VIDALIA — Residents in south Concordia Parish could soon be fined as much as $500 a day for not following the parish’s building permit ordinance.

Larry Walters of the Louisiana Institute for Building Technology and Safety, which provides building code department services for the parish, said he’s encountered several residents on Louisiana 15 near Shaw that are constructing new camp houses without a permit.

Walters said several of the residents told him they thought camp houses were excluded from the parish’s building permit ordinance, which requires residents to apply and pay for a permit to build.

“I’ve been by and discussed it with them, and they’ve agreed verbally that they’re going to care of it,” Walters said. “Some of them just don’t know the proper procedure.”

Other residents, however, don’t seem to care either way, Walters said.

“I found one guy and asked if he had a permit, and he said, ‘No’ and that he wasn’t going to get one,” Walters said. “I’ve never seen anybody quite so bold to say, “I don’t have to, and I’m not coming (to get one).”

Walters requested the police jury’s permission to begin posting a notice of violation on those camp houses under construction that don’t have permits.

“That’ll give them a certain amount of time to come in and get a building permit for that structure,” Walters said. “If they don’t do that, we have stop-work orders and we’ll post those.”

Walters said the ordinance also includes the ability to fine those residents a maximum of $500, which could be given every day if construction continues.

“Theoretically, it could be $500 every day until they came and got a permit,” Walters said.

Police Jury President Melvin Ferrington said he urged Walters to give residents as many opportunities to come in and get a permit before issuing the fines.

“If someone overlooked it and they want to get the permit, let them come in,” Ferrington said. “But if they’re not going to get it, they should be fined.”

Walters said the cost for a building permit depends on the size and specifications of the house or structure being built. A permit for one of the camps currently in violation would be approximately $125, Walters said.

In other news from the meeting:

•The jury approved to install a stop sign at the intersection of Moose Lodge Road and Pecan Acres Lane in an attempt to curb speeding.