Airbnb & Short-Term Rental Management in New Orleans, LA

Rules & taxes

New Orleans Short-Term Rental Rules & Taxes

New Orleans rewrote its short-term rental rules in 2023. Before you list a New Orleans home, confirm which permits it needs and whether the owner-occupancy rule applies. These are the main points from the City Code, city and state sources linked below.

• What counts as a short-term rental

  Under the city's Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, a short-term rental is a stay of less than 30 consecutive days, and it must take place in a legal dwelling unit. Stays of 30 days or more are long-term rentals and do not need an STR permit.

  Source: City of New Orleans: STR overview

• Current rules took effect July 1, 2023

  The current regulations come from Ordinances 029381 MCS and 029382 MCS, passed March 23, 2023, and in effect since July 1, 2023.

  Source: City of New Orleans: STR overview

• Owner occupancy in single-family homes

  In a single-family home, guests get their own bedroom with access to the living, kitchen and bathroom spaces, and one bedroom must be reserved for the owner's full-time occupancy. In a two-family or multi-family building, the rental may be one entire dwelling unit with its own kitchen and bathrooms.

  Source: City of New Orleans: STR overview

• Two owner permit types: non-commercial and commercial

  The city issues Non-Commercial (NSTR) and Commercial (CSTR) short-term rental licenses. A CSTR starts with a Non-Structural Renovation permit so zoning can refer it to the City Planning Commission, needs a picture ID, floor plan, evacuation plan and noise, sanitation and security plans, is non-transferable, and since July 1, 2023 needs a noise monitoring device.

  Source: City of New Orleans: Short Term Rental Administration

• NSTR permits go by lottery, square by square

  Non-commercial permits are allocated by quarterly lotteries held on a per-square basis, and a lottery is only held where applications outnumber the permits available on that square. Only complete applications, including the $50 application fee, are entered, and a selected applicant must pay all fees within five calendar days or forfeit the permit. Existing permit holders in good standing renew through the city's One Stop App.

  Source: City of New Orleans: permit lotteriesSource: City of New Orleans: NSTR application FAQsSource: City of New Orleans: Short Term Rental Administration

• An operator permit too (OSTR)

  The owner permit is not enough on its own. Under City Code § 26-615, a home can be used as a short-term rental only if an owner holds a valid owner permit for that unit and has designated an operator who holds a valid short-term rental operator permit. Every STR unit in Orleans Parish has both an owner permit and an operator permit associated with it.

  Source: New Orleans City Code § 26-615 (Municode)Source: City of New Orleans: STR operator permit

• What every advertisement must show

  City Code § 26-618(a)(3) requires every short-term rental advertisement to give the owner permit number, the operator permit number of the designated operator, whether the unit is wheelchair accessible or otherwise ADA compliant, the number of guest bedrooms on the owner permit, and the maximum occupancy on the owner permit. Each listing may advertise only one permitted dwelling unit. Under § 26-620(a)(3) the operator is solidarily responsible with the owner for meeting these advertising rules.

  Source: New Orleans City Code § 26-618 (Municode)Source: New Orleans City Code § 26-620 (Municode)

• Platforms check listings against the permit

  Under City Code § 26-622, a permitted booking platform must verify each listing through the city's electronic verification system before it facilitates a booking, and reverify at least every 30 days. The owner or operator must report the permit details to the platform exactly as they appear on the permit; a mismatch can fail verification.

  Source: New Orleans City Code § 26-622 (Municode)

• Fines of at least $1,000 per offense, per day

  City Code § 26-629(a) sets a fine of not less than $1,000 for each violation of the short-term rental article, and each day a violation exists is a separate offense. The city can also suspend or revoke permits; a revoked permit stays revoked for five years.

  Source: New Orleans City Code § 26-629 (Municode)

• Taxes collected by booking platforms

  Louisiana's Act 82 of 2025 treats a booking platform that facilitates a stay (an "accommodations intermediary") as a marketplace facilitator for state and local sales tax, and from January 1, 2026 a platform remitting sales tax that way must also remit hotel and motel occupancy taxes. For direct bookings, check with the Louisiana Department of Revenue and the city what you must collect yourself.

  Source: Louisiana Legislature: Act 82 (HB 374), 2025

Checked against the New Orleans City Code (Chapter 26, Article XI), the City of New Orleans and Louisiana Legislature sources linked above on October 7, 2026. Permit rules, lottery dates and taxes change; confirm with the city's Short Term Rental Administration before you apply. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.