Louisiana property tax by county

Property tax rate by county in Louisiana

Effective rate = median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024), tables B25103 and B25077.

Why county rates vary so much

Property tax is set locally, not by the state, so the rate depends on the county, city, school district, and special districts where a home sits, and on how those local budgets compare to local home values. A county with low home values can still have a high effective rate if its local budgets are large, and a wealthy county can have a low effective rate. The effective rate shown here is the median tax bill divided by the median home value, which is the standard way to compare places; your own bill depends on your assessment and any exemptions.

For Louisiana's income and retirement taxes, see Louisiana income tax and Louisiana retirement taxes.

How does Louisiana assess homes for property tax?

Louisiana assesses homes at 10% of market value, the same in every county. Land and residential improvements are assessed at 10% of fair market value, so a $250,000 home has a $25,000 assessed value. Assessors are parish officials, since Louisiana calls its counties parishes.

Reappraisal at intervals of not more than four years, with individual parishes free to do it more often.

Is there a homestead exemption in Louisiana?

Yes. Louisiana has a homestead exemption of $75,000, applied to fair market value on an owner-occupied homestead. Louisiana's constitution states this exemption as $7,500 of assessed value, which at the 10% ratio is the first $75,000 of market value. Both numbers describe the same benefit. The important limit is that it generally does not cover municipal taxes, so a homeowner inside city limits still pays full city millage on the exempt portion. Orleans Parish and any municipal tax levied for schools are the exceptions.

Other state relief for homeowners:

• Seniors and disabled owners: The Special Assessment Level, often called the senior freeze, locks your homestead's assessed value in place rather than exempting a dollar amount. You qualify at 65 or older, as a veteran with a 50% or greater service-connected disability, as a service member missing in action or a prisoner of war for more than 90 days, or if permanently and totally disabled. Adjusted gross income must be $100,000 or less, adjusted for inflation from 2026 and rising to $150,000 in 2027. You lose the frozen value if you sell or if improvements raise the home's value more than 25%.
• Disabled veterans: Veterans get an additional exemption stacked on top of the homestead exemption, in tiers by disability rating. A 50% to 69% rating exempts another $2,500 of assessed value, roughly $100,000 of market value in total. A 70% to 99% rating exempts another $4,500, roughly $120,000 in total. A 100% unemployability or total disability rating exempts the entire remaining value of the homestead.
• There is no separate owner-occupancy credit; the homestead exemption is that benefit and already requires you to live there. Millage rates are set by each parish and its taxing districts.

Louisiana sets these rules and each county's property tax office applies them, which is where the application, the filing deadline and the form come from. Some counties add programs of their own; where we have checked a county, its page lists them.

When are property taxes due in Louisiana?

One annual payment, due no later than December 31 and collected by the parish sheriff, or by the City of New Orleans in Orleans Parish. Unpaid taxes are delinquent on January 1 and accrue 1% per month in simple interest, with a 5% penalty added if the lien goes to auction.

That is the state rule. Each county issues and collects its own bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.

How do you appeal a property assessment in Louisiana?

You contest the assessed value with the Parish assessor, then the parish Board of Review, then the Louisiana Tax Commission. The filing deadline is typically varies by parish, within a statutory window. Assessment lists are exposed for public inspection for 15 days somewhere between August 15 and September 15, or for 32 days between July 15 and August 15 in Orleans Parish. Your appeal must reach the parish Board of Review at least seven days before its public hearing. Each parish sets its own dates within that window, so check with your assessor.

Louisiana property-tax rules from primary state sources (revenue department and statute), reviewed September 7, 2026. Exemption amounts and credits change; confirm the current figures with your county assessor. Sources: assessment, exemptions, due dates, appeals.