| Assessor Brian Wilson |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Tax sales and adjudication
of property to the Parish
In the event that your taxes are not paid by a certain date, the Sheriff’s Office will advertise your property for sale to the general public to collect the unpaid taxes. On the advertised date, the property will be subjected to a tax sale. If no one buys the property at the tax sale, the property will then be adjudicated to the Parish of East Baton Rouge in compliance with the laws of the State of Louisiana. It is important to remember that any property that has been sold for non-payment of taxes or adjudicated to the parish can be redeemed within a limited period of time. It is equally important to be advised that after a certain period of time, a property owner can actually lose his property and thus his entire investment for failure to redeem his property from a tax sale or adjudication to the Parish.
The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff and Tax Collector handles all redemptions on tax sale and adjudicated property. It is the responsibility of the property owner to pay all taxes, penalties, and redemption costs to the Sheriff’s Office.
As a property owner, please be aware that there are large in and out-of-state companies that capitalize on the Louisiana tax sale process. Each year, these companies come to Louisiana and pay millions of dollars to acquire property at the Sheriff’s annual tax sale. Under Louisiana law, a tax deed buyer can earn as much as 17% interest on his investment for the first year. This has become big business for many corporations. One of the goals of this website is to educate the public on the pitfalls that they may encounter in the ad valorem tax process.
Sale of Surplus Property by City Parish
If the property taxes on a piece of property have not been paid, and the property has been adjudicated to the Parish, you may contact the Parish Attorney’s Office to determine if the property is eligible for sale. Be aware that adjudicated property purchased from the parish may not have a clear title.
If your property has been purchased by a tax buyer for non-payment of taxes, you must first fully redeem your property in the sheriff’s office before you are allowed to sign a homestead exemption in our office.