People trying to build or rebuild in New Orleans East are having a tough time getting building permits, all because of two wildly-different interpretations about the requirements in a new state law.

It has elected officials getting a slew of complaints about the delays the confusion is causing.

Mike Miller is trying to renovate a Katrina-flooded home in New Orleans East as a rental property.

"This is my third trip," Miller said about how many times he’s been to New Orleans City Hall to apply for a building permit since buying the property last November.

The two times before, Miller said, workers in the New Orleans Safety and Permits Department wouldn't accept his application.

"They gave me an application and they said they would submit it to the New Orleans East Advisory Committee and the committee would notify me within 30 days to meet with me to get my plans approved,” Miller said. “Then, I would have to come back to City Hall to re-apply for the permit."

After Miller received a letter from the Advisory Committee saying he could obtain a building permit, the City of New Orleans issued him one Tuesday.

But state Senator Ann Duplessis, D-New Orleans, said in the past, Safety and Permits workers even told some residents that they need to get her approval before they could get a building permit.

"The permits office had turned them away and said they had to come to me or to get an approval for these permits. And that's just absolutely ridiculous," Duplessis said.

It is the result of a new state law that created the Eastern New Orleans Neighborhood Advisory Committee.

Mayor Ray Nagin's legal advisors interpret it a different way than Duplessis.

"Senator Duplessis and [state Representative] Austin Badon authored some legislation that set up a committee to review these applications and I think it's a 30 day review process that we're trying to streamline," Nagin said.

But Duplessis and Rep. Austin Badon said the law only requires the city to notify the committee when a building permit is applied for.   

It's why Duplessis is asking the Louisiana attorney general for an advisory opinion to clear up what she calls a "gross misunderstanding" about what the new law requires.

"This legislation does nothing, and was never intended to stop or delay or hinder any of the improvements or the process and the legislation actually says that," Duplessis said.

Duplessis said she expects to hear from the attorney general sometime this week, and said that should clarify any confusion about the permit notification requirements in the new law.

Residents said they hope the mayor can streamline the process soon to make rebuilding easier in the area.