Ascension Parish Property Tax: Rates, Exemptions, and Appeals

Ascension Parish property tax is calculated by applying a combined millage rate — generally between 100 and 120 mills depending on where in the parish you live — to the assessed value of your property, which Louisiana sets at 10% of fair market value for a home and 15% for most commercial property.¹ Bills go out in late fall and must be paid by December 31 of the tax year.² The homestead exemption, the senior freeze, and a short annual appeal window are the main tools for keeping that bill lower than it would otherwise be.

How Your Tax Bill Is Calculated

The Ascension Parish Assessor sets a fair market value for every parcel in the parish. Louisiana then applies a fixed ratio to convert that market value into an assessed value, and the millage rates are applied to the assessed figure, not to the full market price.¹ For a home, the ratio is 10%. For most commercial property, it is 15%. Public service property runs at 25%.

Your total millage is not one parish-wide number. It is a stack of individual levies — school board, law enforcement, library, fire, drainage, lighting, levee, assessment district, and sometimes a municipal rate if you live inside Gonzales or Donaldsonville. School millages alone account for more than half of a typical homeowner’s bill. The Ascension Parish Assessor publishes the full current table each year.³

A rough calculation for a $250,000 owner-occupied home in an unincorporated area with a combined millage of about 115 mills looks like this:

Fair market value: $250,000
Assessed value at 10%: $25,000
Homestead exemption: −$7,500
Taxable assessed value: $17,500
Tax bill (17,500 × 0.115): about $2,013

Louisiana requires reassessment at intervals of no more than four years, so your market value — and therefore your bill — can jump in a reassessment year.¹ The assessment notice that arrives in late summer is your signal to check the new value and, if needed, start an appeal.

The Homestead Exemption

If you own and occupy your home as a primary residence, the homestead exemption removes the first $7,500 of assessed value from taxation.⁴ Because residential property is assessed at 10%, that shields the first $75,000 of market value. On a modest home it can erase most of the bill; on a larger one it still saves several hundred dollars a year.

You can only claim it on one property, and you have to actually live there. The Ascension Parish Assessor’s office requires an application with proof of residency, typically a Louisiana driver’s license showing the property address and a utility bill.⁵ Once filed, the exemption stays in place as long as you own and occupy the home. If you bought recently and never applied, you are paying more than you should.

Senior Freeze for Homeowners 65 and Older

Homeowners 65 or older who already have the homestead exemption can apply for the Special Assessment Level, commonly called the Senior Freeze. It locks the assessed value in place so future reassessments cannot push it up. Millage rates can still rise, so the tax bill itself is not frozen, but the assessed value is.⁶

For 2026, the combined adjusted gross income of all owners must not exceed $102,700. Starting with the 2026 tax year, the limit will be adjusted annually for inflation using the Consumer Price Index.⁶ The same freeze is available to homeowners who are permanently and totally disabled, regardless of age, under the same income cap.

Disabled Veteran Exemptions

Disabled veterans receive relief on top of the standard homestead exemption, scaled to their VA disability rating:⁷

50% to 69% rating: an additional $2,500 of assessed value exempt, for $10,000 total
70% to 99% rating: an additional $4,500 exempt, for $12,000 total
100% disabled or totally unemployable: the full assessed value is exempt, meaning no property tax on the home

Surviving spouses of veterans who held the qualifying rating keep the exemption as long as they continue to own and live in the property, whether or not the exemption was already in place when the veteran died.⁷

When and How to Pay

The Ascension Parish Sheriff collects property tax for the parish.⁸ Bills arrive in late fall and are due by December 31 of the tax year.² You can pay in person at the sheriff’s office, by mail, or online through the sheriff’s portal. Online card payments carry a 3.45% convenience fee, which adds roughly $69 to a $2,000 bill, so a mailed check avoids the surcharge.⁹

Any balance left after December 31 is delinquent. Interest runs at 1% per month, non-compounding, starting the day after the due date.¹⁰ That is a flat 12% a year. A property with unpaid base tax, interest, or penalties is subject to the parish’s annual tax lien auction.⁹

What Happens If You Don’t Pay

As of January 1, 2026, Louisiana no longer sells the property itself at a tax sale. The tax collector sells a tax lien certificate against the property, and the owner keeps a path to redeem. The 2026 Ascension Parish tax lien auction is scheduled for June 24, 2026.⁹

At the auction, bidders compete by naming the lowest monthly interest rate they will accept, with a floor of 0.7% per month. The lowest bidder wins the lien.¹¹ To clear the lien and keep your property, you have to pay the amount the lien buyer paid at auction, interest at the auction rate (capped at 1% per month), a 5% penalty, and any costs. If the lien holder also paid later years’ taxes for you, those amounts get added with the same penalty and interest structure.¹² The longer redemption drags on, the more it costs. If you never redeem, the lien holder can eventually ask a court to sell the property.

Appealing Your Assessment

If the assessor’s fair market value on your home looks too high, you have a short window to push back. Assessment lists in Ascension Parish open for public inspection for 15 calendar days, starting no earlier than August 15 and ending no later than September 15 each year.¹³ The Ascension Parish Council sits as the Board of Review to hear complaints.

To get a hearing, your complaint must be filed at least seven days before the Board of Review’s public hearing date, in person, by certified mail, or by fax.¹³ Miss that deadline and you have waived the challenge for the year.

Bring evidence that the assessed market value exceeds what the home would actually sell for. Recent comparable sales in your neighborhood carry the most weight. A professional appraisal is stronger evidence, though residential appraisals typically run $300 to $1,200. Photographs of damage or deferred maintenance help. Showing up to say the bill feels too high, with nothing to back it, rarely moves the board. If the board rules against you, the next step is an appeal to the Louisiana Tax Commission on Form 3103.A, filed within 30 calendar days of the written decision.¹⁴

A Note for Business Owners

If you operate a business in the parish, Louisiana requires you to report moveable business assets — furniture, fixtures, machinery, equipment, and inventory — to the assessor each year on Form LAT 5. The form is due April 1 or 45 days after you receive it, whichever is later. If you don’t file, the assessor estimates your property value, and you lose the right to appeal that estimate.¹⁵ Because commercial property is assessed at 15%, an inflated estimate on unreported assets translates directly into a larger bill you can’t contest.

1
Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Constitution Article VII Section 18 – Ad Valorem Taxes
2
Ascension Parish Assessor. About Our Office
3
Ascension Parish Assessor. 2025 Ascension Parish Millages
4
Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Revised Statutes 47:1703 – Exemptions
5
Ascension Parish Assessor. Homestead Exemption
6
Ascension Parish Assessor. Special Assessment Level Freeze
7
FindLaw. Louisiana Constitution of 1974 Art VII Sect 21
8
Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Revised Statutes 13:5539 – Sheriffs Duties
9
Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office. Pay Property Taxes
10
Justia Law. Louisiana Revised Statutes 47:2127 – Time for Payment
11
Justia Law. Louisiana Revised Statutes 47:2154 – Tax Lien Auctions Time of Auction Price
12
Louisiana State Legislature. Notice of Delinquency Tax Lien Holder Tax Lien Auction
13
Justia Law. Louisiana Revised Statutes 47:1992 – Inspection of Assessment Lists
14
Cornell Law Institute. Louisiana Administrative Code Title 61 V-3103 – Appeals to the Louisiana Tax Commission
15
Cornell Law Institute. Louisiana Administrative Code Title 61 V-307 – Personal Property Report Forms