX DUE WILL BE DETERMINED ONCE THE BUSINESS HAS BEEN OPERATING FOR MORE THAN 30 DAYS.
THE OCCUPATIONAL LICENSE TAX IS SET BY LOUISIANA STATUTES AND IS DETERMINED BY THE BUSINESS'S CLASSIFICATION AND GROSS RECEIPTS.
IN CONCLUSION, EXCUSE ME, I WOULD LIKE TO MENTION THAT ALL INFORMATION REGARDING THE OCCUPATIONAL LICENSE TAX IS AVAILABLE IN THE REVENUE AND TAXATION SECTION OF OUR WEBSITE.
OR YOU CAN ALWAYS CALL OUR OFFICE.
OUR STAFF IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
WE ALSO HAVE SOME OF OUR, UM, NEW BUSINESS BOOKLETS OVER THERE FOR ANYONE TO GRAB ON THAT BAR OVER THERE, UH, AT THE END OF THE SESSION IF YOU'D LIKE TO DO THAT.
I'M LIZA FROM, UH, CO COMPLIANCE AND ENFORCEMENT.
UM, JUST LIKE TO RE REITERATE WHAT JPSO ADVISED IS THAT OCCUPATIONAL LICENSE IS FOR TAX PURPOSES.
SO, UM, IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHETHER OR NOT YOUR BUSINESS IS A PERMITTED USE FOR THE LOCATION THAT YOU'RE, UM, LOOKING INTO OPENING YOUR BUSINESS AT.
SO THE PARISH, JPSO AND THE PARISH, WE OF COURSE WORK TOGETHER.
THEY SEND US, UM, A EVERY MONTH WE GET A LIST OF PROPERTIES OR BUSINESSES, EXCUSE ME, THAT HAVE OPENED, UM, HAVE OBTAINED THEIR OCCUPATIONAL LICENSE.
WE'LL THEN CROSS REFERENCE THAT TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THE BUSINESSES HAVE THEIR ZONING CLEARANCES.
SO IF THEY DON'T HAVE THEIR ZONING CLEARANCES, THAT'S WHERE MY DEPARTMENT WILL STEP IN CODE COMPLIANCE AND ENFORCEMENT.
UM, AND WE CAN ISSUE VIOLATIONS OR PROVIDE A COURTESY NOTICE, UM, ADVISING YOU GUYS THAT YOU NEED TO GET YOUR ZONING CLEARANCE.
SO, UM, AND THE IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER IS THAT, UH, A VIOLATION NOTICE ONCE IT'S ISSUED, IS NOT JUST FOR THE BUSINESS, BUT IT'S ALSO FOR THE PROPERTY OWNER.
SO PROPERTY OWNERS, LANDLORDS, PLEASE DO YOUR DUE DILIGENCE.
TENANTS, BUSINESS OWNERS, YOU KNOW, SAME.
GET YOUR RESEARCH DONE, GET EVERYTHING IN ORDER BEFORE YOU'RE ACTUALLY OPENING THE BUSINESS, OPERATING THE BUSINESS AT THAT SPECIFIC LOCATION.
UM, OTHERWISE THE PROPERTY OWNER AND ALSO THE BUSINESS OWNER CAN BE CITED FOR NOT OBTAINING THEIR ZONING CLEARANCE PRIOR TO OPENING THEIR BUSINESS.
UH, SO IT'S IMPORTANT FOR EVERYBODY TO, TO DO THEIR DUE DILIGENCE, UM, WHEN RENTING A PROPERTY AND WITH OPERATING A BUSINESS.
UM, HOWEVER, WE DO WORK WITH PEOPLE.
WE DO WORK WITH BUSINESSES, WE WORK WITH PROPERTY OWNERS.
UM, AND THE KEY TO THAT IS COMMUNICATION.
IF YOU GET A COURTESY NOTICE, IF YOU GET A VIOLATION NOTICE, PLEASE LET US KNOW.
WE'RE GONNA WORK WITH YOU GUYS.
MAKE SURE YOU GET TO PLANNING BUILDING PERMITS AND GET THE WHOLE PROCESS START STARTED.
AND AS LONG AS THE BUSINESS OWNER, THE BUSINESS, THE PROPERTY OWNERS ARE SHOWING A GOOD FAITH EFFORT AND CLEARING THE VIOLATION, THEY'RE GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS WITH PLANNING, YOU KNOW, UH, BUILDING PERMITS, WE'RE GONNA HOLD OUR VIOLATION 'CAUSE WE'RE JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET COMPLIANCE.
WE'RE, WE'RE, THAT, THAT'S ALL WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FOR.
SO AS LONG AS YOU HAVE THAT COMMUNICATION, GOOD FAITH EFFORT TO CLEAR, UM, WE'RE, WE'RE GOOD TO GO.
AND WE'RE GONNA HELP WALK YOU GUYS THROUGH THAT PROCESS.
