Baton Rouge, LA short-term rental permit
Living in your Baton Rouge home changes the rules. With proof of a homestead exemption, you can rent all but one bedroom without a permit. You must be on the property while guests stay.[4]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 2, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Baton Rouge?
Get a permit first
What you apply for: Short-Term Rental permit
- Seasonal homes
- 2,087
- Housing units
- 106,712
- Residents
- 222,771
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City rulePermit required
- City fee$100
- Tax on each stay16.5%
- Seasonal homes20 per 1,000
Baton Rouge short-term rental permit
Baton Rouge requires a Short-Term Rental permit when the owner does not live on the property. The permit fee is $100, and the permit stays valid unless the rental stops operating for a year. The application includes an occupational license or proof that your platform is registered to remit taxes. A parking plan is required, with one space per rented bedroom. Occupancy is capped at two people per bedroom plus two. Three violations adjudicated in one calendar year end the right to operate for a year.[6]
What Baton Rouge asks of you
In Baton Rouge, a short-term rental means renting all or part of a dwelling to one party for less than 30 consecutive days. Chapter 19 of the Unified Development Code sets that definition.[5]
Section 9.3.7 bars anyone from operating or advertising a non-owner-occupied rental until the owner holds a permit. The Division of Permits and Inspection issues it.[4]
The owner also needs an occupational license to remit sales, use and occupancy taxes, unless a registered online platform remits them.[4]
Section 8:801 of the Code of Ordinances sets short-term rental registration at $100 a year. Every permit also carries a $25 technology fee.[7]
The permit stays valid unless the rental stops operating for a year. Applications go through MyGovernmentOnline, which requires a user account.[6]
Each rented bedroom needs one parking space, unless the Planning Commission approves an Alternative Motor Vehicle Parking Arrangement.[6]
Owner-occupied rentals fall under Section 9.3.6 and need no permit. The owner still registers to remit taxes or uses a registered platform.[4]
In an owner-occupied rental, one bedroom is never rented. The owner shows a homestead exemption and is present during every stay.[4]
Table 9.A lists both kinds of short-term rental as limited uses in the single-family residential districts.[4]
Rentals that operated before the rules took effect could continue with tax registration, but with no expansion of the use.[4]
What Louisiana asks wherever you host
These rules apply at this address whatever the city decides.
For sales tax, Louisiana treats a residence rented to transient guests as a hotel, whether it is a house, a camp or a condominium. Month-to-month leases fall outside that definition.[1]
The state charges 5% on a rented room through December 31, 2029. In Orleans and Jefferson parishes, it drops to 3% only at locations with at least 10 rooms.[2]
Under R.S. 47:340.1, a booking platform is an accommodations intermediary that collects state and local sales tax on its stays. From January 1, 2026, it also remits hotel and motel occupancy taxes.[3]
What a guest pays on top of your nightly rate in Baton Rouge
Each layer is set by a different authority, and not all of them are collected by the platform.
| Layer | Rate | Remitted to |
|---|---|---|
| Louisiana state sales tax on rooms[2] | 5% | The state revenue department |
| East Baton Rouge City-Parish and school sales tax[8] | 5.5% | The city |
| Baton Rouge hotel-motel tax[9] | 6% | The city |
| Total on a taxable stay | 16.5% |
Under R.S. 33:4574.1.1, Visit Baton Rouge may levy 4% on hotel rooms. Voters may approve 2% more in most of the parish, half of it for the Raising Cane's River Center.[10]
Airbnb taxes for hostsWhat the census counts
How much of Baton Rouge is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 2,087 of Baton Rouge's 106,712 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 20 out of every 1,000. It ranks Baton Rouge 2nd of the 2 Louisiana cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 2nd of 2
- Share of housing
- 20 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $234,700
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Baton Rouge sits among its neighbors
New Orleans, LA
Restricted by zone
You need an owner permit and an operator permit. Non-commercial rentals get one permit per block, with the operator living on site.
New Orleans short-term rental rulesGrand Isle, LA
No city ordinance
1,050 seasonal homes, 672 per 1,000 housing units.
Grand Isle short-term rental rulesShow Low, AZ
Permit required
2,296 seasonal homes, 296 per 1,000 housing units.
Show Low short-term rental rulesMammoth Lakes, CA
Allowed by zone
5,531 seasonal homes, 573 per 1,000 housing units.
Mammoth Lakes short-term rental rulesFAQ
Baton Rouge short-term rental questions
Do I need a permit to rent my home in Baton Rouge?
How much is a Baton Rouge short-term rental permit?
How many guests can stay in a Baton Rouge short-term rental?
What hotel tax applies to a Baton Rouge short-term rental?
Sources
- R.S. 47:301, sales and use tax definitions, hotel and dealer, Louisiana State Legislature, read on October 2, 2026
- What is the state sales tax rate for sleeping rooms, hotel rooms, motel rooms, and similar accommodations?, Louisiana Department of Revenue, read on October 2, 2026
- R.S. 47:340.1, marketplace facilitators, collection and remittance of state and local sales and use tax, Louisiana State Legislature, read on October 2, 2026
- Unified Development Code, Chapter 9, Use Regulations, Sections 9.3.6 and 9.3.7, City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge, read on October 2, 2026
- Unified Development Code, Chapter 19, Definitions, City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge, read on October 2, 2026
- Short-Term Rental Permits, information sheet, City of Baton Rouge, read on October 2, 2026
- Code of Ordinances, Title 8, Chapter 8, Section 8:801, Schedule of permit fees, City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge, read on October 2, 2026
- Sales and Use Tax Rates Effective January 1, 2025, City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge, Department of Finance, read on October 2, 2026
- Hotel/Motel Tax Report, tax periods after April 1, 2026, City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge, Department of Finance, read on October 2, 2026
- R.S. 33:4574.1.1, occupancy taxes levied by the commissions, Louisiana State Legislature, read on October 2, 2026
This page is not legal advice. It summarizes the official sources listed on this page as they read on October 2, 2026. Rules can change after that date, so check with the issuing office before you apply or publish a listing.
Before you list
Free tools for new hosts
Short-term rental agreement generator
Parties, dates, rent, deposit checked against your state's cap, and the house rules clauses you enforce. A signed-ready PDF for direct and Vrbo bookings.
Airbnb host fee calculator
What Airbnb takes on a booking under the 15.5% host-only fee or the old split fee, what the guest pays on top, and the payout that reaches you.
Airbnb profit calculator
Nightly rate, occupancy, Airbnb fee, management, mortgage, taxes and depreciation. You get cash flow, cash-on-cash return and what is left after the IRS.
Airbnb house rules
Generate a complete PDF house rules document for your property: rules, schedule, amenities, emergency contacts.