Opelousas Historic District
Brief Summary of the Opelousas Historic District Ordinance
The Opelousas Historic District Ordinance was enacted in 2001.
Sections 1-6
Deal with the establishment of the Historic District Commission, the members, the scheduled meetings and the rules and regulations.
Section 7
Defines the Historic District and its boundaries.
Sections 8-10
Describe when it is necessary to apply for a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) and how to apply for the COA, the process involved with hearing the COA and notification of the commission’s decision.
Sections 11-15
Deal with the appeals process and various penalties for non-compliance.
Section 16
Describes the requirements for new construction including the scale of the proposed construction, materials, architectural elements, etc.
Section 17
Describes the requirements for the preservation or restoration of an historic property including the standards to be followed, the materials to be used, etc.
Sections 18-20
Deal with fences, floodlights and overhanging balconies.
Section 21
Deals with signs including what constitutes a sign, free-standing versus on buildings, materials used, size requirements, temporary signs, etc.
Section 22
Aerials, Antennas, etc.
Section 23
Describes minimum maintenance requirements.
Section 24
Describes "Demolition by Neglect".
Section 25
Defines mobile homes, mobile home parks, and portable buildings and discusses pre-existing structures. NO ADDITIONAL MOBILE HOMES MAY BE PLACED IN THE HISTORIC DISTRICT and those in existence must comply with the City’s Code of Ordinances.
The copy of the entire ordinance is available at Opelousas Tourism
828 East Landry St. #6, Opelousas, LA 70570, Phone 337-948-5227 or at www.cityofopelousas.com .
