Louisiana property tax: 10% assessment and homestead exemption

How is a Louisiana home taxed?

Three separate steps decide the bill.

1. The assessor sets the value. Each assessor determines fair market value in his or her parish (Art. VII, § 18(D)). In Orleans Parish, the Orleans Parish Assessor sets the value and approves exemptions (City Bureau of Treasury).
2. The assessment ratio applies. Land and improvements for residential purposes are each listed at 10% of fair market value. Other property is listed at 15%, and public service property (excluding land) at 25% (§ 18(B)).
3. Local bodies set millage. A mill is one thousandth of a dollar. The tax is the taxable assessment, minus exemptions, times the millage rate. In New Orleans, the City Council and other boards set rates and the Bureau of Treasury collects.

Property must be reappraised at intervals of no more than four years (§ 18(F)). The City says Orleans Parish was reappraised in two phases, 75% of the city for the 2020 tax year and 25% for 2021.

What does the homestead exemption save?

The Constitution exempts a bona fide homestead, up to 160 acres, “owned and occupied” by its owners from state, parish and special ad valorem taxes to the extent of $7,500 of assessed valuation (§ 20(A)(1)). At a 10% ratio, that is the first $75,000 of market value. The City describes it the same way.

• One per person. No one may claim more than one homestead exemption in the state (§ 20(A)(8)).
• Who qualifies. The owner must be a natural person (or a trust created by one) who owns and occupies the home as a primary residence (§ 20(A)(5)).
• What it covers in Orleans. The exemption applies to state, general city, school, levee and levee district taxes (§ 20(A)(9)). The City lists three millages that are charged without the exemption: police 4.67, fire 4.62 and fire 2.22, or 11.51 mills in all.
• Timing in Orleans. The status of a property on August 1 generally decides its exemption for the following calendar year, except for the rule that the owner must own and occupy the home by December 31 of the year claimed (R.S. 47:1703(A)(2), (B)). If you close near those dates, ask the Assessor how they apply to you.
• Registration. The Orleans assessor must offer a form for permanent registration; the exemption stays valid without renewal while the owner and property qualify (R.S. 47:1703.1). Contact the Assessor at (504) 754-8811 or info@orleansassessors.com, per the City.

Is there a cap on increases?

Louisiana has two protections, both for homeowners with the homestead exemption.

Phase-in after a reappraisal. If a reappraisal raises the assessed value by more than 50% of the previous year’s value, the added tax is phased in over four years (one quarter, one half, three quarters, then full). The phase-in ends when the property is sold (§ 18(F)(2)).

Special assessment level. Owners who are 65 or older (and certain veterans, surviving spouses and people with permanent total disabilities) can have the assessment frozen at the first year they qualify. Adjusted gross income for the prior year must not exceed $100,000, adjusted yearly for inflation from tax year 2026. The Legislature’s text notes a proposed amendment, Acts 2025, No. 220, that would raise the limit to $150,000 from January 1, 2027, if ratified. The freeze ends on a sale, and a new owner may claim it only if eligible (§ 18(G)).

Example: a $300,000 house in New Orleans

This is an illustration using the City’s 2026 millage rates for an east bank home. It adds the Orleans Levee District’s 10.79 mills (Algiers pays 10.81 instead). It leaves out special district fees and flat neighborhood charges.

The exemption saves $903.60 in this example. Your bill depends on your taxing districts, your exact assessed value and any neighborhood security or improvement district. The City publishes flat fees of $100 and up for such districts.

The City has also posted a notice of a public hearing on November 5, 2026 to consider rolling forward millage rates for 2027. That is a proposal, not an adopted rate.

How do you appeal an assessment?

The calendar below applies to Orleans Parish.

Interest accrues at 1% per month on any unpaid balance. The City does not offer a formal installment plan, and not receiving a bill does not excuse a late payment. To dispute a bill, the City accepts a payment under protest in person at City Hall, with a letter and two checks. See closing costs, transfer tax and the New Orleans guide for related costs, and escrow accounts for how lenders collect the tax monthly.