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DeSoto Parish tightens heavy‑haul and road‑damage rules, aims to make companies fully responsible for repairs
Summary
The police jury adopted new ordinances (Ordinance 4 of 2025 and Ordinance 3 of 2025) to strengthen permit conditions and give the parish authority to withhold or revoke permits and require security to cover road damage from heavy/oversized loads; presenters said the changes assign 100% of repair responsibility to companies causing damage.
DeSoto Parish jurors voted to update code language to give the parish stronger tools to hold heavy‑haul and natural‑gas companies accountable for damage to parish roads.
Committee members adopted Ordinance 4 of 2025 (amending section 78‑9 regarding excessive damage to roads by motor vehicles) and Ordinance 3 of 2025 (updating permits for heavy and oversized loads). Staff and committee presenters said the new language allows the parish engineer to review roads before issuing or renewing permits, requires companies to post security (bond, cash, letter of credit or other guarantees) to cover expected damage, and enables the parish to pull or deny permits if contractual obligations to repair are not met.
A staff presenter summarized the change as shifting "100% of the responsibility on the gas company" when heavy access causes the damage; he said prior ordinance language left the parish partially responsible for repairs and lacked enforcement 'teeth.' The committee discussed practical impacts and asked whether the parish can lawfully deny heavy trucks (answer: trucks under the 58,000‑pound limit can still be allowed; enforcement and permit thresholds apply to over‑weight trips). The motion to adopt the ordinances passed (tally not specified).
Officials said the ordinance changes give the parish mechanisms to demand security from operators, to require road‑repair plans, and to recover repair costs. Staff also said the parish will continue outreach to major operators and that proceeds from any assessed security should be reinvested in road repairs.
Next steps: the parish will begin enforcing revised permit requirements, apply the new language to pending permit reviews, and reach out to operators to explain new expectations.
