A federal judge in New Orleans ruled the New Orleans City Council's latest short-term rental regulations are lawful, upholding the city's one-permit-per-square block rule and the lottery system used to award the permits.
If U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle's ruling holds up on a likely appeal, it will mean the city can finally begin enforcing strict new rules sought after by affordable housing advocates who have long complained that the proliferation of short-term rentals like AirBnB, Vrbo, and other platforms, has reduced long-term housing options for residents.
"The City’s stated purpose was to seek the preservation of permanent housing stock, balance economic opportunity, reduce the lack of affordable housing, create a level playing field, and ensure sufficient tax revenue collection. By mitigating the disruptive effects that unmonitored STRs can have on neighborhoods, the City of New Orleans and Federal Court are protecting the livability and quality of life of New Orleans’ residential neighborhoods," the judge summarized.
"We've been fighting from the beginning to stop corporations from taking over our residential neighborhoods, and this ruling vindicates our efforts to protect New Orleanians," said New Orleans City Councilmember-at-large Helena Moreno.
