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Louisiana

Louisiana Landlord-Tenant Laws

Security deposit limits, eviction notices, rent control, and more for Louisiana.

How we research these summaries

Every rule on this page is drawn from state statutes and municipal codes and summarized with AI assistance. Each one cites the statute it's based on and links to a published text of that law so you can read it firsthand. Where a page says a city or county has no local rule on a topic, that means none was found for the topics covered here — not that none exists. Local governments also regulate rental housing in ways these pages don't track, including registration, licensing, inspections and habitability standards. These summaries may be incomplete or out of date, laws change often, and every property and tenancy has specifics a summary can't capture — so treat this as a starting point for your own research, not as legal advice, and check with the local jurisdiction and a qualified attorney before acting on your particular situation.

What to Know in Louisiana

Sources last checked July 2026

Louisiana governs landlord-tenant relations through its Civil Code rather than the common law most states use, shown starkly at eviction: a notice to vacate under Article 4701 can run as short as five calendar days and is unconditional, with no chance to pay overdue rent or cure a violation first. Notice to end a lease with no fixed term instead depends on the rental period's length — 10 days for month-to-month, 30 days for longer periods. State law preempts local rent control, and no municipality, including New Orleans, currently has an enforceable rent cap despite persistent claims.

  • 5-day notice required before eviction for nonpayment of rent
  • 10-day move-out notice required for month-to-month tenancies
  • No rent control — no statutory cap on rent increases
  • Louisiana does not have a dedicated rent increase notice statute.
  • No statutory cap on the security deposit amount
5 rules summarized · Each linked to the law it cites

Security Deposit Limits

Security Deposit Limits

What is the security deposit limit in Louisiana?

Louisiana does not impose a maximum limit on the amount a landlord may collect as a security deposit. Under La. R.S. 9:3251 (the Lessee's Deposit Act), a landlord must return the unused portion of any security deposit within one month after the lease terminates. If any portion is retained, the landlord must forward to the tenant — within one month of termination — an itemized written statement explaining the amounts kept and the reasons therefor. The tenant must supply the landlord a forwarding address. Permissible deductions include unpaid rent and costs to repair tenant-caused damage beyond normal wear and tear. If the landlord willfully fails to return the deposit, the tenant is entitled to the deposit amount back plus the greater of $300 or twice the amount wrongfully withheld. This is governed by La. R.S. 9:3252. Upon a transfer of ownership, the prior lessor must transfer the deposit to the new owner and is thereafter relieved of liability.

La. R.S. §§ 9:3251, 9:3252

Eviction Notice Requirements

Eviction Notice Requirements

What are the eviction notice requirements in Louisiana?

Louisiana landlords must serve a written notice to vacate before filing an eviction (called an 'eviction proceeding' in Louisiana courts). Under La. Code Civ. Proc. Art. 4701, when a lessee's right of occupancy has ceased — whether by lease expiration, nonpayment of rent, lease violation, or any other reason — the lessor must deliver written notice giving the tenant at least five calendar days (excluding weekends and holidays) to vacate the premises. Louisiana notices are unconditional: the landlord is not required to give the tenant an opportunity to pay past-due rent or cure a lease violation before proceeding. If the lease has a definite term, a notice to vacate may be issued no more than 30 days before the lease expires. A lessee may waive the notice requirement in a written lease provision, in which case the lessor may immediately file for eviction. Self-help evictions are prohibited. Eviction proceedings are filed in city court or justice of the peace court.

La. Code Civ. Proc. Art. 4701

Rent Increase Notice Periods

Rent Increase Notice Periods

How much notice is required for rent increases in Louisiana?

Louisiana does not have a dedicated rent increase notice statute. Under Louisiana Civil Code Article 2728, any change to the terms of a month-to-month lease — including a rent increase — must be communicated to the tenant at least 10 calendar days before the end of the current rental month. This effectively means a landlord must give written notice of a rent increase at least 10 days before the next rent due date for the increase to be effective for the following month. For fixed-term leases, the rent cannot be raised during the lease term; any change takes effect at renewal. There is no statewide rent control, and landlords may raise rent by any amount. Retaliatory rent increases against a tenant who exercised a legal right are prohibited. The Civil Code is French-derived, and Louisiana's lease law uses the terms 'lessor' and 'lessee' rather than 'landlord' and 'tenant.'

La. Civil Code Art. 2728

Rent Control / Rent Increase Caps

Rent Control / Rent Increase Caps

Is there rent control in Louisiana?

Louisiana has no statewide rent control and expressly preempts local governments from enacting any rent regulation ordinances. La. R.S. 9:3258 protects the lessor's right to ownership, control, use, enjoyment, and disposition of private property by lease, providing that such rights shall not be altered or abridged except by state law. This provision, enacted in 1977, has been consistently interpreted as prohibiting parishes and municipalities from imposing rent control, rent stabilization, or rent caps on private residential property. There is no limit on how much or how frequently a landlord may raise rent in Louisiana, provided the increase is not retaliatory or discriminatory. No city or parish — including New Orleans — currently maintains a valid rent control ordinance; claims that New Orleans has a 5% cap are not supported by enforceable current law.

La. R.S. § 9:3258

Move-Out & Lease Termination Notice

Move-Out & Lease Termination Notice

What is the move-out notice requirement in Louisiana?

Under Louisiana Civil Code Article 2728, the notice required to terminate a lease with no fixed term depends on the length of the rental PERIOD, not on how long the tenant has lived there. For a period longer than one month, 30 days’ notice is required. For a month-to-month tenancy, 10 days’ notice is required before the end of the current rental month. For a period of at least one week but less than a month, 5 days’ notice is required. For a period shorter than a week, either party may terminate at any time. This applies to both landlord- and tenant-initiated terminations. A lease with a definite fixed term ends automatically on its expiration date with no advance notice required unless the lease says otherwise; if the tenant remains in possession and the landlord does not object, the lease is tacitly renewed on a month-to-month basis and the 10-day rule then applies.

La. Civil Code Art. 2728

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