Special Assessment Level

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State

Louisiana

Year

2021

Variations in Receipt of Benefit

No Variation in Receipt of Benefits

Benefit Type

Assessment Freeze

Benefit

Assessed value remains fixed at the value of property the 1st year that the owner qualifies for and receives the special assessment level.

How is Benefit Disbursed

Exemption from assessed value

Eligible Property Type

Residential

Characteristics of Eligible Property

Eligible property includes the bona fide homestead, consisting of one or more tracts of land, not exceeding 160 acres, owned and occupied by any person or persons owning the property. The same homestead exemption shall also fully apply to the primary residence, including a mobile home.

Eligibility Criteria

Age

Disability

Homeowner

Income Ceiling

Veteran

Other Criteria

Description of Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for special assessment, residential property must be receiving the homestead exemption. Eligibility is limited to (1) people who are 65 years of age or older; (2) people who have a service-connected disability rating of 50% or more by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs; (3) members of the armed forces of the United States or the Louisiana National Guard who owned and last occupied such property who are killed in action, or who are missing in action or are a prisoner of war for a period exceeding 90 days; or (4) any person or persons permanently totally disabled as determined by a final non-appealable judgment of a court or as certified by a state or federal administrative agency charged with the responsibility for making determinations regarding disability. Surviving spouses may qualify for special assessment if they remain owner of the property. Surviving spouses of those who qualified as being person 65 or older must be 55 or older or have minor children. For those who had service-connected disabilities, the surviving spouse must be 45 or older. A person or persons' 2020 federal adjusted gross income must not exceed $100,000, filing in 2021. If the value of the property increases more than 25% because of construction or reconstruction it no longer qualifies for special assessment level.

Local Option in Adoption of Program

Local government is unable to exercise an option

Local Option Regarding Program Features

No local option regarding program features

State Funding for Local Tax Loss

Local government covers all of its tax loss

Record ID

LA103_RR21

Footnotes

Application forms are available at a parish assessor's office. Any owner entitled to the special assessment who is unable to occupy the homestead due to damage or destruction caused by a disaster or emergency declared by the governor shall be entitled to keep the special assessment level prior to its damage or destruction on the repaired or rebuilt homestead provided the repaired or rebuilt homestead is reoccupied by the owner within 5 years following the disaster. If the property owner receives a homestead exemption on another homestead during the same 5 year period, the damaged or destroyed property shall not be entitled to keep the special assessment level, and the land and buildings shall be assessed in that year at the percentage of fair market value. In addition, the owner must also maintain the homestead exemption to qualify for the special assessment level. Under certain conditions extensions of up to two additional years to the "return and reoccupy" provision may be granted and up to 3 one-year extensions after that.

Sources

La. Admin. Code tit. 61, pt. 5, § 101 (in effect 2021)

Source Constitution:

La. Const. Art. VII, §18 (G)

Louisiana House of Representatives - House Fiscal Division, Louisiana Property Tax Basics, (2017)
[http://house.louisiana.gov/housefiscal/DOCS_TAXREV/2014_Louisiana%20Property%20Tax%20Basics.pdf Accessed 01/22/2022]
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