Ossun, LA

Lafayette's City Council adopted short-term rental regulations on September 5, 2023, taking effect January 1, 2024. Each STR must obtain a Short-Term Rental license and a Sales and Use Tax license, with licenses valid for two years. The property must be the operator's primary residence. STRs are barred from single-family residential zones and from Industrial, Development Resource, and Public districts. State sales tax authority is La. R.S. 47:301 et seq.

Under Lafayette Consolidated Government Code Chapter 73, the maximum number of overnight guests in a short-term rental is two persons per bedroom plus two additional persons. A two-bedroom STR therefore tops out at 6 guests; a three-bedroom at 8. Bed-and-breakfast-style STRs are limited to a maximum of four guest rooms with two persons per guest room. STRs must be the operator's primary residence and may not be located in Residential Single-Family (RS) districts. Confirm current rule with LCG Development & Planning at (337) 291-8461.

Under Lafayette Consolidated Government Code Chapter 73, short-term rental guest parking must be on-site. A maximum of two vehicles may park off-site (on-street) only when no on-site parking is available. The ordinance does not set a fixed number of off-street spaces per bedroom; on-site capacity is what the existing residential driveway, garage, or off-street pad provides under the Unified Development Code (Chapter 89) parking standards for the underlying dwelling. Confirm site-specific parking with LCG Development & Planning at (337) 291-8461.

Lafayette Consolidated Government (LCG) Code Chapter 73 requires every short-term rental in the City of Lafayette to obtain an STR license and a Sales and Use Tax license, valid two years. The annual STR license fee is $100. STR stays under 30 days are subject to Louisiana state sales tax (4.45%) and state hotel-occupancy tax (4%), Lafayette Parish local sales tax (parish portion 3% as of Oct 2025), plus city sales and city lodging taxes administered by the Lafayette Parish School System Sales Tax Office, (337) 521-7353. Confirm current combined rate with that office.

Lafayette Consolidated Government (LCG) regulates accessory dwelling units through the Unified Development Code (UDC). After a 2023 amendment, ADUs are permitted citywide in residential districts where they were previously limited to the Old Town Residential (OT) district. ADU size is capped at the greater of 500 square feet or 25% of the primary home's footprint. Louisiana has no statewide ADU mandate; authority flows from La. R.S. 33:101 et seq. (zoning enabling).

Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government regulates dogs in Chapter 10 of the Code of Ordinances. Sec. 10-121 prohibits any dog from running at large in the City of Lafayette and the unincorporated parish, whether tagged or untagged, on public or private property unless on the owner's enclosed property. Outside an enclosure, dogs must be on a secure leash and accompanied by an owner or keeper; designated dog parks and off-leash areas are exempt. Louisiana state law La. R.S. 3:2771 also prohibits dogs running at large on unenclosed land or trespassing on others' property. Lafayette Animal Shelter & Care Center enforces local rules.

Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government (LCG) regulates noise under Chapter 34, Article IV of the Code of Ordinances. Quiet hours run 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. on weekdays and 10:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. on weekends and federal holidays. Residential limits at the property line are 60 dB(A) daytime and 50 dB(A) nighttime; commercial zones are capped at 65 dB(A) at all hours. Sec. 34-366 sets the maximum permissible sound levels. Construction and refrigerated-truck operations within 250 feet of homes are restricted during quiet hours. Complaints and permits: LCG Alcohol and Noise Control, (337) 291-8675.

Lafayette Consolidated Government regulates fences in the Unified Development Code (Chapter 89). Sec. 89-32 governs fence standards, and standard residential fences 7 feet or shorter do not require a building permit; fences taller than 7 feet require a building permit through LCG Permits & Codes. At street intersections, no fence, wall, or hedge may exceed 36 inches above street level where it obstructs the line of sight (Sec. 89-44(f)), and a 30-foot sight triangle applies at private street corners. Temporary fences up to 5 feet in place no more than 30 days are exempt from a Certificate of Appropriateness.

Lafayette Parish participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and enforces floodplain management through the LCG Floodplain Ordinance. New residential and non-residential structures in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) must be elevated 1 foot above Base Flood Elevation - one foot of freeboard. The effective FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map for Lafayette Parish is dated December 21, 2018. LCG holds a Class 7 Community Rating System rating, providing a 15% NFIP premium discount. The Vermilion River and its coulees drive most riverine flood risk.