Zoning Library › Louisiana › Lafayette, LA
Lafayette, LA zoning: where a drive-thru restaurant is allowed
Is a drive-thru allowed in Lafayette, LA?
A drive-thru restaurant is allowed by right (no conditional use permit, special exception or rezoning) in these zoning districts: CH, CH(c), CM-1, CM-1(c), CM-1(cup), D, D(cup), IL.
It is not allowed in 15 districts: A, IH, MN-1, MN-1(c), MN-1(cup), MN-2, MN-2(cup), RM-1, RM-1(c), RM-2, RM-2(c), RS-1, RS-1(c), RS-1(cup), RS-2.
3 districts are not confirmed yet.
Drive-thru restaurant rule by zoning district
| District | Drive-thru restaurant | What the code says | Section | Source | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Not allowed | Drive-through facilities are allowed in the MN, MX, D, CM, CH, IL, IH, and PD districts (residential not listed). Residential district. | UDC Sec. 89-80(c) | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| CH | By right | Drive-through facilities are allowed in the MN, MX, D, CM, CH, IL, IH, and PD districts in accordance with this section. Restaurant P in this district. Sec. 89-80: menu board 50 ft from RS zoning, speakers away, buffer; stacking 80 ft to menu board and 160 ft to first window. | UDC Sec. 89-21 use table; Sec. 89-80 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| CH(c) | By right | Drive-through facilities are allowed in the MN, MX, D, CM, CH, IL, IH, and PD districts in accordance with this section. Restaurant P in this district. Sec. 89-80: menu board 50 ft from RS zoning, speakers away, buffer; stacking 80 ft to menu board and 160 ft to first window. Suffix/overlay "c" may add conditions - check. | UDC Sec. 89-21 use table; Sec. 89-80 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| CM-1 | By right | Drive-through facilities are allowed in the MN, MX, D, CM, CH, IL, IH, and PD districts in accordance with this section. Restaurant P in this district. Sec. 89-80: menu board 50 ft from RS zoning, speakers away, buffer; stacking 80 ft to menu board and 160 ft to first window. | UDC Sec. 89-21 use table; Sec. 89-80 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| CM-1(c) | By right | Drive-through facilities are allowed in the MN, MX, D, CM, CH, IL, IH, and PD districts in accordance with this section. Restaurant P in this district. Sec. 89-80: menu board 50 ft from RS zoning, speakers away, buffer; stacking 80 ft to menu board and 160 ft to first window. Suffix/overlay "c" may add conditions - check. | UDC Sec. 89-21 use table; Sec. 89-80 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| CM-1(cup) | By right | Drive-through facilities are allowed in the MN, MX, D, CM, CH, IL, IH, and PD districts in accordance with this section. Restaurant P in this district. Sec. 89-80: menu board 50 ft from RS zoning, speakers away, buffer; stacking 80 ft to menu board and 160 ft to first window. Suffix/overlay "cup" may add conditions - check. | UDC Sec. 89-21 use table; Sec. 89-80 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| D | By right | Drive-through facilities are allowed in the MN, MX, D, CM, CH, IL, IH, and PD districts in accordance with this section. Restaurant P in this district. Sec. 89-80: menu board 50 ft from RS zoning, speakers away, buffer; stacking 80 ft to menu board and 160 ft to first window. | UDC Sec. 89-21 use table; Sec. 89-80 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| D(cup) | By right | Drive-through facilities are allowed in the MN, MX, D, CM, CH, IL, IH, and PD districts in accordance with this section. Restaurant P in this district. Sec. 89-80: menu board 50 ft from RS zoning, speakers away, buffer; stacking 80 ft to menu board and 160 ft to first window. Suffix/overlay "cup" may add conditions - check. | UDC Sec. 89-21 use table; Sec. 89-80 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| IH | Not allowed | Use table: Restaurant blank in IH (drive-through listed for IH but restaurant not allowed). Restaurant not a permitted use in IH. | UDC Sec. 89-21 use table | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| IL | By right | Drive-through facilities are allowed in the MN, MX, D, CM, CH, IL, IH, and PD districts in accordance with this section. Restaurant P in this district. Sec. 89-80: menu board 50 ft from RS zoning, speakers away, buffer; stacking 80 ft to menu board and 160 ft to first window. | UDC Sec. 89-21 use table; Sec. 89-80 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| MN-1 | Not allowed | Drive-thru service windows for drug stores are permitted in MN zoning districts to dispense pharmaceutical products only. MN restaurant itself is conditional; drive-thru limited to pharmacies. | UDC Sec. 89-80(c)(2); use table (restaurant = C in MN) | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| MN-1(c) | Not allowed | Drive-thru service windows for drug stores are permitted in MN zoning districts to dispense pharmaceutical products only. MN restaurant itself is conditional; drive-thru