New Law restricting short-term rentals in St. Francisville

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - A new law was passed March 14, Tuesday night, restricting short term rental usage in St. Francisville, LA.

The ordinance has been a conversation for months and could change how some rental owners in residential areas operate.

Town leaders say a lack of regulations gave rental owners a way to avoid paying taxes, which is something places like hotels and local inns have to do regularly.

“Around the country, not just Louisiana, short-term rentals have become a problem and we wanted to get ahead of it before it became a problem or could become a problem,” said Robert Leake, the Mayor of St. Francisville.

According to Mayor Leake, the Commerce Street Overlay District is the new home for all short-term rentals, separating the rentals from residential areas.

“You know a lot of people who live here, they want to know who their neighbors are. We don’t want a company or individuals to come to buy blocks of houses and they not know who their neighbors are,” said Mayor Leake.

Rental owners have until July first to fulfill their current bookings.

For more information on how you can apply for a short-term rental, contact the Town of St. Francisville at (225) 635-3282.

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