What landlord-tenant rules does New Orleans add on top of Louisiana law?

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Rental registration & minimum standards (Healthy Homes): Since January 1, 2024, owners must hold a Healthy Homes Certificate of Compliance to rent housing units in New Orleans. Registration was phased in by property size. The final deadline, for 1-3 unit properties, was June 15, 2025, and late applications are still accepted with a late fee. Timely registration is free. A new owner has 90 days after a sale to apply. Certificates cannot be transferred and must be renewed every two years. Units must meet minimum standards, including: working smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors where required; working toilets, sinks and bathing with hot and cold water; water heated to at least 110°F; heat able to reach 68°F; cooling able to keep bedrooms at or below 80°F; safe electrical systems and appliances; roofs, windows and doors that keep out dampness; no mold; sound interior surfaces; and no visible rodent infestation. Landlords do their own inspections or walk-throughs. Certificates can be looked up by address on the city's OneStop system.; Habitability/code enforcement & complaint line: Tenants can report Healthy Homes or property-maintenance violations by calling 3-1-1 ((504) 539-3266 for help in other languages) or at nola311.org, choosing 'Healthy Homes' as both the request reason and the request type. The Department of Code Enforcement is at (504) 658-5050, and enforcement questions go to healthyhomesenforcement@nola.gov. The city states that renters may complain without fear of retaliation. Retaliation includes illegal eviction, cutting services, raising rent or fees, threatening an eviction suit, and refusing to renew a lease. Retaliation is presumed if one of these happens within six months of protected activity and there is evidence of a violation.; Tenant right to counsel: New Orleans' Tenant Eviction Assistance Program provides legal counsel 'as a matter of right' to residential tenants facing eviction in the city, subject to available funding. It covers any legal or administrative proceeding to evict or end a tenancy or housing subsidy, lawsuits seeking injunctions against illegal eviction, and appeals that meet program criteria. Eligibility begins when the tenant receives a notice of eviction, termination of tenancy or lease non-renewal. The Office of Community Development runs the program through cooperative endeavor agreements with legal providers. Landlords must give tenants a city brochure on their rights, including the right to counsel, when an eviction case is started. Housing subsidy providers must give it when they issue a subsidy termination notice, and the court gives it when a rule for possession is served. If the landlord or court fails to do this, the tenant may raise a dilatory exception of prematurity or an affirmative defense to the eviction. In August 2026 the Council appropriated $750,000 for the program (Ord. Cal. Nos. 35,528 and 35,529).; Legal aid: The city refers Orleans Parish renters facing eviction to Southeast Louisiana Legal Services at (504) 259-1000, the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center's Eviction Defense program at (504) 596-2100 or (877) 445-2100, and the Louisiana State Bar Association's legal help line at (504) 566-1600.

New Orleans Landlord-Tenant Rules

Eviction court, fees and help

Right to a lawyer in eviction cases

Local agencies

Frequently asked questions

Rental registration & minimum standards (Healthy Homes)	Since January 1, 2024, owners must hold a Healthy Homes Certificate of Compliance to rent housing units in New Orleans. Registration was phased in by property size. The final deadline, for 1-3 unit properties, was June 15, 2025, and late applications are still accepted with a late fee. Timely registration is free. A new owner has 90 days after a sale to apply. Certificates cannot be transferred and must be renewed every two years. Units must meet minimum standards, including: working smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors where required; working toilets, sinks and bathing with hot and cold water; water heated to at least 110°F; heat able to reach 68°F; cooling able to keep bedrooms at or below 80°F; safe electrical systems and appliances; roofs, windows and doors that keep out dampness; no mold; sound interior surfaces; and no visible rodent infestation. Landlords do their own inspections or walk-throughs. Certificates can be looked up by address on the city's OneStop system. FAQs: https://nola.gov/next/healthy-homes/topics/faqs/. Healthy Homes Administration: (504) 658-7133, healthyhomes@nola.gov, 1340 Poydras St., Suite 800. Source: New Orleans Code of Ordinances Ch. 26, Art. XIII (Healthy Homes Ordinance, passed Nov. 2022)
Habitability/code enforcement & complaint line	Tenants can report Healthy Homes or property-maintenance violations by calling 3-1-1 ((504) 539-3266 for help in other languages) or at nola311.org, choosing 'Healthy Homes' as both the request reason and the request type. The Department of Code Enforcement is at (504) 658-5050, and enforcement questions go to healthyhomesenforcement@nola.gov. The city states that renters may complain without fear of retaliation. Retaliation includes illegal eviction, cutting services, raising rent or fees, threatening an eviction suit, and refusing to renew a lease. Retaliation is presumed if one of these happens within six months of protected activity and there is evidence of a violation. The page does not give the code section for the retaliation presumption. Source: Healthy Homes Ordinance (Ch. 26, Art. XIII)
Tenant right to counsel	New Orleans' Tenant Eviction Assistance Program provides legal counsel 'as a matter of right' to residential tenants facing eviction in the city, subject to available funding. It covers any legal or administrative proceeding to evict or end a tenancy or housing subsidy, lawsuits seeking injunctions against illegal eviction, and appeals that meet program criteria. Eligibility begins when the tenant receives a notice of eviction, termination of tenancy or lease non-renewal. The Office of Community Development runs the program through cooperative endeavor agreements with legal providers. Landlords must give tenants a city brochure on their rights, including the right to counsel, when an eviction case is started. Housing subsidy providers must give it when they issue a subsidy termination notice, and the court gives it when a rule for possession is served. If the landlord or court fails to do this, the tenant may raise a dilatory exception of prematurity or an affirmative defense to the eviction. In August 2026 the Council appropriated $750,000 for the program (Ord. Cal. Nos. 35,528 and 35,529). The URL is the Council's amendment document with the engrossed text, not the final codified text. Funding: https://council.nola.gov/news/august-2026/regular-meeting-sum/. No. 29019 M.C.S., but this was not verified. The program's eligibility rules (including any income limit) are set by OCD regulations, which were not found. Source: New Orleans City Code Ch. 50, Art. V, Secs. 50-150 to 50-157 (Ord. Cal. No. 33,682, as amended May 5, 2022)
Legal aid	The city refers Orleans Parish renters facing eviction to Southeast Louisiana Legal Services at (504) 259-1000, the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center's Eviction Defense program at (504) 596-2100 or (877) 445-2100, and the Louisiana State Bar Association's legal help line at (504) 566-1600. The city page does not say which of these groups are the current right-to-counsel providers. Source: No ordinance (referral list)