A. - General Provisions

A. GENERAL PROVISIONS

1. Applicability to all land and structures.

No land shall be used or occupied and no structure shall be erected, altered, used or occupied except in conformity with all regulations herein established and upon performance of all conditions herein set forth.

2. Permits and licenses.

No building or other permit, license, or other document of approval, the use of which may be subject to the provisions of this ordinance, shall be [issued] by any department, agency, or board of the municipality until the office of zoning administration shall have certified that the use to be made of the permit, license, or other document is in full compliance with the provisions of this ordinance.

3. Certificate of occupancy.

Except as hereinafter provided, no structure or land shall be used, occupied, or changed in use until a certificate of occupancy shall have been issued therefor by the office of zoning administration, stating that the proposed use of land or the structure and the proposed use thereof is in full compliance with the provisions of this ordinance.

a. Structures. Application for a certificate of occupancy for a new structure or for an existing structure to be altered shall be made coincident with application for a building permit; after erection or alteration of such structure shall have been completed in compliance with the provisions of this ordinance and within three (3) clear legal days after written request is made to the office of zoning administration the certificate of occupancy shall be issued.

b. Land. Application for a certificate of occupancy for the use of vacant land or for a change in the character of the use of land shall be made before any such land is occupied or used, and a certificate of occupancy shall be issued by the office of zoning administration within three (3) clear, legal days if such proposed use or change in use is in compliance with the provisions of this ordinance.

c. Farming, truck gardening and livestock raising. The use of land for farming, truck gardening, and livestock raising and the erection and alteration of structures that are accessory to such use of the land are exempted from the requirement for a certificate of occupancy.

4. Plans required.

Each application for a certificate of occupancy for a new structure or for the alteration of an existing structure shall be accompanied by a drawing or plat, in duplicate, showing the site plan, the location of the building on the site, accurate dimensions of the building and site, location of off-street parking and off-street loading spaces required, and such other information as may be necessary for the enforcement of these regulations.

5. Prior building permits.

Nothing herein contained shall require any change in the plans, construction, or designated use of a structure for which a building permit has been heretofore legally issued and the construction of which shall have actually begun within ninety (90) days of the date of such permit and which entire structure shall be completed, according to such plans as are filed, within two (2) years after the effective date of this ordinance; provided, however, that any permit which does not authorize the alteration or erection of a designated structure on the basis of complete plans and specifications shall not be deemed a building permit and shall not come within the foregoing exclusion.

6. Offenses and liabilities preserved.

All offenses committed and all liabilities incurred prior to the effective date of this ordinance shall be treated as though all prior applicable zoning ordinances and amendments thereto were in full force and effect for the purpose of sustaining any proper suit, action, or prosecution with respect to such offenses and liabilities.

7. Violations.

Any person, firm, or corporation violating any provision of this ordinance shall be fined upon conviction not less than five dollars ($5.00) nor more than one hundred dollars ($100.00) or imprisoned for not more than ten (10) days or both, for each offense; each day that a violation is permitted to exist shall constitute a separate offense. The imposition of any penalty hereunder shall not preclude the parish or any proper person from instituting any appropriate action or proceedings to require compliance with the provisions of this ordinance and with administrative orders and determinations made hereunder.