Lake Charles, LA Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)
Short-term rental permit rules in Lake Charles, LA, also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration, list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Key Facts
- Zoning permit needed
- Minor conditional use permit (residential/neighborhood zones)
- License required everywhere
- Occupational license, all zoning districts
- Emergency contact
- Required with license application
- Adopting ordinance
- Ord. No. 19433, 12-7-22
- Occupancy amendment
- Ord. No. 20431, 12-3-25
Summary
Short-term rentals are allowed citywide in Lake Charles, but a rental in a residential or neighborhood zoning district needs a minor conditional use permit first, and every STR must also carry a yearly occupational license under Sec. 12-15.3 and 12-15.4.
Sec. 12-15.3 - Permitted uses. Short-term rentals are permitted in all zoning districts with the exception of residential and neighborhood districts which will require the issuance of a minor conditional use permit as outlined in section 24-4-203.4 and subject to the following provisions... Sec. 12-15.4. - Occupational license, fee and contact. (a)An occupational license shall be obtained and a fee of $100.00 shall be paid yearly for each dwelling unit offered for short-term rental purposes... (c)A local emergency contact or designee identified by name, address, telephone number and email address shall be provided with the application for occupational license.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 20).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 4 before they may operate. That permit requirement sits on top of the substantive standards in the rest of Sec. 3, including the dwelling-unit definition, the ban on commercial events, the occupancy cap, and sign compliance under section 5-211. Beyond the zoning permit, Sec. 4(a) requires every dwelling unit offered for short-term rental purposes, regardless of district, to obtain an occupational license. Subsection (c) requires the license application to include a local emergency contact or designee, identified by name, address, telephone number and email address, so the city has someone reachable if a problem arises at the property.
These requirements were adopted by Ord. No. 19433 on December 7, 2022, establishing the city's short-term rental framework for the first time, with the occupancy provisions later amended by Ord. No. 20431 on December 3, 2025. The statement of purpose in Sec. 12-15 frames the whole framework as balancing the city's tourism-driven lodging market against protecting surrounding residential neighborhoods.
Violations & Fines
Operating a short-term rental in a residential or neighborhood district without the minor conditional use permit required by Sec. 12-15.3, or operating any short-term rental without the occupational license and emergency-contact filing required by Sec. 12-15.4, is a violation of the short-term rental ordinance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do all Lake Charles short-term rentals need a special permit?
What does a Lake Charles STR occupational license application require?
When did Lake Charles start regulating short-term rentals?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lake Charles
How Lake Charles compares: Most Airbnb-Friendly Cities in America·Compare Lake Charles to another location·View the Louisiana short-term rentals overview
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