Short Term Rental Lodging Accommodation License Application Procedure

Short Term Rental violations are regulated under JPCO Sect. 33-5.3.12.5(7) and Chapter 17.5 of the Jefferson Parish Code of Ordinances.

Following are the actions required in order to legally operate a short term rental:

• Go to www.mygovernmentonline.org
• Apply for a zoning clearance for the use of your home as a short term rental
  • Must provide documentation that this unit is your primary residence - Ex: provide documentation that you have a homestead exemption for this property
• Provide your zoning clearance to Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office in order to obtain an occupational license from JPSO
• Log onto www.mygovernementonline.org again and apply for short term rental permit
  • Upload the zoning clearance approval and occupational license to the permit application.
  • Complete the lodging license application and upload the application. click here to download the Short Term Rental Application
  • Per JPCO Sect. 17.5-6, must remit a processing fee of $750.00 at the time of submitting the lodging license application - this fee is due on a yearly basis while operating a short term rental
  • After the application and processing fee has been submitted, the following actions will be taken by the Parish of Jefferson: 
    • JPSO will perform a criminal background check on the proprietors of the short term rental
    • Property Maintenance Department will schedule an interior inspection of the short term rental to verify the property is in conformity with the standards set forth in JPCO Sect. 33-5.3.12.5(7) and Chapter 17.5 of the Jefferson Parish Code of Ordinances
    • If approval is provided by the aforementioned entities then the permit can be issued and the lodging license must be renewed once a year along with the $750.00 processing fee
• Applicant will receive an issuance notification from MGO (www.mygovernmentonline.org) for the Short Term Rental Lodging Accommodation License if one is able to be issued.

* Be sure to check what zoning districts that allow STR in Chapter 33-5.3.12.5(7)

Background and History of Short Term Rental Regulations:

In March of 2016 after fielding numerous complaints from residents throughout the parish about disruptive short-term rentals in their respective neighborhoods, and realizing that the parish’s existing regulations did not define or regulate short-term rentals, the parish authorized a study of its regulations to determine the necessity of and, if necessary, appropriate standards for short-term rental in Jefferson Parish.

The parish held public outreach from October 2017 through January 2018 to vet the recommendations of the study. As required by law, the Planning Advisory Board held public hearings on January 11 and 25, 2018 on proposed amendments to the parish Code of Ordinances to regulate short-term rentals. The parish council adopted Ordinance No. 25513 on February 21, 2018.

In establishing the parish’s regulations regarding short-term rentals, the parish determined that generally, Jefferson Parish is characterized by a suburban development pattern of homogenous land uses, clustered in single-use districts. The most prevalent land use in Jefferson Parish is the detached single-family home in primarily residential neighborhoods; and that short-term rental is more intensive and extensive than a typical home occupation because it usually involves the entire home as a 24/7 operation and serves persons who come from outside the community. Further, that as a lodging accommodation business, short-term rental has greater potential negative impacts on a single-use residential neighborhood, including noise, traffic, and trash; and short-term rental is not compatible with the primarily residential character of many of the parish’s neighborhoods. Therefore, the parish prohibits short-term rental in single-use residential zoning districts.

The parish also determined that, subject to use standards that mitigate impacts, short-term rental is compatible in mixed-use and commercial areas where residential and commercial uses are allowed to co-exist. Additionally, because short-term rental involves the business of lodging accommodation that caters to travelers and tourists, treating it like other lodging accommodation uses – hotels, motels, and bed and breakfast establishments – is appropriate; and short-term rental and bed and breakfast establishments should be subject to the same regulatory framework for safety, operations, licensing, nuisances, and taxation of hotels and motels.

The parish provided a twelve-month amortization for existing short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods to cease operation; and granted a six-month period for existing short-term rentals, where permitted, to come into compliance with the new licensing requirements from the time of the adoption of the new regulations in February 2018.