FAQ
What does the Assessor’s Office do?
How is my property value determined?
What is a millage/How are my property taxes spent?
What is a Homestead Exemption?
How do I calculate property taxes?
How does my Non-Profit apply for an exemption?
What are Special Assessments/How do I find out if I qualify for a Special Assessment?
How do I dispute my Assessment?
How do I pay my taxes online?
What is Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal (CAMA)?
What does the Assessor’s Office do?
The Assessor's Office places value on land, homes, commercial buildings and other taxable property in Orleans Parish as fairly and accurately as possible.
The Orleans Parish Assessor utilizes a computer-assisted mass appraisal system for maintaining property data and values to achieve greater tax equity through a uniform, transparent automated system. The public can access this data by using the Search Records function.
The Assessor’s Office is your ally in helping a property owner review the facts about a property’s record, its features, and its comparison to other neighboring properties so an accurate, fair value can be set.
Back to Top
How is my property value determined?
A variety of tools are used to assess a property’s value based on whether the property is residential or commercial, and whether or not the property produces income for the owner. When accurate and sufficient data is available, analyzing the sales prices of homes within a neighborhood is useful for setting residential value. However, size, depreciation schedules, construction costs, income and expense data may also play a part when determining a property’s value.
Back to Top
What is a millage/How are my property taxes spent?
Property taxes are levied by what is known as a millage rate. One “mill” is one-tenth of one percent or .001. There are 14 different public authorities that receive a portion of property taxes collected in Orleans Parish, or millages.
Property taxes pay for street repairs, water and sewerage systems, levees, and to keep government services, like the police and fire departments, operating. Some neighborhoods have voted to levy additional fees for their geographic district to support enhanced security, economic development or other special purposes. Two examples are the Downtown Development District and the Garden District Security District.
Below is a complete list of parish-wide millages:
Back to Top
What is a Homestead Exemption?
The Homestead Exemption was set by voters in 1980 at $75,000 and is covered by Article VII, Section 20 of the Louisiana Constitution. The Homestead Exemption is permanent for as long as the individual owns and resides at that property in Orleans Parish.
Only one Homestead Exemption can be granted per home that is owned and permanently occupied as a domicile by a resident in Louisiana. A Homestead Exemption cannot be applied to a property that an individual owns but does not live in day-to-day. For example, someone cannot live in Atlanta and receive a Homestead Exemption for a home they own in Orleans Parish.
Homestead Exemption Information
Back to Top
How do I calculate property taxes?
Because of special security or development taxing districts levied by individual neighborhoods in Orleans Parish, as well as a special police and fire millage which is never exempt from payment by any homeowner, the best way to calculate your property taxes is to use our online Tax Estimator.
The following sample property tax worksheet uses 2011 Orleans Parish millage rates and a home valued at $100,000.
Back to Top
How does my Non-Profit apply for an exemption?
Non-Profit Organizations must apply to the Assessor’s Office for property tax exemptions for any non-income producing properties in their possession. The list of all approved Non-Profit exemptions will be published in a local official journal.
To obtain an exemption, a Non-Profit Organization must provide this documentation to the Assessor’s Office:
1. State of Louisiana Non-Profit Exemption Application;
2. Determination Ruling Letter from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS);
3. IRS T-900 Form;
4. Articles of Incorporation; and
5. State of Louisiana Non-Profit Certification.
All Non-Profit properties will be inspected regularly by the Assessor’s Office to determine continued eligibility.
Back to Top
What are Special Assessments/How do I find out if I qualify for a Special Assessment?
Homeowners who are 65 years of age or older, have a permanent disability, or are the documented surviving spouse of a member of the armed forces or Louisiana National Guard killed in action, missing in action, or a prisoner of war may be able to “freeze” the value at which their home is assessed if they meet certain conditions. The homeowner must have a Homestead Exemption applied to the property for which he/she is seeking the Special Assessment and an adjusted gross income of $65,891 for the 2012 tax year. The tax millage rate is applied to this frozen property value. Other than age-related freezes for homeowners 65 and older, all Special Assessments must be reapplied for annually.
Age-related abatements or “freezes” must be documented by:
1. A valid Louisiana photo ID/driver’s license (address must correspond to property on application); and
2. Proof of income.
The homeowner must be age 65 by August 1st in the year preceding the year the freeze goes into effect.
Disability-related abatements or “freezes” must be documented by:
1. A valid Louisiana photo ID/driver’s license (address must correspond to property on application); and
2. A signed medical document proving permanent disability that is confirmed by the federal or state court of jurisdiction; or
3. A service-connected disability of over 50 percent, with a Veterans Administration letter of determination.
Back to Top
How do I dispute my Assessment?
When a property owner disagrees with the estimated market value the Assessor has placed on a property, the owner is allowed to personally appeal to the Assessor for review during the 15 working days when the tax rolls are open for public inspection on August 1. Instructions for appeals are on your property valuation notice or you may contact (504) 658-1300. The appeal forms are also available at www.nolaassessor.com.
During the 15-day open rolls period in August, bring as much information as you can to dispute the assessment during your visit to the Assessor’s Office. Once this period ends, the assessment rolls are closed and certified. The taxpayer can then appeal to the local Board of Review to continue the appeals process, if necessary, but you must have tried to resolve the matter first with the Assessor’s Office.
You do not dispute or “appeal” your property assessment to your Assessor because you think your taxes are too high. That is a discussion to take up with the taxing authorities. Property assessment appeals are made to the Assessor because you think the value placed on your property is too high because of inaccurate estimations on its size (i.e., the living area of your home is 1600 square feet not 2000), or that other neighboring properties have been valued or recently sold at a relatively lower market value than the estimated value of your property.
How Can I Appeal My Assessment?
Back to Top
How do I pay my taxes online?
You can pay your taxes online by visiting http://www.nola.gov/HOME/Pay-Taxes/.
Back to Top
What is Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal (CAMA)?
The Orleans Parish Assessor employs a Computer-Assisted Mass Appraisal – or CAMA – system to make the revaluation process as fair, equitable and comprehensive as possible. The key ingredient in a CAMA system is “data”: gathering it, analyzing and reporting it, and integrating it into a functional formula that helps keep property valuations current and accurate.
Your Assessor’s Office reviews residential, commercial, business and personal properties to determine their valuation. Detailed and accurate inspection data, along with land sales, land uses and imaging and maps, are entered into the CAMA system to create “neighborhoods”. An assessment “neighborhood” shows uniformity for similar property characteristics rather than mere geographic boundaries.
A Geographic Information System, or GIS, enhances the property assessment functions of CAMA. GIS integrates data and pictometry to capture, manage, analyze and display all property information in Orleans Parish in a geographically-referenced format. This enables the individual to view, understand, question, interpret and visualize data in ways that reveal relationships, patterns and trends in the form of maps and reports which define “neighborhoods” in a way more conducive to assessment planning.
Because your Assessor’s office is committed to CAMA, the data collected by the office attempts to meet a high standard of fair and effective government.
The Mass Appraisal Process
Back to Top
|
