With the Super Bowl less than a month away, websites like Craigslist and AirBNB are full of residents in New Orleans looking to rent their homes. For residents, it’s a quick and easy way to make some cash. And tourists get to stay in a home rather than a hotel. The problem is that, without the proper permit, it’s illegal. Gambit discovered that the city has yet to enforce the code, and City Business has covered the issue, as well.

The City Code prohibit such rentals and is designed to protect New Orleans small business owners. Specifically, it’s designed to protect bread and breakfasts. Yes, there’s a permit for a bread and breakfast. The owners of these businesses need to pay for permits and pay for additional taxes. When private residences are rented out, they take business away from the small hotels, and increase the number of beds. An increased availability of rooms decreases the price. It’s simple supply and demand economics.

Luckily, the city doesn’t completely prohibit such rentals. They only require that you request a permit and pay the proper fee. Whether or not the city decides to actually enforce the ordinance is anyone’s guess. If you want to operate legally, the Bureau of Revenue and Finance can help you with that process. I can also recommend an attorney if you’d rather not handle it yourself.

Finally, if you’re coming to New Orleans, I highly recommend La Belle Esplanade on Esplanade Avenue. It’s nice, clean, and run by good people. They’re also a client of mine.

This month’s post on Silicon Bayou News updates readers on the hurdles that the New Orleans Food Truck industry in facing. If you’re a foodie, an entrepreneur interested in a new industry, or both, make sure to head on over to Silicon Bayou and read this month’s post.

Let the Street Musicians Play; Photo Courtesy of Creative Deja Vu via Flickr

Jan Ramsey, Editor of Louisiana music and culture magazine Offbeat, has been blogging about the attempts of homeowners in the French Quarter and Marigny to lower the level of noise produced by clubs and music venues. Her latest post even suggested just shutting down Frenchmen Street. While I think she was intentionally being a bit extreme, she makes a good point. New Orleans is a city that depends on our food and music to drive tourism, our largest industry. So, what’s the law behind all this hubbub? As with the food truck saga, the laws on the issue reside in the New Orleans Municipal Code.

GROWCO 2012 in New Orleans is only two weeks away, and in addition to the speakers mentioned in a previous blog post, former President Bill Clinton has been added to the list of speakers.

The current cost is $895, which seems pretty high, but may be well worth it for the two days of speakers and break-out sessions. Do you plan on attending. If so, let me know in the comments.