Property tax in New Orleans runs higher than most of Louisiana. For the 2025 tax year, the combined millage totals about 121.20 mills citywide, and the levee district adds roughly another 10.79 to 10.81 mills depending on which side of the river you live on, bringing most homeowners to about 132 mills.1City of New Orleans. Treasury – How Taxes Are Calculated On a home with a fair market value of $350,000, that works out to a bill of roughly $3,600 to $3,800 a year after the homestead exemption. Rates are adopted annually, so 2026 numbers may shift slightly from what’s shown here.
How Your Bill Is Calculated
Louisiana assesses residential property at 10% of fair market value. The ratio is fixed by the state constitution and applies everywhere in the state.2Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Constitution Article VII Section 18 – Ad Valorem Taxes If the Orleans Parish Assessor says your home is worth $350,000, your assessed value is $35,000. From there, the tax is assessed value multiplied by the millage rate, divided by 1,000. A mill is one dollar per $1,000 of assessed value.
Here’s how that plays out for an owner-occupied home on the East Bank valued at $350,000, using 2025 rates:
- Fair market value: $350,000
- Assessed value (10%): $35,000
- Homestead exemption: subtract $7,500, leaving $27,500 taxable for most levies
- Homestead-eligible mills (about 120.48): $27,500 × 120.48 / 1,000 ≈ $3,313
- Non-homestead mills (11.51 for certain police and fire levies): $35,000 × 11.51 / 1,000 ≈ $403
- Estimated total: roughly $3,716
The actual number on your bill will vary because some levies have their own exemption rules and rates change year to year. Homes well above the $75,000 market-value threshold where the exemption runs out see proportionally higher bills, since the exemption shrinks as a share of total value.
One wrinkle to check on your statement: some neighborhoods fall inside a security or improvement district that adds its own charge, sometimes a flat per-parcel fee and sometimes additional mills. The Mid-City Security District, for example, charges $195 per single-family parcel and $500 per commercial parcel.3Louisiana Secretary of State Voter Portal. Mid-City Security District Proposition Garden District and Touro Bouligny properties pay millage-based district levies that can add 7 or more mills.
The Homestead Exemption
If you own your home and live in it as your primary residence, the homestead exemption removes the first $7,500 of assessed value, which is the first $75,000 of market value, from most property taxes.4Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Revised Statutes RS 47:1703 – Exemptions On a $200,000 home with an assessed value of $20,000, the exemption drops the taxable amount to $12,500.
In Orleans Parish, the exemption applies to state, general city, school, and levee district taxes. It does not apply to certain police and fire millages, which is why those get calculated against the full $35,000 in the example above. You file for the exemption once at the assessor’s office with proof that you own and occupy the home, and it stays in place until you move or sell.
Senior Freeze and Veteran Exemptions
Homeowners 65 or older can lock in their current assessed value against future reassessments through what Louisiana calls the Special Assessment Level, usually just called the senior freeze. For the 2026 tax year, combined adjusted gross income for the household must stay at or below $102,700. That cap is adjusted annually for inflation.
The freeze protects the assessed value, not the tax rate. If millages go up, your bill can still rise. Adding more than 25% to the home’s value through construction resets the freeze. Apply at the assessor’s office with proof of age and a copy of your federal tax return.
Veterans with a service-connected disability rating from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs get larger exemptions on top of the standard homestead:5Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana House Bill 500
- 50% to 69% disability: an additional $2,500 of assessed value exempt, $10,000 total.
- 70% to 99% disability: an additional $4,500 exempt, $12,000 total.
- 100% disability or unemployability: the full assessed value is exempt, meaning no property tax.
These apply only to the home where you already claim the homestead exemption. Surviving spouses of qualifying veterans may continue to receive the exemption under certain conditions.
When It’s Due and How to Pay
For the 2026 tax year, payment is due by February 28, 2026. Interest starts accruing March 1 at 1% per month on the unpaid balance.6City of New Orleans. City of New Orleans 2026 Property Tax Bills Are Available That rate is set by state law.
You have three ways to pay:
- Online through the Bureau of Treasury portal at services.nola.gov. You need your tax bill number.7City of New Orleans. Bureau of the Treasury – Real Estate Tax
- By mail with a check or money order to the Bureau of Treasury at City Hall, with the bill number written on the check.8City of New Orleans. City of New Orleans – Pay Property Tax
- In person at the Treasury office in City Hall during business hours.
There is no formal installment plan. Partial payments are accepted in person or by mail but not online, and interest keeps running on whatever’s left.9City of New Orleans. Paying Taxes If you plan to pay in pieces, pay as much as possible early so less of the balance picks up monthly interest.
Tax bills are mailed annually, but the city won’t excuse a late payment if yours didn’t arrive. You can pull up current and prior bills at taxbills.nola.gov using your address, owner name, or bill number. If you just bought the house, confirm the mailing address on file with the Bureau of Treasury so the bill doesn’t keep going to the previous owner.
What Happens If You Don’t Pay
The Bureau of Treasury does not send delinquent notices. If you miss February 28, interest starts accumulating and the city treats you as responsible for knowing your balance whether or not you got a bill.9City of New Orleans. Paying Taxes Check your balance through the online tax bill search, by calling Treasury, or in person.
Starting January 1, 2026, Louisiana switched from tax sales of the property itself to tax lien auctions. The city auctions a lien on your property to a third-party purchaser.10Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Revised Statutes RS 47:2122 You can clear the lien by paying the delinquent amount plus a 5% penalty and up to 1% per month in interest on what the purchaser paid at auction.11Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Revised Statutes RS 47:2153 If the lien is never satisfied, the purchaser can eventually move to foreclosure and the property goes to sheriff’s sale. Any surplus returns to the owner, but by then the home is gone. Because the city never sends a delinquent notice, this is easier to sleepwalk into than most people assume.
Appealing Your Assessment
If you think the assessor’s number is too high, the appeal process moves fast and the deadlines are strict. For the 2026 tax year, the schedule ran like this:12New Orleans City Council. Property Tax Assessments and Appeals
- Informal discussion with the assessor’s office during the roll inspection window, July 15 through August 15, 2025. Many disputes resolve here.
- Formal appeal with the Board of Review by August 21, 2025. Paper filings required four copies of the form and all supporting documents.13Orleans Parish Assessor’s Office. 2026 Assessment Rolls Open for Public Inspection
- Board of Review hearings September 15 through October 5, 2025, with written decisions mailed starting the week of October 20.
- Louisiana Tax Commission appeal within 10 business days of the Board of Review’s written decision.
Strong evidence makes the difference: an independent appraisal, recent comparable sales for similar homes nearby, photos of condition problems, and contractor estimates for repairs. A professional appraisal usually runs $300 to $1,200, and a successful appeal can lower your assessed value for the full four-year reassessment cycle. The dates follow the same general pattern each year, so if you’re reading this in a later cycle, confirm current deadlines with the assessor’s office.