Lafayette Parish, LA Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)

Chapter 73 (effective January 1, 2024, with licensing from April 1, 2024) sets the operational standards for short-term rentals in the City of Lafayette. The published occupancy formula is two persons per bedroom plus two additional persons - so a one-bedroom unit allows 4 guests, a two-bedroom 6, a three-bedroom 8, and so on. For STRs operated in a guest-room (B&B) configuration rather than whole-house, a separate cap applies: a maximum of four guest rooms may be offered, and each guest room may host no more than two persons. The ordinance also requires that the STR be the operator's primary residence (the dwelling where they actually live throughout the year, not a second home), although the operator does not have to be physically present during a stay; an agent must be available to respond to renters or neighbors within roughly 30 to 60 minutes. STRs may not be rented for less than one full night. Zoning eligibility is limited - STRs are prohibited as a use in Residential Single-Family (RS) districts (about 75 percent of the city's residential land), and are allowed as an accessory use in remaining residential and mixed-use districts under the Unified Development Code. Unincorporated Lafayette Parish and the separate municipalities of Broussard, Carencro, Scott, Youngsville, and Duson are not bound by Chapter 73 and may have their own (or no) STR rules.