New Orleans, LA Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)
Short-term rental permit rules in New Orleans, LA, also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration, list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Key Facts
- Permits required
- owner + operator + platform (3 layers)
- Legal status
- regulated privilege, revocable
- Transferability
- strictly personal, non-transferable
- Minimum fine
- $1,000 per offense (§ 26-629)
- Revocation bar
- 5 years after revocation
- Governing section
- City Code § 26-615
Summary
New Orleans requires three separate permits before any dwelling unit can operate as a short-term rental: an owner permit, an operator permit, and, for any platform that books stays, a platform permit. City Code § 26-615 treats all three as revocable privileges, not rights, and bars a property from renting until every layer is in place.
(a)No dwelling unit in Orleans Parish may be used as a short-term rental unless: (1)An owner of the dwelling unit possesses a valid and current short-term rental owner permit issued for the dwelling unit in accordance with Division 2 of this article, and all owners fully comply with all legal requirements and duties imposed herein; and (2)An owner has designated an operator possessing a valid short-term rental operator permit, issued in accordance with Division 3 of this article, and such operator fully complies with all legal requirements and duties imposed herein.(b)No platform may facilitate any booking transaction in Orleans Parish unless: (1)The platform has a current and valid short-term rental platform permit issued in accordance with Division 4 of this article...(c)The permits required by this article are regulated privileges, not rights, and can be revoked or suspended by the city in accordance with the provisions provided herein.(d)Any permit issued pursuant to this article is strictly personal and may not be transferred or assigned.
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
§ 26-615(c) is explicit that these are 'regulated privileges, not rights' that the city can revoke or suspend, and § 26-615(d) makes every permit strictly personal, it cannot be transferred or assigned to a new owner, operator or buyer. If an owner sells the property or lets the permit lapse, § 26-615(e) voids the permit immediately and short-term rental use is prohibited until a new application clears, including, in permit-capped zoning districts, the lottery process at § 26-617(g). Owners must keep their contact information current with the department of safety and permits under § 26-615(g).
Operating without all required permits, or letting a platform book a listing that lacks them, exposes the owner, operator and platform to enforcement under § 26-629, independent of the underlying zoning classification set by the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance.
Violations & Fines
Renting a dwelling unit short-term without a current owner permit, without a designated operator holding an operator permit, or letting a platform book an unpermitted listing violates § 26-615 and § 26-629. Each violation carries a fine of not less than $1,000 per offense, with each day of continued violation a separate offense, and the city can suspend or revoke the permit: a revocation locks the property out of the program for five years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I just list my New Orleans property on Airbnb without a city permit?
Can I sell my house and pass my STR permit to the buyer?
What counts as a 'platform' that needs its own permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in New Orleans
How New Orleans compares: Most Airbnb-Friendly Cities in America·Compare New Orleans to another location·View the Louisiana short-term rentals overview
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