General Permit Requirements
Any type of work or construction located on or near the levee requires a permit; work within 300 feet of a levee requires a letter of no objection from the US Army Corp of Engineers; and any excavation within 600 feet of the levee toe will require evaluation from the Corp of Engineers. The Bossier Levee District (BLD) and Corps of Engineers must also be notified of any subsurface work within 1500 feet of a levee and of any seismic work within 5000 feet of levee. All requests for permits or letters of no objection should first be forwarded to the Bossier Levee District.
A permit is required for any work inside the levee district’s 100 foot statutory control area along any levee district channel; such as a permanent structure, excavation or other activity which may impact the efficiency of the channel or the maintenance of the channel. The purpose of the permit program is to ensure that no action or activities on or adjacent to drainage structures adversely affect the overall integrity of the drainage system within the district.
Encroachment Request Instruction Sheet
Bossier Levee District (BLD) channels have a statutory 100 foot control area located on each side of the channel which is between the high bank of the channel and 100 feet out from the high bank, unless it has been reduced by the BLD. Encroachments may be granted on a case-by-case basis when it can be determined that an encroachment in a particular area would not have an adverse affect on the overall drainage system in the district. Encroachment Requests are reviewed by the BLD Board of Commissioners and the La. Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD). Following are submission guidelines:
Instructions for Permit Request
The permit request should include the following information:
1) Letter of Request
The Letter of Request should be addressed to the Board of Commissioners of the Bossier Levee District along with all other additional information listed below; copies should be sent to LA DOTD and to the USACE when applicable.
Board of Commissioners of the Bossier Levee District
P.O. Box 8279 Bossier City, Louisiana 71113
Attention: Timothy Larkin, President (original)
La. Department of Transportation & Development
Attention: Mr. Robert C. Tomasek, Water Resource Engineer
P.O. Box 38, Shreveport, Louisiana 71161 (copy)
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Attention: Mr. Spencer L. Touchstone
4155 E. Clay Street
Vicksburg Mississippi 39183
(copy to USACE only for work near a levee or for work near Red River, or Loggy Bayou)
The letter of request should provide the applicants name, date, applicant’s representative, applicant’s address, phone number, fax number, email address, location of proposed work (section, township, and range; GPS Coordinates), and a detailed description of items requested.
2) Vicinity Map
The vicinity map should show the nearest intersecting street, (Section, Township, Range), and GPS Coordinates for permit location.
3) Site Plan
The Site Plan should provide detailed information for the proposed work and should include TOPO, contour lines, grading details and elevations, FEMA Floodway for permits near drainage channels, channel high bank line, and levee board control area. For work near channels cross sections of the channel slope may be required. The site plan should also be overlaid to current aerial photography.
4) Property Description
Legal description of property should be furnished for encroachment permits.
5) No Adverse Impact
For work in or near a floodway a letter from the Flood Plain Manager approving the proposed work will be required prior to obtaining a permit from the levee district; the Flood Plain Manager inside Bossier City Limits is city engineer Mark Hudson (318) 741-8568, and outside the city limits is parish engineer Butch Ford (318)-965-2328. In addition a No Rise Study may be required; contact the Flood Plain Manager to determine if a No Rise Study is needed.
Additional Information
It is recommended that an informal discussion be held with the Bossier Levee District’s Operations Coordinator Mark Long and with DOTD Engineer Robert Tomasek prior to placing a matter on the agenda, in order that any preliminary problems can be resolved; Mr. Long can be reached at (318)746-7151 and Mr. Tomasek at (318)549-8417.
Contact Deanna Rabb at the levee board office to place the request on the agenda. (318)746-7151. No item will be placed on the agenda without Letters of No Objection from the DOTD, Flood Plain Manager, and Corps when applicable. The board meets one time each month on the second Wednesday of the month at 10:00 am at the levee board office located at 3404 Industrial Drive, Bossier City.
Permit requests must be submitted a minimum of two (2) and preferably three (3) weeks prior the regular scheduled board meeting to allow time for review by the DOTD, Flood Plain Manager, and Corps when applicable.
Note: For permits which require submittal to the USACE additional permit request forms are required; contact either Mark Long by email at
Updated 12/13/2019
Levee Permit Instruction Sheet
A permit must be obtained to cross a levee within the Bossier Levee District (BLD). Permit applications for levee crossings do not require formal approval by the BLD Board of Commissioners; they are approved by the BLD administrative staff. Levee crossing permits are reviewed by BLD staff, La. Department of Transportation & Development (DOTD) and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. The purpose of the levee permit program is to evaluate all activities on or adjacent to levees in order to ensure that no action or activity is undertaken which would or reasonably might threaten the use, operations, maintenance, protection or integrity of the levees or its components and to establish controls which allow for legitimate non-threatening activity.