St. Tammany Parish bans short-term rentals in residential zones
- Jul 27, 2021 | Jennifer Sokolowsky
Short-term rentals will be banned in single-family residential areas under a new law that was approved unanimously by the Parish Council.
The ordinance, which goes into effect February 1, 2022, allows vacation rentals only in areas zoned for mixed and commercial use. The new rules require short-term rental operators to apply for a permit, along with a $250 application fee, and pay an annual $750 permit fee, which will be used to hire code enforcement staff. Hosts must have a valid permit number in order to advertise the property or face a fine of $500 per day.
Operators must also have $500,000 in liability insurance that covers short-term rentals and designate a contact who can be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to respond to issues within an hour. The law also includes occupancy, safety, and parking rules. Events such as weddings are not allowed in short-term rental properties.
The law applies to all accommodations offering stays for fewer than 30 days, including hotels, motels, cabins, campgrounds, and RV parks.
Parish leaders have been debating vacation rental regulations since 2018 amid complaints from residents about neighborhood disturbances. There are at least 500 short-term rentals in the parish, according to parish leaders, and that number has most likely grown.
St. Tammany Parish attracts travelers interested in visiting nearby New Orleans as well Lake Pontchartrain. The parish is following the lead of New Orleans, which has sharply restricted vacation rentals in recent years and added a new short-term rental tax.
Parish short-term rental hosts will also be required to collect parish hotel-motel taxes from guests, file regular tax returns, and remit the tax revenues to the parish. Operators must also register with the state and collect and pay state sales tax.
Airbnb collects state sales tax and St. Tammany Parish taxes on behalf of hosts, but Vrbo does not. Hosts are required to collect and pay taxes that are not collected by their platform, and must register and file lodging tax returns even if taxes are being collected on their behalf.
MyLodgeTax can help vacation rental hosts in New Orleans simplify and automate lodging tax compliance. See our Louisiana Vacation Rental Tax Guide for more on short-term rental taxes in the state. If you have tax questions related to New Orleans properties, drop us a line and we’ll get back to you with answers.
