New Orleans, LA Short-Term Rentals: Host Presence Rule (2026)
Key Facts
- Residency required
- non-commercial short-term rentals only
- Governing section
- Code § 26-620(a)(1)e
- Proof required
- lease/deed plus 2 matching-address documents, § 26-619(b)(2)
- Permit term
- 1 year, renewed annually
- Minimum fine
- $1,000 per day, § 26-629(a)
Summary
New Orleans requires the licensed operator of a non-commercial short-term rental to actually live on the property - section 26-620(a)(1)e makes residency a legal duty, not just an application detail. Operators must also prove it at application with two matching-address documents, and failing to reside on site is an independently citable, revocation-eligible violation.
(1)Operator availability. The operator shall:a.Be available during all periods of guest occupancy, including nights and weekends, to facilitate compliance with this article. Availability requires, at a minimum, that the operator:i.Be accessible by telephone;ii.Serve as the point of contact for neighbors, including receiving and resolving complaints within one hour of being contacted by neighbors regarding disruptive short-term rentals.iii.Be able to resolve complaints within one hour of being contacted by guests.iv.Be able to resolve complaints within one hour of being contacted by the City of New Orleans and any of its departments.b.Serve as the point of contact for guests...e.Reside on the property being used for a non-commercial short-term rental.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 116 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
' New Orleans only requires an on-site host for non-commercial short-term rentals - those run out of an owner-occupied home - not for commercial short-term rentals, which the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance regulates separately and which may be operated off-site. The city does not take an operator's word for residency. ' That evidentiary bar sits alongside the requirement that the operator hold a permit valid for one year, reapplied for annually, with a separate permit required for every dwelling unit used as a short-term rental. Failure to reside on the premises as required by law is separately listed as a prohibited act in section 26-620(b)(15), independent of the affirmative duty in (a)(1)e, giving the city two overlapping hooks - a duty violation and a prohibited-act violation - for the same underlying failure.
Violations & Fines
Failing to live on site is both a breach of the operator's duty under section 26-620(a)(1)e and a listed prohibited act under section 26-620(b)(15), either of which can support suspension or revocation of the operator permit and a fine of not less than $1,000 per day under section 26-629(a) for each day the violation continues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every short-term rental in New Orleans need an on-site host?
How does the city verify that an operator actually lives at the property?
What happens if a non-commercial STR operator doesn't actually live there?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in New Orleans
Compare New Orleans to another location·View the Louisiana short-term rentals overview
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