Parishes must create a drainage district when qualifying property owners petition for it, and the petition must meet filing and certification requirements.
§1604. Creation of district on petition of property owners; procedure to be followed Upon the failure or refusal of any parish to create drainage districts when needed, or on the failure or refusal of any one or more parishes to create drainage districts composed of lands situated partly in each parish, then the parishes shall create a drainage district when petitioned to do so by the property owners owning a majority of the acres of land in the proposed drainage district. The petition shall describe the area to be included in the drainage district and shall designate the name of the district. It shall be signed by the owners of a majority of the acreage to be included in the district, and shall be accompanied by a certificate of the clerk of court and ex-officio recorder of the parish or parishes in which the land is situated certifying to the ownership of the land to be included in the drainage district together with the acreage of each owner, as appears from the records of his office, and if the ownership of any land is unknown, this fact shall also be made to appear by the certificate. The clerks of court and recorders of the parishes shall furnish the certificate. In creating a drainage district composed of lands situate in more than one parish, upon the petition of landowners, it shall not be necessary to present a petition to the governing authority of each of the parishes, but it shall be sufficient to present the petition to the governing authority of the parish in which the majority of the acreage of the lands in the proposed drainage district is situated, and the drainage district shall then be created by ordinance of the governing authority.