Frequently Asked Questions

The 2024 property tax bills are now available online.  The deadline for payment has been extended to March 15, 2024. 

Property tax bill questions

When should I expect to receive a bill for Real Property taxes?

Tax bills are typically mailed during late December of each year for the upcoming tax year. The mailing date is subject to change depending on when the City sets the mill levy and when the bills are printed.

When are Property Taxes due?

Property taxes are usually due January 31 of each year.

What should I do if I do not receive a Real Property tax bill?

You can view your account on the tax payment portal or you can contact the Treasury department at (504) 658-1712 or taxresearchunit@nola.gov.

There is “Tax Sale Costs” on my bill.  What are tax sale costs?

Tax sale costs are the costs associated with preparing the property for the upcoming tax sale.  The New Orleans Code of Ordinances Sec. 150-50. (a)(4) that the charge is collectible from the property owner in the same manner as the tax.

There is a LIEN on my property Tax Bill.  What is a lien?  Can I pay my taxes first?

A lien is a form of security interest granted over an item of property to secure the payment of a debt or performance of some other obligation.  If there is no homestead exemption on the property, any payment to this property tax bill will be applied to any lien placed on your property pursuant to city code prior to being applied to your taxes.

Under city code 6-39(d) “Any monies collected pursuant to this chapter shall first satisfy all outstanding municipal liens recorded against an immovable property and only when all outstanding municipal liens are satisfied in full shall monies be applied towards an immovable property’s ad valorem taxes.” 

Additionally, "the provisions of subsection (d) shall not apply to monies received as a result of the enforcement of a lien and privilege encumbering an occupied residential property with a valid homestead exemption, except in circumstances where the property is currently permitted for short-term rental use or where the lien and privilege arises from a violation of Chapter 26, Title XI of the Code of the City of New Orleans."

The Department of Code Enforcement administers this program they are located at 1340 Poydras Street Suite 1100 New Orleans, LA  70112. Phone (504) 658-5050. www.nola.gov/code-enforcement/

Why do I have pay penalty and interest on a late payment when I never received my tax bill?

It is the property owner's responsibility to ensure their taxes are paid timely each year.

Failure to receive a tax bill does not relieve the taxpayer of responsibility for timely payment or constitute cause for cancelation of penalty, interest or costs in cases of delinquency.

My tax assessment increased by 50% or greater, how am I impacted?

What is Act 718 of (2018)

Act 718 of 2018 is a constitutional amendment that provides that in a reassessment year, if the assessed value on residential property subject to the homestead exemption increases by greater than 50% of the amount of the property's assessed value in the previous year, the collector shall phase-in the additional tax liability resulting from the increase in the property's assessed value over a four-year period.

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Who is impacted?

  • Real estate properties with an assessment increase greater than 50% from the prior reassessment year.
  • Properties in Orleans Parish were reassessed in two phases; 75% of the City was reassessed in 2019 for the 2020 tax year and the other 25% was reassessed in 2020 for the 2021 tax year.

Who qualifies for the Phase-in?

  • Current residential and mixed-use property owners with a reassessment of greater than 50% subject to a homestead exemption for the year of implementation
  • Qualified parcels have an “Act 718” indicator on the tax bill

Who doesn’t qualify?

  • Commercial Business Owners
  • Real Estate property owners without a homestead exemption in the year of implementation
  • New Real Estate property owners who purchase property already subject to Act 718
  • Real Estate property owners who have improvement value as a result of new construction in the year of implementation

Note:  If an appeal is approved to lower a property assessment below 50%, the property would no longer qualify for the phase-in and a revised bill for the full amount of taxes will become due.

Property tax payment questions

Can I pay my Real Property taxes via Internet or phone (i.e., using electronic check or credit card)?

Yes, the City of New Orleans offers two forms of electronic payment, electronic check and debit / credit card:

  1. The e-check option does not include a service charge. 
  2. The credit / debit card payment option will include a third party fee of approximately 2.49% of the tax amount paid. 

Both options are available online or by phone at (888) 387-8027.

The City offers both electronic payment options as a way to provide additional choice and convenience to customers making payment on property taxes.

What Forms Of Payment Does Treasury Accept?

Cash, checks, money orders, or cashier checks are accepted for regular tax payments.  For tax sale and adjudication redemptions, payment must be cash or cashier’s check.

Who do I make my check payable to?

Make checks, money orders, or cashier checks payable to: City of New Orleans.

What address do I use to make a payment?

Mailing Address:
Bureau of Treasury – Property Tax Bureau – Department 165025 – P.O. Box 62600 – New Orleans, LA  70162-2600

Physical Address:
City of New Orleans – Bureau of Treasury – 1300 Perdido Street – Room 1W40 – New Orleans, LA  70112

Note:  Please indicate your Parcel ID (address) or Alt ID (tax bill number) when making payment to ensure payment is applied to the proper account.

*Failure to include the department number may cause a delay in processing or the postal service may return your parcel.  The City of New Orleans will not waive interest for failure to include the department number and the parcel is returned to sender.

Payments mailed to an address other than those listed above, including but not limited to the Bureau of Revenue or the Orleans Parish Assessor's Office, that are received by the Bureau of Treasury after the delinquency date are considered delinquent and interest will be imposed.

Mailing your payment to the P.O. Box with a printout from our website may delay processing.

What is the interest rate if I do not pay my property taxes timely?

The interest rate charged is 1% above of the tax amount per month. The interest rate is multiplied by the unpaid principal balance and charges accrue monthly.

Can partial payments be made on Property taxes?

Yes, but a partial payment does not suspend the interest or tax sale costs from being applied to the account.  Partial payments may be made in person or via postal mail; partial payments cannot be made online.

Are advance payments for Property taxes accepted?  And if so, how far in advance?

