Louisiana Airbnb & Short-Term Rental Laws 2026

LawfulStay tracks short-term rental (STR / Airbnb / Vrbo / holiday let / vacation rental) regulations for 7 jurisdictions across Louisiana. Select a city below for current permit requirements, tax rates, and compliance details.

2 Active 2 Conditional 3 Restricted

Louisiana at a glance

Places tracked
7 places: 2 active, 2 conditional, 3 restricted
License or registration
Required in all 6 local places
Tax on stays
Applies in all 6 local places
State law
Louisiana has no state license for short-term rentals. Statewide rules ›

Louisiana short-term rental questions

Are short-term rentals legal in Louisiana?

In all 7 places we track in Louisiana, short-term rentals are allowed, 5 of them with permit conditions or limits.

Do I need a license for a short-term rental in Louisiana?

All 6 local places we track in Louisiana require a license, permit or registration. Check your city's page for its rules.

Is there a statewide short-term rental law in Louisiana?

Louisiana has no state license for short-term rentals.

Which places in Louisiana have the strictest rules?

On our records: Lafayette, Jefferson Parish, New Orleans.

Compare every Louisiana market

Status, licensing, fees, taxes, night caps and penalties for all 7 places in one table, with CSV export and full audits.

State Access →

Louisiana Airbnb & Vacation Rental Regulation Overview

The short-term rental regulatory landscape in Louisiana encompasses 7 tracked jurisdictions: 2 with active regulations, 2 where rentals are allowed with conditions, 3 with restrictions. Hosts operating on platforms like Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com should verify local requirements before listing, as rules vary significantly between cities and regions.

6 of 7 tracked jurisdictions in Louisiana require some form of permit, license, or registration for short-term rental operations. Requirements range from simple online registration to comprehensive permit applications with inspections.

Tax obligations apply in 7 of 7 jurisdictions. Common taxes include occupancy taxes, tourist levies, and sales taxes. Many jurisdictions require hosts to register for tax collection, and some platforms like Airbnb collect and remit taxes automatically in select locations.

Cities with significant restrictions on vacation rentals include Lafayette, Jefferson Parish, New Orleans. These jurisdictions typically impose permit caps, zoning limitations, or primary residence requirements.

LawfulStay monitors Louisiana STR regulations daily and updates this page as rules change. Each city page includes detailed permit requirements, fee schedules, tax rates, zoning rules, and penalty information sourced from official government websites.

Jefferson Parish
STRs prohibited in all single-use residential zoning districts
Restricted
Lafayette
The City of Lafayette licenses short-term rentals (Ordinance CO-094-2023, effective October 6, 2023)
Restricted
New Orleans
One residential rental per city square, chosen by lottery when contested; owner and operator permits required; operator must live at the property; $1,000,000 liability insurance; the Fifth Circuit upheld the lottery and…
Restricted
Lake Charles
Lake Charles requires an Occupational License for each STR dwelling unit. $200/year per the active GovOS licensing portal (older PDF says $100). 1,000-foot anti-clustering rule effective February 2026 prevents new…
Conditional
Shreveport
Permit fee not confirmed in public sources; verify via Deckard portal (shreveport-la-str.deckard.com) or Shreveport-Caddo MPC at 318-673-6480
Conditional
Baton Rouge
Non-owner-occupied short-term rentals need a $100 permit from the City-Parish Division of Permits and Inspections, paid once and valid unless the rental stops operating for 1 year
Active
Louisiana (statewide)
Louisiana has no state license for short-term rentals
Active