Tangipahoa Parish, LA Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

Section 32-147 requires every dwelling "intended for use as a human habitation" to comply with minimum fitness standards under the applicable Louisiana State Building Codes or HUD rules for manufactured housing, and bars letting a noncompliant unit to another for occupancy. The same article restricts using recreational vehicles as housing, limiting RV occupancy to the owner of a proposed or under-construction single-family home for up to 180 days, extendable another 180 days by the building official. Structural condition standards in § 32-148 require sound walls, floors, roofs and foundations free of holes that admit rodents, and weathertight exterior walls and roofing.

Section 32-149 sets basic equipment requirements: connection to a potable water supply and public sewer or approved disposal system, a kitchen sink, lavatory, tub or shower, water closet and adequate hot and cold water, code-compliant electrical wiring and fixtures, and a carbon monoxide detector outside the sleeping area of any occupied RV tied to a building permit. Section 32-150 requires exterior walls and roofs to remain substantially weathertight, rodent proof, and capable of supporting normal loads, and requires exterior doors to lock and operate properly.

A code enforcement official investigates suspected violations and issues a written notice of violation under § 32-152 that must describe the property, state the violation, and allow 30 days to make repairs, with a stated right to appeal. Section 32-152(g) also bars an owner who has received a compliance order from selling, transferring, mortgaging or leasing the property until the violation is fixed or the new party accepts responsibility in a signed, notarized statement.