limited to pharmacies. Suffix/overlay "c" may add conditions - check. | UDC Sec. 89-80(c)(2); use table (restaurant = C in MN) | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| MN-1(cup) | Not allowed | Drive-thru service windows for drug stores are permitted in MN zoning districts to dispense pharmaceutical products only. MN restaurant itself is conditional; drive-thru limited to pharmacies. Suffix/overlay "cup" may add conditions - check. | UDC Sec. 89-80(c)(2); use table (restaurant = C in MN) | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| MN-2 | Not allowed | Drive-thru service windows for drug stores are permitted in MN zoning districts to dispense pharmaceutical products only. MN restaurant itself is conditional; drive-thru limited to pharmacies. | UDC Sec. 89-80(c)(2); use table (restaurant = C in MN) | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| MN-2(cup) | Not allowed | Drive-thru service windows for drug stores are permitted in MN zoning districts to dispense pharmaceutical products only. MN restaurant itself is conditional; drive-thru limited to pharmacies. Suffix/overlay "cup" may add conditions - check. | UDC Sec. 89-80(c)(2); use table (restaurant = C in MN) | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| PD | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 | |
| PI | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 | |
| RM-1 | Not allowed | Drive-through facilities are allowed in the MN, MX, D, CM, CH, IL, IH, and PD districts (residential not listed). Residential district. | UDC Sec. 89-80(c) | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| RM-1(c) | Not allowed | Drive-through facilities are allowed in the MN, MX, D, CM, CH, IL, IH, and PD districts (residential not listed). Residential district. | UDC Sec. 89-80(c) | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| RM-2 | Not allowed | Drive-through facilities are allowed in the MN, MX, D, CM, CH, IL, IH, and PD districts (residential not listed). Residential district. | UDC Sec. 89-80(c) | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| RM-2(c) | Not allowed | Drive-through facilities are allowed in the MN, MX, D, CM, CH, IL, IH, and PD districts (residential not listed). Residential district. | UDC Sec. 89-80(c) | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| RS-1 | Not allowed | Drive-through facilities are allowed in the MN, MX, D, CM, CH, IL, IH, and PD districts (residential not listed). Residential district. | UDC Sec. 89-80(c) | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| RS-1(c) | Not allowed | Drive-through facilities are allowed in the MN, MX, D, CM, CH, IL, IH, and PD districts (residential not listed). Residential district. | UDC Sec. 89-80(c) | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| RS-1(cup) | Not allowed | Drive-through facilities are allowed in the MN, MX, D, CM, CH, IL, IH, and PD districts (residential not listed). Residential district. | UDC Sec. 89-80(c) | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| RS-2 | Not allowed | Drive-through facilities are allowed in the MN, MX, D, CM, CH, IL, IH, and PD districts (residential not listed). Residential district. | UDC Sec. 89-80(c) | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| SPECIAL | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
"By right" means permitted with site plan and building permit review only. Overlay districts, planned developments (PD/PUD) and conditions attached to a past rezoning can change the answer for a single parcel.
Official zoning map layer
To find the district for a parcel, query the jurisdiction's own GIS zoning layer: https://services.arcgis.com/fOr4AY8t0ujnJsua/arcgis/rest/services/LCG_LDC_ZONING_DL/FeatureServer/0 (district field: UDC_ZONING)
Lafayette Consolidated Government UDC zoning (field UDC_ZONING). (c) = conditional zoning, (cup) = conditional use permit on that parcel.
Sources
How to confirm before you buy
- Look up the parcel on the official zoning map to get its district and any overlay.
- Open the code section linked in the table and read the use table and the drive-thru standards.
- Call the planning office and ask whether a drive-thru restaurant needs anything beyond site plan review at that address.
Why this library exists
I'm Luke Smith. I find land for drive-thru brands like 7 Brew, Ellianos Coffee and Starbucks, sign the tenant, build the shop and sell it as a net lease property. Every deal starts with the same question: is the use allowed here without a rezoning? Getting that answer takes too long, so we read the codes (with AI research help), and I publish what we find with a link back to every source so you can check it yourself.
If you have a site that fits a drive-thru, or you want to learn how these deals are put together, join the free Reverse Deal Finder community on Skool, see cap rates and land prices by brand, or call 1-760-392-1525. Brokers welcome: I pay commissions.