MAIN POINT IS JUST DON'T IGNORE, IGNORE THAT COURTESY NOTICE OR THAT VIOLATION NOTICE.
SO THE, THIS PINK NOTICE THAT YOU SEE THAT'S POSTED AT A PROPERTY, AND THIS IS THE VIOLATION PROCESS, NOT JUST FOR CODE COMPLIANCE ENFORCEMENT, BUT IF YOU GET A BUILDING PERMIT VIOLATION AS WELL, AND, UH, ANY OTHER TYPE OF VIOLATION THAT GOES THROUGH OUR ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING PROCESS.
YOU'LL GET FOR, FOR CODE COMPLIANCE ENFORCEMENT, YOU'LL GET THIS PINK NOTICE, BUT ALL DEPARTMENTS HAVE TO POST A NOTICE AT THE, UM, FRONT DOORS OF THE BUSINESS LOCATION.
AND THEN YOU'LL SEE BEHIND THAT A VIOLATION NOTICE IS THEN MAILED TO THE PROPERTY OWNERS AND, AND ALSO TO THE BUSINESS OWNERS.
UM, AND THE VIOLATION NOTICE IS MAILED A DAY OR SO AFTER THE NOTICE IS POSTED AT THE PROPERTY, IT GIVES YOU A COMPLIANCE PERIOD.
IT'S USUALLY 10 DAYS TO CLEAR THE VIOLATION.
SO AGAIN, YOU KNOW, START TALKING TO US IF WE NEED TO GIVE YOU GUYS MORE TIME BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH PLANNING, BUILDING PERMITS.
UM, WE CAN EXTEND EXTEND THAT COMPLIANCE DATE.
BUT AGAIN, COMMUNICATION'S KEY.
UH, SO HOWEVER, IF THERE'S NO COMMUNICATION, NO STEPS MOVING FORWARD TO GET THAT ZONING CLEARANCE, UH, OR, YOU KNOW, THE BUILDING PERMIT ISSUE, UH, SITUATION CLEARED UP.
IF THERE IS NO, YOU KNOW, COMMUNICATION MOVING STEPS TO GET THAT CLEARED UP, THEN A HE, THEN A NOTICE IS SENT, UM, FOR A HEARING.
WHEN YOU GO TO A HEARING, HEARING COSTS CAN BE ASSESSED FOR $150, UM, AND UP TO A $500 FINE.
UH, AND THEN YOU'LL HAVE AT LEAST 30 DAYS TO GET A TO AGAIN, CLEAR THE VIOLATION.
AGAIN, IF YOU STILL DON'T CLEAR THE VIOLATION, THEN, UM, JPS IS GONNA KNOCK ON
[00:45:01]
YOUR DOOR, SERVE YOU WITH, UM, PAPERS TO GO TO FIRST OR SECOND PARISH COURT FOR CONTEMPT PROCEEDINGS WHERE WE CAN GET DAILY FINES.NOBODY WANTS THIS PROCESS TO HAPPEN FOR ANYONE.
SO, YOU KNOW, AS LONG AS YOU GUYS ARE WORKING WITH US, YOU KNOW, THIS IS JUST, UM, SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT WORKING WITH US IGNORING THE VIOLATIONS.
UH, SO, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, MAIN THING IS JUST COMMUNICATION.
YOU'LL SEE IN THE VIOLATION NOTICES, WE'RE ALWAYS GONNA HAVE OUR PHONE NUMBERS UP THERE.
YOU CAN ALWAYS LOOK ON OUR WEBSITES TO BE ABLE TO EMAIL US, CALL US.
UH, THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS TO GET IN TOUCH AND WE'LL MAKE SURE WE RESPOND.
WE CITE FROM ZONING VIOLATIONS.
UH, OTHER ISSUES OR VIOLATIONS THAT CODE COMPLIANCE ENFORCEMENT LOOKS AT FOR A BUSINESS THAT'S OPERATING IS YOU MUST HAVE A NEW DUMPSTER PERMIT EVERY TWO YEARS.
SO YOU GO THROUGH THE ORIGINAL DUMPSTER, UM, GET THE ORIGINAL DUMPSTER PERMIT FROM BUILDING PERMITS.
YOU HAVE TO GET THAT RENEWED EVERY TWO YEARS TO VERIFY THAT IT'S STILL IN THE SAME LOCATION THAT THE ENCLOSURE FOR YOUR DUMPSTER IS STILL IN GOOD REPAIR.
UM, SO IF YOU DON'T RENEW IT EVERY TWO YEARS, THEN YOU KNOW, YOU'LL GET A VIOLATION NOTICE FROM US.
UM, WE HAD ALSO TALKED ABOUT HOME OCCUPATIONS.
UM, ONE PARTICULAR HOME O OCCUPATION IS SHORT-TERM RENTAL VI, SHORT TERM RENTAL.
HOWEVER, PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THESE ARE HIGHLY REGULATED.
