St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana Eviction Risk: Low

St. Bernard Parish scores 3.1/10 (Low) on average across its 5 tracked cities, placing it at rank 21 of 64 parishes in Louisiana eviction laws, where 20 parishes carry higher risk and 43 are more landlord-friendly. That position in the higher-risk third of the state means conditions here warrant closer scrutiny than the Low label alone might suggest. Average rent sits at $1,069 per month, and the average rent burden of 37.9% of income points to tenants who are financially stretched, which tends to elevate the probability of payment disputes even in markets that score relatively low on composite risk.

The intra-county spread is tight, running from 2.5 to 3.2, so no single community is dramatically more or less exposed than the parish average. Renter share is 29.9% of households, a modest figure that limits total rental-market volume but also means landlords are operating in a market where tenants are somewhat harder to replace quickly. Investors evaluating portfolio expansion in this corner of Louisiana should treat the parish as a coherent, uniformly low-to-moderate risk zone rather than a mixed bag requiring city-by-city triage.

The cities inside St. Bernard Parish

Chalmette is the parish seat and by far the largest community, home to 22,616 residents and carrying the highest city-level score at 3.1/10. Its size means it accounts for the bulk of total rental volume in the parish, so conditions there effectively set the operating baseline for most landlords working in St. Bernard Parish. Arabi and Violet each score 3.1/10, with populations of 4,625 and 4,122 respectively, clustering tightly around the parish average.

At the lower end, Meraux (population 7,918) and Poydras (population 2,260) both score 2.5/10, the most landlord-favorable readings available in the parish. The difference between the top and bottom of that range is only two-tenths of a point, confirming that risk here is remarkably uniform. Still, that uniformity is not an argument to skip due diligence, since even modest score differences can correspond to meaningful variation in local court caseloads and tenant demographics at the neighborhood level.

State-level laws that apply here

Louisiana state law under La. R.S. 9:3251 et seq. sets a 5-day notice period for non-payment of rent and lease violations, and a 30-day notice for end-of-term or no-cause terminations. Those timelines are relatively short by national standards, which is a structural advantage for landlords. An uncontested eviction resolves in 14 to 30 days; a contested case can stretch to 30 to 90 days. Filing fees run $170 to $300, sheriff lockout fees add another $50 to $175, and attorney fees range from $500 to $3,000 depending on case complexity. The full Louisiana eviction process is worth reviewing before signing leases, since court timelines can vary by division.

Louisiana does not require just cause for non-renewal, and state law preempts local rent control, so no municipality in St. Bernard Parish can impose a rent cap. Source-of-income protection is not mandated under state law. For a full breakdown of upfront and ongoing landlord obligations, including refund timelines and allowable deductions, see Louisiana security deposit limits and Louisiana tenant protections. These state-level frameworks are consistent across all five cities in the parish.

With a poverty rate of 22.9% across the parish and renters making up roughly 29.9% of households, the city-level scores in the grid above remain the most granular gauge available for underwriting specific acquisitions in St. Bernard Parish.