Where can an AC condenser go on a New Orleans lot?

Zoning keeps condensers out of front yards and, where yards are required, 2 feet from side and rear lot lines.

Sources

A ground-mounted condenser goes in an interior side yard or the rear yard, at least two feet from the side or rear property line, and never in the front yard or a corner side yard. That is the City’s zoning rule, Sec. 21.6.T of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance. If the unit can be readily seen from the street, it has to be screened. In a flood zone it has to sit above base flood elevation where that applies, and in many historic districts the HDLC or the Vieux Carré Commission adds its own review.

Zoning text checked October 17, 2026, against czo.nola.gov, Article 21. Rules change; confirm with the City before you build a pad or platform.

What the zoning ordinance says

Sec. 21.6.T covers heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning units, pool equipment, and backup generators. In plain terms:

Front and corner side yards are out. “Ground-based mechanical equipment is prohibited in a front or corner side yard” (21.6.T.3).
Side and rear yards are allowed, with two feet of clearance. Ground-based or wall-mounted equipment with less than 7 feet of clearance underneath may go in an interior side or rear yard, “at least two (2) feet from the interior side or rear property line,” and that two feet “shall remain open to the sky” (21.6.T.1). No roof or overhang can close over it.
Higher wall mounts get closer. Wall-mounted equipment with 7 feet or more of clearance underneath, such as some mini-split condensers on brackets, needs at least 18 inches from the property line (21.6.T.2).
Visible units need screening. Ground-based equipment “readily visible from the public right-of-way, excluding alleys” must be screened with masonry, wood, or landscaping so no part of it shows. An existing fence, building, or hedge that already hides it counts (21.6.T.5).
Flood elevation. Ground-based equipment “shall be constructed above base flood elevation (BFE), when applicable.” If that puts the unit higher than the fence in a side yard, it may not go in the side yard (21.6.T.6).
Roof units stay back from the edge. Roof-mounted equipment must be at least 6 feet from any wall of the building and not visible from the street (21.6.T.7).

The setbacks apply to required side and rear yards. If the zoning district has no yard requirement for that lot, the setback part does not apply (21.6.T.3). Your lot’s zoning district decides that; the City’s zoning map and the permit reviewer can tell you which applies.

Replacing a condenser that is already in the wrong spot

A condenser that was legally in place before the current rule but does not meet today’s location requirements “is considered legally conforming and may be replaced and repaired” (21.6.T.4). In practice, a like-for-like replacement can usually go back where the old unit was. That provision is about location. It does not settle the flood-elevation question, which is covered below.

Ask the contractor who pulls the mechanical permit to confirm the location before the old unit comes out. Moving a condenser also moves the refrigerant lines and electrical disconnect, so a new location changes the job.

In a historic district

Inside a local historic district, a second set of rules may apply on top of zoning. Which one depends on the district:

French Quarter: the Vieux Carré Commission reviews every exterior unit, visible from the street or not, including courtyards and roofs, and doesn’t allow through-wall units.
Full-control HDLC districts (the Marigny, Bywater, Algiers Point, Holy Cross, the Irish Channel, the Lower Garden District, St. Charles Avenue, downtown, and parts of Tremé, Esplanade Ridge, and Carrollton): equipment visible from a public way is reviewed. Ground units go in the rear yard, or a screened side yard when that isn’t possible, and mini-split condensers must be “visually unobtrusive, and rationally organized” (HDLC Guidelines for Site Elements, pages 10-8 to 10-9).
Partial-control HDLC districts (Uptown, Mid-City, Parkview, the Garden District, and the rest of Tremé, Esplanade Ridge, and Carrollton): the HDLC reviews demolition, not AC work, unless the building is an individual landmark.

The historic districts guide has the rules, review levels, line-set routing, and permit wait times for each district. Review adds time: AC permits in full-control districts and the French Quarter take longer to issue than elsewhere in the city.

In a flood zone

The zoning rule says ground-based equipment goes above base flood elevation “when applicable.” Two separate questions decide whether that applies to your job:

Is the lot in a mapped flood zone with a base flood elevation? That comes from the flood map for the property.
Is the work new construction or a “substantial improvement”? Federal flood insurance rules define substantial improvement as work on a structure costing 50% or more of its market value before the work starts, and include structures that have suffered “substantial damage” (44 CFR 59.1).

Search answers often skip the second question and say every condenser in a flood zone must be raised. Whether a straight condenser swap on an existing house has to be elevated is the City permit reviewer’s call, not a contractor’s guess or a search result. Ask at permit time. Even where it is not required, the HDLC guidelines note that elevating equipment protects it from flooding and that electrical connections and junction boxes should be raised with it (page 10-9). If you raise a unit, plan the platform, the screening, and the side-yard fence-height limit together.

Picking the spot within the rules

Inside the allowed area, a few practical points decide which spot works:

Clearance around the unit. The manufacturer’s installation manual sets minimum clearances for airflow and service. A narrow side yard can meet the two-foot lot-line rule and still be too tight for the unit’s own clearance on the other side.
Line length and route. Each condenser has a maximum refrigerant-line length in its manual. In a long shotgun, a rear-yard unit may be far from an air handler at the front.
Drainage and the neighbor’s side. Side yards on New Orleans lots often collect roof runoff. A pad that sits in standing water, or that sends discharge air into the neighbor’s window two feet away, is a poor spot even if it is legal.
Storm exposure. Loose items in a narrow yard become debris in a storm. The hurricane preparation guide covers what to do around the outdoor unit before a storm.

If the equipment type is still open, central air, mini-splits, and window units each put different equipment outside. The City’s own permit records, packaged in the HVAC permit explorer, show how often mechanical permits are pulled in each neighborhood.