City Council says registration requirements likely for Lafayette short-term rentals

In a recent article by The Current, city council members said that short-term rental owners will soon be required to register with the city and obtain a permit at minimum. “That’s where I really want to start,” said councilwoman Nanette Cook whose district includes Bendel Gardens and other neighborhoods. “We need you to register. We need to permit you, and every two years, you can reapply for it. But within that two-year frame, if there’s a lot of complaints or you’re not doing a good job, we can pull your permit. To me, that’s an opportunity to regulate to some extent without shutting them down.”

LTLA has made it clear that we can live with this approach as long as any additional regulations are not burdensome. We supported a resolution drafted in 2020 that outlined such regulations. Registering with the city is no small ask of operators and many have said they’d rather rent for longer periods than submit to a government database, but the LTLA recognizes that a compromise is needed.

Anti-STR activists don’t think that’d be enough. “If it was my preference, there’d be none in single-family areas,” said real-estate lawyer Gordon Schoeffler. “But if I have to eat some bit of a compromise, I’d at least request the right for … a variance or conditional use process.” Requiring a conditional use variance means short-term rentals would no longer be allowed by right. Instead, a property owner would have to request a variance from the Lafayette Planning Commission, a time-consuming government process that often requires legal representation.

Councilman Andy Naquin said he’s considering an all-out ban of short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods. “My options are open. I just know, we’re going to have to have some sort of regulations, and some identification, at least at the minimum,” Naquin says.

Still, the future remains uncertain and no framework is yet in place. “I don’t know what’s coming forward, and I have no idea what the other four council members would agree to at this point,” says Naquin. “It’s a work in progress still, obviously. It’s going to take some discussion amongst the council to figure out what we think is best as a body.”

Contact Mayor Josh Guillory by phone: 337-291-8300
or email: MayorPresidentsOffice@LafayetteLA.gov

City Council Members