Unfortunately the City of New Orleans cannot accept advance payments at this time.

I mailed a payment but it hasn’t posted to my account.  What should I do?

If the payment hasn’t posted at least fourteen (14) days following the date it was mailed, verify with your banking institution as to whether or not the check has cleared.  If the check has cleared, forward a copy of the front and back of the cancelled check to our office and the payment will be researched.  If the check has not cleared, it is possible that the payment was lost in the mail.

Refunds questions

***Effective July 17, 2023, we updated our refund process.  The intent of the NEW process is to be more efficient and more expedient.***  Please bear with us as we phase out our old process.

The Assessor’s Office approved my homestead exemption.  Can I pick up the refund form from the office?

When applying for a homestead exemption, the Orleans Parish Assessor’s Office must submit a change order to the Louisiana Tax Commission (LTC).  The LTC must approve the homestead exemption.  Once the homestead exemption is approved by the LTC, the Bureau of Treasury receives a file of the approvals.  Once the approvals are loaded to our database, a credit memo will be mailed.

Effective July 17, 2023, any homestead exemptions approved thereafter no longer require a refund application.  As the Bureau of Treasury receives the data from the Assessor's Office, a credit memo will be mailed to the address on file.  Refunds will then be reviewed and processed.

If your approval was prior to July 17, 2023, a completed refund application is still required.

If my taxes are overpaid how do I receive a refund?

If the overpayment was due to a homestead exemption or reduction of assessment, a credit memo will be mailed to the property address.  If the overpayment was due to a duplicate payment, the homeowner should contact the Treasury office at (504) 658-1712 or taxresearchunit@nola.gov.

Will I receive a refund of overpaid taxes if my value is adjusted after I have paid the taxes based on the higher value?

Yes, a credit memo and refund will be mailed to the property address.

When should I expect my refund check?

If you’ve submitted a refund application, the refund process typically takes 30-45 business days from the receipt of the application and the supporting documents. If a refund application is incomplete upon submission, it could delay the process. 

For refunds created after July 17, 2023, the refund process will take approximately two (2) weeks.

Can I apply the refund to my future bill?

For credits $100.00 or greater generated after July 17, 2023, The Bureau of Treasury will no longer apply credits to future bills.  For properties with credits/refunds generated after July 17, 2023 that are greater that $100, the Bureau of Treasury will process a refund check. 

If your credit was generated before July 17, 2023 AND is greater than $100, yes, the refund may be applied to your future bill.  Please notify our office of your desire to have the refund credited to your account.

All credits/ refunds under $100 will be applied to future bills.

Tax Sales & Adjudication questions

What is a tax sale or an adjudication?

According to State statutes, a tax sale is a sale of redeemable property claim to a 3rd party.

An adjudication is a sale of redeemable property claim to the City.

How do I prevent my property from going to Tax Sale?

All liens, taxes, interest and tax sale costs must be paid in full by the beginning of the scheduled sale, to prevent the property from going to sale.

Is my property eligible for Tax Sale?

Properties with taxes and liens due for the three prior years are eligible for the current year’s Tax Sale. (For example, if a property has a tax bill with outstanding taxes for 2008, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, only the taxes for years 2020, 2021, and 2022 will be eligible for the 2023 Tax Sale.)

Any payments made will be applied to the oldest delinquent debt, excluding Code Enforcement Liens (i.e. Property has outstanding taxes due for 2008, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. Any payment made will first be applied to year 2008, then 2020, 2021, 2022, and lastly 2023.

My property went to tax sale. Now what?

Properties involved in a tax sale must be redeemed. A redemption results in the property claim of tax sale or adjudication being removed.

Generally, for tax sales, the redemption period is 3 years from the date the tax sale certificate is recorded. A valid blight judgement reduces the redemption period to 18 months.

For adjudications, the redemption period can range from 3-5 years from the date the lien certificate was recorded.

I didn’t redeem the property within the redemptive period, now what?

A tax sale beyond the statutory 3-year redemptive period becomes a civil matter—legal council is advisable. Tax sale purchaser information is available upon request by contacting the Redemption Unit. An unresolved adjudication to the City can result in property loss at auction at a Sale of Adjudicated Property.

How do I learn more about tax or adjudication sales, liens, deeds and ownership?

To find out if a property will be sold through a Tax Sale or an Adjudication Sale, contact CivicSource at:

Call (888) 387-8033
Visit CivicSource.com

For information on a Code Enforcement Lien, contact the Department of Code Enforcement at:

Call (504) 658-5050, (504) 658-4346
Email CEpayoffrequest@nola.gov
Visit https://nola.gov/code-enforcement/

For information on property deeds and other records, contact the Clerk of Civil District Court Land Records Division at:

Call (504) 407-0005
Email civilclerkandrecords@orleanscdc.com
Visit orleanscivilclerk.com

To find out ownership of a property, contact the Orleans Parish Assessor’s Office at:

Call (504) 754-8811
Email info@orleansassessors.com
Visit nolaassessor.com

Property & Address updates

How do I change my mailing address on my account(s)?

Address changes should be made with the Orleans Parish Assessor’s Office at:

City of New Orleans – 1300 Perdido Street – Room 4E01 – New Orleans, LA  70112

You can also call (504) 754-8811.

What should I do if I recently sold my property, but I am still getting the tax bill?

Contact the Orleans Parish Assessor’s Office at (504) 754-8811.

How do I change my mailing address on my account(s)?
Address changes should be made with the Orleans Parish Assessor’s Office at:

City of New Orleans – 1300 Perdido Street – Room 4E01 – New Orleans, LA  70112

You can also call (504) 754-8811

What should I do if I recently sold my property, but I am still getting the tax bill?
Contact the Orleans Parish Assessor’s Office at (504) 754-8811.