Bossier Parish property tax is calculated by taking 10% of your home’s fair market value, subtracting the homestead exemption of up to $7,500 in assessed value (roughly the first $75,000 of market value), and multiplying what remains by the combined millage rate for your taxing district. The Bossier Parish Assessor sets the value, the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office mails the bill in November, and payment is due by December 31. Miss that date and interest starts running at 1% per month.
How Your Bill Is Calculated
Louisiana’s constitution sets fixed assessment ratios. Residential land and improvements are assessed at 10% of fair market value, and commercial property at 15%.1Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Constitution Article VII, Section 18 – Ad Valorem Taxes A home the Assessor values at $200,000 therefore carries an assessed value of $20,000.
That assessed value gets multiplied by your area’s millage rate. A mill is one dollar of tax per $1,000 of assessed value, so a combined rate of 120 mills on a $20,000 assessment produces a $2,400 annual bill. Rates vary across the parish because properties fall into different combinations of taxing districts: school board, law enforcement, fire protection, library, and others. Voters approve or renew each millage at local elections, so the combined rate can shift from year to year.
Homestead Exemption
The homestead exemption shields up to $7,500 of assessed value from state, parish, and special property taxes. Because residences are assessed at 10% of market value, this effectively exempts the first $75,000 of your home’s value.2Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Constitution Article VII, Section 20 – Homestead Exemption On the $200,000 home above, only $12,500 of the $20,000 assessed value remains taxable after the exemption is applied.
To qualify, you must own and occupy the property as your primary residence. Apply at the Bossier Parish Assessor’s office with a recorded deed, a Louisiana driver’s license showing the property address, and your Social Security number. The exemption does not follow you automatically if you move. File a new application any time you change your primary residence.
Extra Relief for Seniors and Disabled Veterans
Two additional benefits stack on top of the homestead exemption.
Assessment Freeze at Age 65
If you are 65 or older and your combined adjusted gross income does not exceed $102,700, you can lock in your home’s current assessed value. The Special Assessment Level holds that figure steady even as surrounding values rise. The income cap is adjusted annually by the Consumer Price Index starting in tax year 2026.3Ascension Parish Assessor. Special Assessment Level Freeze Apply at the Assessor’s office with proof of age and income. Selling the property ends the freeze.
Disabled Veteran Exemptions
Veterans with a service-connected disability get further relief based on their rating:
- 100% disability, individual unemployability, or total disability: exempt from all property taxes
- 70% to 99% disability: additional $4,500 of assessed value exempt
- 50% to 69% disability: additional $2,500 of assessed value exempt
These are on top of the standard homestead exemption.4MyArmyBenefits. Louisiana Military and Veterans Benefits Bring your VA disability rating letter when you apply.
When and How to Pay
The Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office mails tax notices during November. Bills are due upon receipt and become delinquent after December 31.5Bossier City, LA. Frequently Asked Questions – Section: Property Tax If you mail your payment, the envelope must be postmarked by that date, so confirm the postmark at the counter rather than dropping it in a box.
You have three ways to pay:
- In person with cash, check, or money order at the Bossier Parish Courthouse, 204 Burt Boulevard, Benton, LA 71006.6Bossier City, LA. Parish Property Tax Bill Locations
- By mail to the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Tax Division at the courthouse address, with your tax notice account number written on the check.
- Online through the Sheriff’s payment portal, where you can search by notice number, parcel number, name, or address. A convenience fee applies.7Bossier Parish Sheriff. Bossier Parish Online Property Tax Payment and Search
Partial payments are not accepted. Keep your receipt.
What Happens If You Miss the Deadline
Starting January 1, interest accrues at 1% per month on a noncompounding basis until the balance is paid.8Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Revised Statutes RS 47-2153 If the bill stays unpaid, the parish holds a tax lien auction, typically in June.5Bossier City, LA. Frequently Asked Questions – Section: Property Tax
Louisiana changed how this process works effective January 1, 2026. The parish no longer sells the property at a tax sale. Instead, the tax collector auctions a lien, and the winning bidder receives a tax lien certificate recorded in the mortgage records.8Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Revised Statutes RS 47-2153 The auction does not transfer ownership or possession. The lien holder cannot evict you or collect rent during the termination period.
To clear the lien, you pay what the buyer paid at auction, plus a 5% penalty, interest of up to 1% per month noncompounding, and any reimbursable costs. If the lien holder paid your taxes in later years as well, those amounts get added to the payoff with their own 5% penalty and interest.8Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Revised Statutes RS 47-2153 If the lien is never terminated, the certificate holder can eventually go to court to enforce it, which could end in a sheriff’s sale of the property.
The penalty hits at 5% on day one and interest keeps running every month after that, so a lien is far more expensive to leave sitting than to pay off.
How to Appeal the Assessor’s Value
If you think your property was overvalued, the window to challenge it is short. Each year the Assessor opens the rolls to public inspection during a 15-day exposure period, usually advertised locally for late summer or early fall.9Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Revised Statutes RS 47-1992 Use that time to review your property record for mistakes in square footage, lot size, classification, or condition.
Start With the Assessor
Talk to the Assessor’s office first. Bring documentation that supports a lower value: a recent appraisal, repair estimates, photographs of the property’s condition, or comparable sales nearby. Many disputes end here.
Board of Review and Tax Commission
If the Assessor won’t adjust, file a formal complaint with the Bossier Parish Police Jury, which sits as the Board of Review and holds hearings after the exposure period closes. A Board decision against you can be reviewed by the Louisiana Tax Commission, but the Commission’s review is limited to evidence already presented to the Board, so bring everything to the Board hearing.10Justia Law. Louisiana Revised Statutes 47-1989 – Review of Appeals by Tax Commission A Tax Commission denial can be appealed to district court within 30 days.
A Note for Business Owners
Business property is handled on a separate track. If you own a business in Bossier Parish, equipment, furniture, fixtures, and inventory are assessed as business personal property, and you must file a declaration with the Assessor by April 1 each year listing your assets and their values. Missing that deadline lets the Assessor raise the assessed value by 15%, and the parish can add a 10% penalty on the tax due. A late filing also forfeits your right to appeal the assessment at all.