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Jefferson Parish, LA Short-Term Rentals: Primary-Residence-Only Rule (2026)

Significant Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Primary-residence rule
Operator must live in the unit
Governing section
Sec. 33-5.3.2.5(7)b.2.
Exception
Districts allowing hotels/motels
Also applies
Home occupation standards, Sec. 33-5.3.2.3
C-1 buffer
300 ft from residential/industrial zoning

Summary

Where Jefferson Parish allows short-term rental at all, the operator has to live there. Sec. 33-5.3.2.5(7)b.2. requires the dwelling unit to be the primary residence of the operator, tracking chapter 17.5's lodging-accommodations rules, unless the district already allows hotels or motels outright.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Jefferson Parish. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

b.Short-term rental is allowed in the following zoning districts: Old Bucktown Mixed-Use Residential District (OBM-1), Old Bucktown Mixed-Use Commercial District (OBM-2), Pedestrian-Core (FC-1), Residential Mixed-Use (FC-2), and Commercial Mixed Use (FC-3), Town Center Mixed Use (TCMU), Medical Services (H-1), Medical Services (H-2), Neighborhood Commercial (C-1), General Offices (GO-1), General Offices (GO-2), Business Core (BC-1), Business Core (BC-2), Mixed-Use Corridor (MUCD), General Commercial (C-2), Unrestricted Suburban (U-1S), and Unrestricted Rural (U-1R) subject to the following standards:1.Short-term rental shall be subject to the standards for home occupations provided for in section 33-5.3.2.3, standards, except subsections B and J.2.The dwelling unit of the short-term rental shall be the primary residence of the operator in accordance with the requirements of chapter 17.5, lodging accommodations, of this Code, except in zoning districts that allow hotels and/or motels.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 20 Update 2).

Full Breakdown

Jefferson Parish bans short-term rental as a home occupation across its core residential and industrial districts, but Sec. reopens it in a defined list of mixed-use and commercial districts: Old Bucktown Mixed-Use Residential (OBM-1) and Commercial (OBM-2), Pedestrian-Core (FC-1), Residential Mixed-Use (FC-2), Commercial Mixed-Use (FC-3), Town Center Mixed Use (TCMU), the Medical Services districts (H-1, H-2), Neighborhood Commercial (C-1), the General Offices districts (GO-1, GO-2), the Business Core districts (BC-1, BC-2), Mixed-Use Corridor (MUCD), General Commercial (C-2), and the Unrestricted Suburban and Rural districts (U-1S, U-1R).

Operating there still comes with conditions, and the second one listed is the primary-residence rule: under Sec. 5's lodging-accommodations requirements, except in zoning districts that separately allow hotels and motels. holds the rental to the home occupation standards of Sec. bars any external evidence the unit is a rental at all. adds a 300-foot buffer from residential and industrial zoning. An operator who lists a second home, an investment condo, or any unit that is not their own primary residence in one of these allowed districts falls outside the ordinance's protection, unless that district is one where hotels or motels are separately permitted by right.

Violations & Fines

An operator renting a non-primary-residence unit in a district that allows short-term rental only for primary residences is operating outside Sec. 33-5.3.2.5(7)b.2. and can be treated as an unpermitted short-term rental. Code compliance and enforcement (Sec. 33-1.13) can withhold or revoke permits, issue a stop-work or cease-operation order, and refer repeat violations for injunctive relief in district court.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I rent out a second home short-term in Jefferson Parish?
Only if the district allows hotels or motels outright. Sec. 33-5.3.2.5(7)b.2. limits short-term rental in the parish's mixed-use and commercial districts to the operator's own primary residence, referencing chapter 17.5's lodging-accommodations standards, so an investment property that isn't your home doesn't qualify for the exception.
Which districts let a homeowner run a short-term rental as their primary residence?
Sec. 33-5.3.2.5(7)b. lists OBM-1, OBM-2, FC-1, FC-2, FC-3, TCMU, H-1, H-2, C-1, GO-1, GO-2, BC-1, BC-2, MUCD, C-2, U-1S, and U-1R. Everywhere else on the parish's core residential and industrial list, short-term rental is a prohibited home occupation regardless of residency.
What other rules come with the primary-residence requirement?
The unit must also meet the home occupation standards of Sec. 33-5.3.2.3, except two subsections, show no external sign it's a rental, skip event-hosting rentals like weddings, and in C-1 sit at least 300 feet from residential or industrial zoning. All run alongside the residency requirement in Sec. 33-5.3.2.5(7)b.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Jefferson Parish

All Jefferson Parish rules

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