Full Service, Flat Fee

The Stow Firm offers a full-service exception preparation service for your NSTR application for a flat fee of $1,950.

This flat fee includes:

• Access to short term rental attorney Christopher Stow-Serge for specific questions about your property and the process;
• Notification to surrounding properties as required; 
• Thorough preparation of your full application;
• Extensive public record research to anticipate and take steps to resolve any impediments to your application; 
• Scheduling and holding a community meeting to address public concerns;
• Contacting policy makers and stake holders to advocate for your exception;
• Crafting and giving a presentation to the City Planning Commission;
• Appearing before the City Council to give testimony and answer questions.

Please note, our flat fee does not include the City's application or permit fees or any facility fee (if applicable) for the community meeting. 

Payment plans are available through our financing partner. 

If you have previously used our services to apply for a NSTR application, please ask about a discounted rate for this service. 

By the hour

If you are an experienced real estate professional in the Short Term Rental field, and require a review of exception application or other limited assistance, an hourly billing model may be more suitable. Our hourly rate is $375.

Anyone can apply for an exception. However, at the Stow Firm, we've dedicated significant effort and resources to understand the new laws and their interpretations. We are constantly monitoring the evolving interpretations of these laws by the Short Term Rental Administration, the City Planning Commission, and the Department of Safety and Permits. 

Our deep understanding has enabled us to develop a clear, 7-step process that maximizes our clients' chances of securing an exception to allow you to receive a Non-Commercial Short Term Rental (NSTR) permit beyond the density restrictions of the law. 

You can prepare and submit your NSTR exception application on your own, but doing so accurately requires considerable work. We conservatively estimate that our full service process will serve you at least 23 hours of work. Additionally, because this is a brand new process, there are no 'how to guides' or other free resources (besides our Stow Firm blog) to assist you. 

If you choose to submit an application independently, here are some materials you should study, though this list is not exhaustive:

1. The 788-line amendment to the Code of the City of New Orleans (Cal. No. 34,082 (March 2, 2023));
2. The 24-page amendment to the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance (Cal. No. 34,083 (March 2, 2023));
3. The 47-page PowerPoint presentation from the Short Term Rental Administration entitled "Non-Commercial Short-Term Rental Administration Application Training" (obtain the most recent version);
4. All 75 items on the NSTR Application Review Master Checklist;
5. DSP Rule 23-01;
6. Answers to questions provided by the Short Term Rental Administration after the end of at least one training class;
7. Property tax records for your property;
8. Zoning Maps of the City of New Orleans;
9. Records of city permits and outstanding open permits from you or previous owners, and any outstanding judgments and fees (available at OneStop.nola.gov);
10. New Orleans Assessor records regarding your property;
11. Updated New Orleans data concerning Bed and Breakfasts on your square block;
12. Announcements from the Short Term Rental Administration;
13. Any new Interim Zoning Districts and/or ordinances from the City Council.
14. The Eastern District's recent ruling allowing trust beneficiaries and usufructaries to obtain NSTR permits.

If you have not yet applied for a NSTR permit, you cannot begin the exception process. On June 1, 2024, new NSTR applications will be accepted. After you submit your application, one of three things will happen: 1) you will be denied (either because of problems with your application itself or because your property does not follow the requirements), 2) you will granted a permit (if there are no other applicants in your square block and no NSTR permit has been granted for your square block), or 3) you will be entered into the next lottery to compete for a permit for your square block. Only after you lose the lottery will you be eligible for the exception process. 

In theory, you can apply for an exception once the City tells you that you are able to do so and emails you the application. 

If you either 1) entered the August 2023 lottery and lost OR 2) applied for a NSTR permit in 2023 but already had an existing B&B on your block and were denied a permit because of this, you should be eligible to apply for an exception. If either of these scenarios fits your situation, but you have not received an exception application, you should first check your email spam filters and then contact the City, or, engage The Stow Firm and we will contact the City on your behalf.