FAQ's

Calcasieu Parish Animal Services and Adoption Center has a voucher program to have pets altered for a reduced cost for Calcasieu residents. Any household that receives any type of public assistance can get a voucher. Simply bring proof of the assistance and your drivers license to the shelter during regular business hours and fill out a very brief application. The staff will then issue a voucher for each pet you have, along with an appointment at a local veterinarian. The cost is $10 for each cat and $20 for each dog.

All pets must be current on their Rabies Vaccination and licensing. If the animal is not current, you will be required to get your pet up-to-date. Most veterinarians will allow you to pay for and get the pet updated while it's at the clinic for surgery. If your pet is already current, please bring that information with you when you fill out the application so the staff can include it on the voucher.

People that need assistance outside of Calcasieu can get assistance from SPAY USA by calling 1-800-248-SPAY (1-800-248-7729)

Code books can be purchased from the International Code Council at www.iccsafe.org

Codes can be viewed at www.ecodes.biz.  These pages are for viewing only.

Yes, in fact we encourage you to schedule an appointment with one of our plans examiners prior to submittal.  By doing so, you will aid our office in getting your review done in a timely manner.

The purpose of plan review is to examine the proposed project prior to construction.  This will allow the code department to check for any apparent code violations before the owner or contractor begins work on the project. 

A building code is a set of laws and ordinances that set the minimum safety standards and embraces all aspects of building construction--fire and structural items as well as  plumbing, electrical, and mechanical systems. 

Yes, the location of the panel is required.  This is to verify that the required working clearance is satisfied and also that the panel is situated in an approved location.

Windows that have a sill height greater than 44 inches are required to have a minimum clear net opening of 5.7 square feet, with the exception of grade floor openings which shall have a minimum clear net opening of 5.0 square feet.  

NOTE: This requirement only applies to basements and sleeping rooms.

YES, you must provide an engineered stamped shop drawing of these trusses at time of submittal for permitting.

The building plan review process may take up to two (2) weeks once all construction documents are submitted and/or necessary approvals are made.

One complete set of drawings are required for plan review.  It is preferred that drawings be submitted in an electronic form.

• It affects our parents in Louisiana. They spend more than $14 million in taxes to pay for cleaning up areas with litter.

• People who visit our state don't see how beautiful we really are due to litter along our roadways.  This is the same for people who want to move here as well.  When you are in a dirty place, do you want to hang around? No.  Our visitors don't want to hang around either.

• It's dangerous to our health!  Litter attracts rodents like rats-that may carry diseases- to your home.

• It affects our safety. Criminals love areas riddled with litter.  These areas provide them a place to hide.

By keeping dogs on a leash and staying on designated trails, contact with coyotes can generally be avoided. You should always supervise your dog closely in areas where coyotes are present, even your backyard. Coyotes are not aftraid of your dog, but they are afraid of you. If a coyote approaches your dog, scare it away by flaring your arms, yelling or throwing something at it. 

If you may have coyotes on your property or in your neighborhood, follow these tips:

• Do not feed coyotes. Problems occur when people begin feeding coyotes, either deliberately or inadvertently.
• Garbage must be stored in secure containers. Do not put meat scraps in compost heaps. Also do not put the trash out at NIGHT, especially in the spring. Adults will be more territorial since they have their young.
• Remove outside pet food containers. Coyotes will prey upon small mammals attracted to pet food.
• If you have fruit trees, pick up the fallen fruit as they eat this too.
• If you have bird feeders, place them up high as they have seeds which attracts coyotes and rodents. As mentioned before coyotes are very fond of small mammals and will be attracted by them as well.
• Keep pets indoors or keep a watchful eye on them. Walk dogs on a leash, especially at night.
• Do not leave small children outside unattended.
• Encourage your neighbors to follow the same advice.

To learn more, please click here.

A long time ago, this land that we live in was known to the rest of the country as "No Man's Land."  It was called this because no form of law or government claimed the land.  With no one to keep law and order, this region was home to many outlaws, criminals, and pirates, like the famous Jean Lafitte.

We were "No Man's Land," until the year 1819, when the United States Government took control of the area. At this time, there weren't many people living in Southwest Louisiana.  "No Man's Land" became a part of St. Landry Parish, and would remain this way for the next 21 years!

One day in late August of 1840, a group of six men from various parts of our region decided to form their own parish, known as Calcasieu Parish. 

Originally, our Parish was very large!  Our entire parish consisted of land that would become four other parishes at some point in time.  They are: Allen, Beauregard, Cameron, and Jefferson Davis Parishes.  This large mass of land was known in the past as "Imperial Calcasieu."  It wasn't until 1912, that Calcasieu Parish was reduced to its current size today. 

If you would like to know even more about the history of our parish, click here.

Food does not spread the H1N1 (Swine Flu) virus. It is safe to eat properly handled, cooked pork products.

Chlorinated water from swimming pools and from your tap will not put you at a higher risk for catching the flu.

This age group is the least likely to get the virus. According to Centers for Disease Control, only 1.3 people out of every 100,000 people over the age of 65 have gotten H1N1 flu. However, rates in people 5 years to 24 years of age were 26.7 per 100,000.

The Centers for Disease Control does not recommend face masks for most people. The few exceptions are people who have the virus (they may want to wear one when around other people) and caretakers who are already part of a high risk population and are taking care of someone with H1N1.

People with asthma, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, a weak immune system or pregnant are those at the highest risk. Previously healthy people who relapse should get medical treatment. Most of patients who were hospitalized in the United States had underlying conditions along with the H1N1 virus.

The outbreak began in Mexico. Although the government closed many public and private offices in Mexico City the virus still spread globally.

H1N1 Influenza A is the scientific name for Swine Flu. The H = hemagglutinin. The N = neuraminidase. Both of the 1’s in H1N1 refers to their antibody type. Influenza A belongs to a family of viruses that refer to the fact it’s first identified in an animal. (usually a bird or pig)