Off-grid site report

St. Helena Parish, LA

30.9960, -90.8298 · 217 ft elevation

Read this before you act on anything below. This is my researched starting point for St. Helena Parish, LA, not legal advice and not a guarantee. Rules change, and the deciding facts on any specific parcel (setbacks, perc results, overlay districts, deed restrictions, road frontage) live at the county or town office, not in any database. Before you buy land or build, confirm the current rules directly with the local zoning and health offices - the sources on this page tell you exactly who to call.

The local rulesSt. Helena Parish, LA

Zoning & raw-land occupancy

Unclear - verifyLouisiana state law (LA RS 33:1236.3) gives St. Helena Parish's police jury the authority to enact comprehensive zoning, but I could not confirm from the parish's Municode-hosted code whether an actual zoning ordinance is currently adopted and enforced. If you're eyeing raw land here, call the Police Jury directly and ask them to point you to the current zoning map, don't rely on the enabling statute alone. source

Dwellings, tiny homes & RVs

Unclear - verifyI couldn't find a parish-specific rule on minimum dwelling size, tiny home siting, or how RVs/THOWs get classified for St. Helena Parish. This likely falls back to the statewide construction code baseline, but you should confirm siting rules with the parish Building Department before you commit to a plan.

Building permits & codes

Generally allowedThe parish runs its own Building Department that issues permits under the statewide Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code, and their site has an 'Apply For A Permit' page. So building here is doable, you just go through the normal permit process with that office. source

Septic & composting toilets

RestrictedSeptic systems are permitted through the parish's own Environmental Health/Sanitarian office, operating under Louisiana Department of Health authority, and the state requires your lot to meet minimum size and frontage thresholds before a system can go in. Composting-toilet-only setups for an occupied dwelling weren't addressed anywhere I found, so don't assume that's a shortcut, ask the parish Sanitarian office directly. source

Greywater reuse

RestrictedThere's no parish-specific greywater ordinance that I found, so this falls to the state baseline under the Louisiana Plumbing Code, which allows onsite nonpotable reuse but limits which fixtures it can serve. If you want to build a greywater system, run your plan by the parish Sanitarian office since they administer wastewater matters locally. source

Rainwater harvesting

Generally allowedI didn't find any parish ordinance restricting rainwater harvesting, so it inherits the general state baseline where this is treated separately from greywater and isn't prohibited. Still worth a quick call to the parish to be sure nothing local has changed.

Private wells & water rights

Generally allowedPrivate wells are governed at the state level and I found nothing in St. Helena Parish that blocks them. The parish also runs a public Waterworks District if you'd rather hook into municipal water instead of drilling, but that's optional, not mandatory. source

Living disconnected from utilities

Varies locallyI found no St. Helena Parish ordinance requiring you to hook up to water, sewer, or electric to live on your property, which lines up with the general state posture of protecting access to utilities without mandating connection. That said, incorporated towns within the parish, like Greensburg, could have their own mandatory-connection rules I wasn't able to verify, so check with the specific town if you're inside its limits. source

Open the full county page with sources →

Sun30-year normals

Peak-sun hours, annual average: 5.3 hrs/day
Worst month (sizes an off-grid array): 4.0 hrs/day
Yearly output per 1 kW of panels: 1,400 kWh

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Weather1991-2020

Precipitation: 60 in/yr
Heating degree days: 2,070 (mild)
Frost-free season: Mar 17 to Nov 19

How far help isstraight-line

Hospital Field Health System: 14.8 mi
Fire station Greensburg Fire Department: 15.3 mi
Hardware store: none within range
Grocery Super II Foods: 15.5 mi

From OpenStreetMap. Road miles will be longer, often much longer in hill country.

Plan this spot

These open with this location's real numbers already filled in (ZIP 70441).

Size a solar system Heat loss & insulation Firewood per winter Rainwater harvest Garden size Panel tilt

Sources: US Census Bureau geocoder; NLR PVWatts v8 (solar); NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 climate normals (nearest station) or Open-Meteo (ZIP-centroid) for weather; Open-Elevation; OpenStreetMap contributors. Public data retrieved Aug 22, 2026; agencies update their layers on their own schedules. Planning data, not a survey or legal advice.