Lafayette, LA Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)

" That means a Lafayette or unincorporated-parish homeowner cannot subdivide the accessory unit onto its own deed or condominium regime and sell it to a separate owner, the apartment stays legally attached to the lot and dwelling it was built with, but leasing it out to a tenant for rental income is expressly allowed under the same subsection. The rule sits alongside the rest of Section 89-74's accessory-apartment package: only one apartment per lot, a size cap of 25 percent of the principal dwelling's floor area or 800 square feet (whichever is larger), and the setback rule that drops to five feet at the rear in the "RS" and "RM" districts.

A detached accessory apartment built after the section's effective date also needs a building permit with a scaled site plan under subsection (f). Read together, the section treats the accessory apartment as a permanent, rentable extension of the same property rather than a separately marketable dwelling, useful context for anyone weighing a garage apartment or in-law suite as a long-term rental unit rather than a unit they might later sell off on its own.