THEY'RE ONLY ALLOWED IN VERY SPECIFIC LOCATIONS WITH, UH, DIFFERENT PROVISIONS, UH, RESTRICTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT USE.
UH, YOU HAVE TO GET A ZONING CLEARANCE.
YOU HAVE TO GET A SHORT-TERM PERMIT, SHORT-TERM RENTAL PERMIT, AND IT'S A $700 ANNUAL, UH, FEE TO RENEW THAT PERMIT EVERY YEAR.
UM, BUT HOME OCCUPATIONS, WE, YOU KNOW, WE MAKE SURE THEY HAVE ZONING CLEARANCES AS WELL, UM, AND LODGING LICENSES.
YOU ALSO HAVE TO GET A PERMIT, AN ANNUAL PERMIT ONCE A YEAR TO VERIFY THAT YOU GUYS ARE STILL IN, IN OPERATION AND MAINTAIN THE MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR THE HOTELS AND MOTELS.
IN ADDITION, UM, CERTAIN BUSINESSES ALL SHOULD ALSO HAVE TO GET SPECIAL, SPECIAL PERMITTED USE.
AND THAT SPU MUST BE, UM, RENEWED EVERY TWO YEARS AS WELL.
AND WE'RE VERIFYING THAT THERE'S NO CHANGES IN, YOU KNOW, YOU DIDN'T BUILD NEW STRUCTURES THAT WE'RE UNAWARE OF.
YOU DIDN'T EXPAND YOUR BUSINESS, WE'RE JUST VERIFYING THAT EVERYTHING'S THE SAME WAY AS IT WAS WHEN YOU FIRST OBTAINED YOUR SPECIAL PERMANENT USE.
BUT THOSE ARE, YOU KNOW, WE ALSO CIPHER A WHOLE, WHOLE OTHER VARIOUS TYPE OF VIOLATIONS FOR MAINTAINING YOUR PROPERTY.
BUT THESE ARE THE ONES THAT ARE IN PARTICULAR TO OPERATE IN A BUSINESS IN JEFFERSON PARISH.
BUT AGAIN, UH, MAIN THING IS IF YOU GET A VIOLATION NOTICE, WE'LL WORK WITH YOU.
JUST CALL US UP AND LET US KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.
AND THAT'S IT FOR THE PRESENTATION.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES TO THESE GUIDELINES WHEN OPENING OR OPERATING IN A MUNICIPALITY? IF THERE'S A PARTICULAR ANSWER, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU ARE OPENING OR OPERATING IN A MUNICIPALITY, WHAT'S DIFFERENT FROM HERE IN JEFFERSON? SO THERE ARE DIFFERENCES AS TO THE LEVEL OF DETAIL OF THOSE DIFFERENCES.
I'LL BE HONEST AND TELL YOU, I DO NOT KNOW.
UM, I, I BELIEVE THERE WERE SIX, UM, INCORPORATED MUNICIPALITIES.
I WOULD IMAGINE THAT OVER TIME EACH SIX HAS DEVELOPED THEIR OWN PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES AND DO THINGS UNIQUELY THEIR OWN WAY.
SO I, I COULDN'T REALLY SPEAK MUCH TO THAT.
I, I WOULD STRESS THOUGH, CONTACT THEM IMMEDIATELY.
DON'T ASSUME BECAUSE YOU DEALT WITH SOMEONE ELSE THAT IT'S GONNA BE THAT WAY.
IS THERE A ONE STOP SHOP TO GET ALL THESE STEPS FROM? I MEAN, I THINK YOU CAN.
SO JED CO ACTUALLY HAS A STARTING A BUSINESS KIT ON OUR WEBSITE.
UM, AND WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH THE PARISH.
ALL THE PARISH INFORMATION IS ON THEIR WEBSITE@JEFFPARISH.NET.
UM, AND THEN WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK TO CREATE A PLACE.
UM, THIS IS REALLY KIND OF THE FIRST STEP HERE.
UM, THIS START HERE SEMINAR WILL BE HOPEFULLY CREATING MORE CONTENT THAT WILL ALLOW FOR, FOR A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN HAVE ALL OF THIS INFORMATION READILY AVAILABLE TO YOU.
BUT I WOULD SUGGEST STARTING, UM, WITH JEFF PARRISH.NET AND JED CODE.ORG.
BOTH OF THOSE LOCATIONS HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION THAT YOU COULD NEED, UH, TO START AND OPEN A BUSINESS HERE IN JEFFERSON PARISH OR TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS.
LOTS OF GREAT INFORMATION, UM, ON BOTH OF THOSE SITES.
AND I THINK THOSE ARE ALL THE QUESTIONS FROM, FROM FOLKS WHO WROTE IN.
DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE THAT HAVEN'T BEEN ANSWERED OR ANY PRESSING QUESTIONS YOU, YOU'RE REALLY DYING TO, TO TALK ABOUT