DeSoto Parish road committee moves to require driveway permits, stop building culverts for new homes

The DeSoto Parish Police Jury road committee moved toward a policy change on culverts and driveways at a workshop discussion, recommending creation of a formal driveway or access-permit for all new driveways and a shift away from parish installation of culverts for new construction.

"We can adopt a access connection permit…for all new driveways," said Michael Reister, who led the staff presentation and recommended a permitting process that would set minimum culvert size, driveway width and siting and include inspection and documentation requirements. Reister told jurors the permit could also provide a pathway for homeowners to request replacement or upgrades to existing culverts.

The committee’s discussion focused on two linked questions: who should pay for culverts and how much work the parish should perform on private driveways. Staff said existing practice has ranged from the parish purchasing and installing culverts on some established driveways to terminating a replacement program for non-parish roads in 2018 because of cost and time pressures. Committee members expressed broad agreement that the parish should "remove ourselves" from installing culverts for new builds and use a permit to set standards for new installations.

Staff gave cost context: a typical 15-inch side-drain driveway replacement (labor, material, equipment) without concrete runs about $600–$1,000; larger rural projects that include pavement can exceed $8,000. Parish staff suggested a compromise in which the parish would replace the pipe and backfill with rock while leaving pavement or concrete replacement to the homeowner. "We'll install it, put rock on it. No pavement," one committee member summarized during the discussion.

The plan advanced in the workshop was procedural: staff will draft an ordinance and related permit language that defines the permit process, minimum culvert specifications (including preference for non‑metal pipe to avoid rot), inspection duties, and limited parish involvement in replacements. Staff flagged administrative questions that remain, including who in the parish office will receive and process permits, how inspections will be scheduled, and how to enforce permit requirements.

Safety considerations were also raised: jurors and staff discussed using safety end treatments or end caps on culverts on higher-speed parish roads to reduce the risk of severe crashes, and coordinating with state DOT standards for work in state right-of-way.

Next steps: staff will prepare a proposed ordinance and permit language for the road committee to review and then recommend to the full police jury if the committee endorses it. No ordinance was adopted at the workshop; the committee asked staff to return with draft language and an implementation plan before any formal vote.