Loi Le Meur in Paris: what changed in the short-term rental rules for owners in 2026?

Loi Le Meur in Paris: since 1 January 2025, a primary residence can be let as tourist accommodation for 90 days a year at most, down from 120. Since 20 May 2026, exceeding the cap carries a civil fine of up to €15,000 per property, and a second home still needs a change-of-use authorisation with compensation.

Loi Le Meur in Paris: the rules before and after

The Loi Le Meur (law no. 2024-1039 of 19 November 2024) gives French municipalities new tools to regulate tourist lets. Paris used the first one on 1 January 2025 by lowering the primary residence cap. The other measures come from the law itself and apply in stages, up to 2034. The amounts in the table are maximums per property, taken from article L. 324-1-1 of the French Tourism Code as in force since 20 May 2026 and from the ministry's practical guide published in September 2025.

On registration, service-public.gouv.fr states that once the national service goes live and a transition period of several months ends, the numbers issued by municipalities will no longer be valid. Paris owners will need to register again. Town-by-town obligations in the Paris region are on our page on the Île-de-France legal framework.

Primary residences in Paris: the 90-day rule and how it is counted

The 90-day cap only applies to a primary residence: a home occupied at least eight months a year, except for work obligations, health reasons or force majeure. The cap is counted per calendar year.

• Formalities: online registration, the number shown on every listing, and collection of the tourist tax.
• Between 91 and 120 days: the ministry guide explains that lowering the cap does not bring these lets under the change-of-use regime, which only starts at 120 days. Going over 90 days is still punished by the civil fine of up to €15,000.
• Platforms: they must remove listings that exceed the maximum, or face a €50,000 fine.

Over 90 nights, income depends on the average rate achieved on the busiest dates. The method to size it is set out in estimating what a rental earns.

Second homes in Paris: change of use and compensation up to 3 for 1

A home you do not live in eight months a year cannot be let as tourist accommodation without a change-of-use authorisation (changement d'usage), whatever the length of the let. In Paris, this authorisation requires compensation: you convert into housing, in the same administrative district, a space that had another use (office, shop). The municipal regulation, consolidated on 3 March 2025, sets the area to compensate:

• 3 times the area in arrondissements where the City has issued more than 50 registration numbers per 1,000 primary residences (map in annex 6 of the regulation).
• 2 times the area in the reinforced compensation sector, aligned with the housing development sector of the bioclimatic local plan.
• Equivalent area elsewhere.

The bioclimatic local urban plan (PLU bioclimatique), approved by the Paris Council in November 2024, also bans new tourist lets in neighbourhoods where their number is judged too high, and in Paris Centre. Since the 2025 update of the regulation, the energy rating certificate is part of every change-of-use application for a tourist let.

The Loi Le Meur also lets municipalities set quotas on temporary change-of-use authorisations. The Paris regulation we consulted sets no numerical quota: Paris relies on compensation and on its urban plan. Nice took the quota route, with a maximum of 691 authorisations for 2026 across four sectors, covered in our article on Nice's cap and the mobility lease.

Energy rating for a Paris tourist let: deadlines from 2024 to 2034

Before the Loi Le Meur, tourist lets were exempt from the energy decency rules that apply to long-term leases. The DPE (diagnostic de performance énergétique, the French energy rating from A to G) now follows this timetable:

1. Since 21 November 2024: change of use is only granted with a DPE rated A to E in mainland France.
2. From mid-2026: the DPE can be requested at registration, only for homes that need change of use.
3. From 1 January 2034: every tourist let that is not the owner's primary residence must be rated A to D, even if it already holds all its authorisations.

The municipality can ask any owner for a valid DPE. The owner has two months to provide it, or faces a penalty of €100 per day. A non-compliant rating can lead to an administrative fine of up to €5,000 and withdrawal of the registration number. A primary residence let occasionally is outside the 2034 requirement.

For long-term landlords, the timetable is shorter: a home rated G has failed the decency criteria since 1 January 2025, class F follows in 2028 and class E in 2034.

Co-ownership in Paris: what the building rules and the syndic can impose

• New co-ownership rules: they must state explicitly whether tourist lets are allowed or banned. A ban then also covers primary residences.
• Existing rules: if they contain a residential-only clause (clause d'habitation bourgeoise, banning commercial activity in residential units), the general meeting can ban tourist lets with two-thirds of the votes. A single owner can no longer block the vote. The Constitutional Council upheld this rule on 19 March 2026, noting that it only targets second homes.
• Exception: in an existing co-ownership, this ban does not apply to a primary residence let occasionally, within the limit set by the municipality (90 days in Paris).
• Informing the syndic: any owner who obtains a registration number must tell the syndic (the building's managing agent), who informs the other owners at the next general meeting.

What Paris owners can still do in 2026

1. Let your primary residence 90 days a year, with a registration number, tourist tax and a count of nights.
2. Switch to a bail mobilité (mobility lease: a furnished lease of 1 to 10 months for a tenant in studies, internship, training or on assignment). The tenant makes it their home, so the property stays residential and sits outside both the cap and change of use. The lease rules are national and set out in the Nice article.
3. Return to a standard furnished lease, provided the DPE meets the energy decency criteria.
4. Let a second home short term, with change of use and compensation, outside the areas where the urban plan bans new tourist lets.
5. Hand over keys without a street key box: an order by the Mayor of Paris of 24 January 2025 bans attaching key boxes to street furniture. Municipal police post a 15-day removal notice, after which the box is destroyed.
6. Review your tax position: from 2025 income, the micro-BIC regime applies a 30% allowance up to €15,000 of receipts for an unclassified tourist let, and 50% up to €77,700 (€83,600 for 2026 income) for a classified one. The choice of regime is covered in micro-BIC or the real regime.

What Flatlab does

In Paris, we combine short-term lets on tourist peaks with a mobility lease of 1 to 10 months off-season. We keep a real-time count of the 90 days, prepare the change-of-use file and the compensation, and check the co-ownership rules. Our concierges, housekeeping and maintenance are present in Paris and the inner suburbs. Every Paris estimate comes with a Loi Le Meur audit. Our fee is 20% all-inclusive, with a 3-month notice period. Details are on the page on management in Paris and Île-de-France.

FAQ

What is the fine for breaking the Paris 90-day rule?

A civil fine of up to €15,000 per property since 20 May 2026, under article L. 324-1-1 of the French Tourism Code. It was €10,000 before.

Does the Loi Le Meur in Paris apply to a second home?

The 90-day cap does not cover it. A second home needs change of use from the first night, with compensation in Paris. Without authorisation, the fine reaches €100,000 per property.

Does an F energy rating stop me letting a tourist rental in Paris?

For a new change of use, yes: a DPE rated A to E has been required since 21 November 2024. For a primary residence let 90 days a year, the law sets no DPE requirement.

Can a Paris co-ownership ban short-term rentals?

Yes, with two-thirds of the votes if the rules contain a residential-only clause. The ban does not cover a primary residence let within the 90-day limit.

This article is for information only. It does not replace professional legal or tax advice. Paris rules change: check the rule in force with the City of Paris before letting.