What is the Louisiana state lodging tax rate?

4.45% statewide. Louisiana applies a 4.45% state sales tax to lodging plus parish (county-equivalent) and city occupancy taxes. Orleans Parish (New Orleans) is the headline: 5% state hotel-motel tax + 1.75% Ernest N. Morial Convention Center tax + 5% city occupancy tax — combined STR effective rate exceeds 16%. New Orleans bans whole-home STRs in most residential zones. Both major platforms collect state tax, but the New Orleans city occupancy tax has its own separate marketplace-facilitator agreement that you should confirm is active for your listing type.

Do Airbnb and Vrbo collect Louisiana lodging tax for me?

Airbnb and Vrbo collect and remit lodging tax in most cases. Local taxes may still be your responsibility — verify with the state DOR.

What's the local add-on range in Louisiana?

Cities and counties may add 0% to 7% on top of the state rate.

Where can I see the official source?

The authoritative source is the Louisiana Department of Revenue at https://revenue.louisiana.gov/. Always verify before filing.

When was this last verified?

Last verified 2026-05-05. Lodging-tax rates are reviewed annually; entries older than 12 months are flagged for re-verification.

Louisiana Lodging Tax Calculator

How Louisiana lodging tax works

Louisiana stacks a 4.45% state sales tax on top of parish and local hotel taxes that vary widely. Combined effective rates run 9% to 16% depending on parish and city. Top STR markets:

New Orleans (Orleans Parish) — 4.45% state + 5% Orleans Parish + 1.75% RTA + 3% Orleans Parish hotel-motel = effective ~14.45%. Plus a $0.50–$3 per-night occupancy privilege fee depending on unit class. The country’s most complex single-city STR tax stack.
Baton Rouge (East Baton Rouge Parish) — 4.45% state + 5% parish + 4–5% hotel-motel = ~13.5–14.5%.
Lafayette (Lafayette Parish, Cajun country) — 4.45% state + 4% parish + 4% hotel-motel = ~12.45%.
Shreveport (Caddo Parish) — 4.45% state + 4.6% parish + 4.5% hotel-motel = ~13.5%.

Stays of 30 consecutive nights or longer are exempt from state and most local lodging taxes.

New Orleans STR rules — strictest in the country

New Orleans regulates STRs by zone, and the rules are aggressive:

CBD / Warehouse District — non-owner-occupied commercial STRs allowed with a Commercial STR license.
French Quarter (Vieux Carré) — STRs are prohibited for most properties; very limited exceptions for owner-occupied small operators.
Residential zones — owner-occupied STRs only; 90-night cap per calendar year for non-owner-occupied.

Both Airbnb and Vrbo verify the New Orleans STR permit number before publishing the listing. Listings without a valid permit are removed automatically.

Platform collection

Airbnb and Vrbo both collect and remit the 4.45% state sales tax plus most parish-level taxes under marketplace facilitator rules. For New Orleans specifically, both platforms collect the full city stack including the per-night occupancy fee. Outside the major cities, parish-level collection is inconsistent — host self-filing is common.

What this means in practice

New Orleans hosts — verify your permit zone, your STR license is current, and your platform tax disclosure shows the full city stack collected. Compliance enforcement is aggressive.
Baton Rouge / Lafayette / Shreveport hosts — state and parish tax usually handled by the platform; local hotel-motel tax may require host self-filing.
30+ night stays — exempt from state and most local lodging taxes.
Cajun country bayou rentals — verify your parish’s hotel-motel rate; rural parishes are often lower than the urban ones.

How to use the calculator above

Enter your booking subtotal (nightly × nights + cleaning fee, before tax).
Enter the local add-on rate. New Orleans: use ~10%; Baton Rouge ~9%; Lafayette ~8%; Shreveport ~9%.
The result shows the effective rate, total tax, and what the guest sees.

Source: Louisiana Department of Revenue. Verified 2026-05-11. Not tax advice — confirm with a CPA and verify your STR permit is current before filing.