Board approves pool and decking setback variance that encroaches on private drainage servitude

The St. Tammany Parish Board of Adjustments approved a variance that permits an in‑ground pool and decking to encroach into a private drainage servitude and reduce side and rear setbacks to as little as 1 foot.

Property owner Joshua Campbell told the board the backyard is bounded by an existing chain‑wall and that catch basins and a 15‑inch culvert allow drainage through the servitude. “No water is being stopped from passing through the servitude,” Campbell said, describing inlet basins and a culvert sized to handle storm flow.

Board members pressed Campbell and staff on flood‑plain and National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) implications, noting drainage servitudes are typically maintained to protect downstream flows. Planning staff clarified the board reviews variance requests under the parish code; private servitude enforcement and any developer obligations to the servitude holder remain separate matters. Members discussed that the private servitude holder (the subdivision or HOA) could still object under its own authorities.

With those clarifications, a motion to approve the setback and encroachment as submitted carried. The owner was instructed to submit required building and drainage plans to the parish permitting office.