There are several ways to pay your taxes. You may drop off your payment at either our Gonzales or Donaldsonville office. Gonzales location: 828 S Irma Blvd, Gonzales, La 70737 Donaldsonville location: 300 Houmas St, Donaldsonville, La 70346. You may mail your payment to: PO Box 118, Gonzales, La 70707. You may also pay your taxes online: www.ascensionsheriff.com. (Make checks out to: Ascension Tax Collector)

The Sheriff is not only the chief law enforcement officer of Ascension Parish, but also has the responsibility as Ex-Officio Tax Collector. The Sheriff collects the parish taxes according to the tax assessment roll prepared by the tax assessor. Any property with an outstanding balance of the base tax, interest or other penalties or costs, is subject to being sold at the annual Tax Sale.

If you live in the Donaldsonville or Sorrento city limits, your city taxes are collected by those municipalities. The Sheriff collects parish taxes as well as the City of Gonzales. The phone numbers for city tax offices are Donaldsonville: 225.473.4247, Sorrento: 225.675.5337

The tax roll is prepared by the tax assessor’s office, therefore any change of address information should be made at the Ascension Parish Tax Assessor’s Office, 225.473.9239.

The tax amount collected is based on an assessment that is done by the Tax Assessor. The assessment is used in calculations which include the amount of the millage a particular property is subject to paying.

In the state of Louisiana, homeowners are eligible for homestead exemption of the first $75,000 of the assessed value of the home considered their permanent residence. A person can have homestead on only one home. To file for Homestead Exemption, contact the Tax Assessor’s Office at 225.473.9239.

Ten percent of the assessed value of your residential property is multiplied by the current year’s millage rate to arrive at the total tax shown on the tax notice.

Current year taxes become delinquent at the close of business on December 31st of that year. After this date, the taxes become delinquent and are assessed at a rate of one percent interest per month or any part of a month.

Any delinquent account is subject to be sold at the annual Tax Sale which is usually the last Wednesday in May. Your property will be advertised in the official “Parish Journal” twice before the tax sale. The first which is usually published around mid April, the second in mid May, one week prior to the tax sale. Nearly 300 real estate property accounts are sold each year for delinquent taxes.

Fortunately, most tax accounts are paid in a timely fashion. However, many times an account is unpaid because of an honest mistake or lack of knowledge as to “how the system works.” Here is an example: If you have purchased property with or without a house on January 2, 2011 or any part of 2011, you will not receive a tax notice because the Assessor’s tax roll is closed December 31, 2010 for the 2011 tax year. The notice will still be in the sellers name, but it is the new owners responsibility to make sure taxes are paid. Taxes become delinquent after December 31 of that year. To prevent being delinquent, you should call the tax collectors office in early December, advising them of your property purchase and the name of the seller. A deputy tax clerk will be happy to assist in identifying your property and give you the amount due and also mail you a copy of the tax notice upon request.

If taxes are not paid by December 31, they become delinquent and are assessed at a rate of one percent interest per month or any part of a month. At the end of February, certified tax notices are sent to all unpaid accounts which will also include interest and the certified mail charge. Around mid April, the first advertisement of all tax debtors is printed in the “Parish Journal.” This listing shows all accounts which have not been paid and all accounts that the certified mail was returned as undeliverable. Around mid May, the second advertisement is printed in the “Parish Journal” listing all delinquent accounts. Note: All listings are sorted alphabetically by the name as it appeared on the Tax Roll for the delinquent year and within ward. Call 225.473.8671 or 225.621.8340 to find your account’s status.

The Tax Sale is conducted online and is usually on the last Wednesday in May. On the day of the tax sale there will be computers available at our Gonzales office in the War Room: 828 S. Irma Blvd., Gonzales, La 70737(Absolutely NO purchases or bidding via mail). The tax sale buyers must register on our website, usually a week before the tax sale. All unpaid properties will be available for viewing on our website approximately a month before the sale. As taxes are paid, the assessments will be removed from the listing. All delinquent property is advertised in the official “Parish Journal”. The first advertisement is published at least 30 days before the date of the sale, and the second published within 7 days of the sale. By law, the Sheriff accepts bids on an interest in the property starting off at 100% interest and graduating downward until the lowest bid of 1% is received. The Buyer that gets the bid will cover the taxes, interest and costs that are due. The Buyer must pay by cash, check or ACH within 24 hrs of the completion of the sale. Within a few working days, a tax sale deed is prepared and filed with the Clerk of court and a copy is mailed to the Buyer. Any unsold property will be adjudicated to the Parish of Ascension. The Parish then becomes owner of the property.

The original owner (tax debtor) has up to three years from the date the deed is filed in the Clerk of Court’s office to redeem the property. A redemption is calculated and collected by the Tax Collector’s office. (The amount of the redemption will include a redemption fee, tax sale fee, the base taxes and monthly interest accrued which is 1% per month and 5% Penalty due the Tax Buyer).