Behind on Property Taxes in Lafayette? The Parish Sheriff's June Tax Lien Sale

A Lafayette Parish property tax delinquent notice starts a clock, but it is a long one. Since January 1, 2026, Louisiana no longer sells a house for unpaid taxes. At the annual Lafayette Parish tax lien sale, the Sheriff sells a lien that secures the debt, and you keep ownership and possession while it runs.

This guide covers the Lafayette details; the statewide rules are in our guide to Louisiana's 2026 tax lien system. The clock belongs to you, and the steps below show how much of it you have.

What happens when Lafayette Parish property taxes go delinquent?

Lafayette Parish property taxes are due December 31 and become delinquent on January 1, when interest starts at 1% a month, noncompounding (La. R.S. 47:2127). You still own the house, and you can pay the full amount at any time before the June sale.

If the bill stays unpaid, the tax collector sends a certified notice by the first Monday in February, giving you 20 days before the lien is advertised (La. R.S. 47:2153). The lien ranks ahead of "all other mortgages, liens, privileges, and other encumbrances" (La. R.S. 47:2127).

Two bills in Lafayette: the parish bill and the city bill

Houses inside Lafayette city limits get two property tax bills, and each office collects its own. The Sheriff's Tax Department handles parish taxes at 1010 Lafayette Street, 4th Floor, (337) 236-5880 (Lafayette Parish Sheriff, October 2026). The City of Lafayette Tax Office handles city taxes at (337) 291-8272 (Lafayette Consolidated Government, October 2026).

Lafayette Consolidated Government (LCG) says city notices are "mailed annually at the end of November and become delinquent after December 31st," and it does not accept partial payments. Paying one bill does not pay the other, so check both before June.

The homestead exemption does not touch the city bill

The homestead exemption covers the first $7,500 of assessed value, which is $75,000 of market value, on state, parish, and special taxes (La. Const. art. VII, sec. 20). Outside Orleans Parish, it "shall not extend to municipal taxes." The assessor says it directly: "homestead exemptions do not apply to municipal taxes" (Lafayette Parish Assessor, 2025 Annual Report).

The city's 2025 millages total 18.54 mills, by Propcash's sum of the assessor's table. As an illustrative example only, a $200,000 house assessed at $20,000 would owe about $371 in city taxes, with no homestead offset.

The senior freeze and the 2028 reassessment

Owners 65 and older, owners with a permanent disability, and qualifying disabled veterans can freeze their assessed value if combined adjusted gross income does not exceed $102,700 (Lafayette Parish Assessor, 2025 Annual Report). In August 2026 the assessor put the 2026 limit at "less than $102,000," so confirm it at (337) 291-7080 (Discover Lafayette, August 2026). Reassessment runs every four years, last in 2024 and next in 2028.

The Lafayette Parish tax lien sale timeline for 2026

For 2025 taxes, the Lafayette Parish tax lien sale ran online from 9 a.m. Wednesday, June 10, 2026 to noon Thursday, June 11 (Lafayette Parish Sheriff, October 2026). The earliest any holder of those certificates could sue is the summer of 2029.

LCG's page still says the sale "is held on the first Wednesday in June," so go by the Sheriff's dated notice each year.

How the June tax lien sale works

At the June sale, a buyer pays the face value of your delinquent taxes and receives a tax lien certificate that earns interest until the lien is paid. Louisiana law calls the event a "tax lien auction" (La. R.S. 47:2154).

How the interest rate is set

The price is the certificate's face value: the taxes, interest to date, and costs. What moves is the monthly rate a buyer will accept. Offers start at 1% a month and drop in steps of one-tenth of a percent, with a floor of 0.7%.

The lowest rate takes the certificate. An untaken lien goes to the parish or city at 1% a month (La. R.S. 47:2154).

The 5% penalty and the 2026 rules

Once a lien is offered at the sale, a 5% penalty on the taxes is added, with no interest on the penalty (La. R.S. 47:2127). In 2026, buyers registered by 3 p.m. June 5 and paid by ACH withdrawal only at the close on June 11 (Lafayette Parish Sheriff, October 2026).

The Sheriff's notice does not say whether city and parish liens on one parcel go to the same buyer. It names the City Tax Office as the contact for city certificates, so ask each office for its own payoff.

The certificate is filed in the parish mortgage records within 30 days of the sale (La. R.S. 47:2154). Its statutory form says that "any person may cause the tax lien to be extinguished by paying the termination price" (La. R.S. 47:2155).

What can a certificate holder do, and when?

A certificate holder is a creditor waiting to be paid and cannot sue for at least three years. The holder "may not subject you to any eviction proceeding and is not entitled to collect any lease or rental payments" (La. R.S. 47:2153). You can live in the house, rent it out, or sell it.

The holder may pay your later tax bills and add them to the debt with their own 5% penalty and 1% a month (La. R.S. 47:2160.1). Paying each new bill yourself keeps the balance from stacking.

Notice, then suit

The holder must send notice to each owner and lienholder six months to one year before suing (La. R.S. 47:2156). The notice states the current termination price, and up to $500 in notice costs can be added.

Suit is allowed only after the later of three years from recording or six months after that notice (La. R.S. 47:2266.1). Court costs and attorney fees then join the debt. Except for good cause, fees are capped at the greater of 25% of the amount sought or $2,500.

The 30-day line

Until close of business on the 30th day after the last party is served, anyone can end the lien by paying the termination price to the tax collector (La. R.S. 47:2266.1). After that, it takes the holder's agreement or a court order, and a judicial sale can follow.

How much does it cost to end a tax lien certificate?

Ending a Lafayette Parish tax lien certificate costs the termination price, paid to the tax collector, who forwards it to the holder (La. R.S. 47:2243). The parish or city can add costs capped at $300 plus filing and recording fees (La. R.S. 47:2244). Partial payments need not be accepted, so ask for a dated written payoff.

Every figure in this worksheet is illustrative, not a quote. It assumes $1,800 in 2025 parish taxes, a certificate at 0.8% a month, and a payoff 24 months later.

Your real figure comes from the tax collector that issued the certificate.

Adjudicated property and older tax sales in Lafayette

Adjudicated property is a house or lot whose tax sale title went to a parish or city before January 1, 2026 (La. R.S. 47:2122). Lafayette has a large backlog. "There are currently over 1,350 adjudicated properties in Lafayette Parish, with just under 1,000 in the city itself" (The Current, April 2026). In May 2023 the parish count was "nearly 1,200," most of it on the Northside (The Current, May 2023).

The LCG program is paused

LCG's page reads: "The Lafayette Consolidated Government's adjudicated property program is paused. We are not receiving any new applications" (Lafayette Consolidated Government, October 2026). Its last listed batch went to the April 7, 2026 council meeting.

Act 411 and conversion

Act 411 of 2025 lets a parish or city convert adjudicated property into a tax lien certificate in its own favor (La. R.S. 47:2201(B)). The time already spent adjudicated can count toward the three-year wait.

2023 to 2025 tax sales keep the old rules

A tax sale held before 2026 is redeemed under "the law in effect on December 31, 2025" (La. R.S. 47:2241.1). That law allowed three years from recording to redeem by paying the price, costs, a 5% penalty, and 1% a month (former La. Const. art. VII, sec. 25(B)).

Heirs often find these during a succession; see selling an inherited house in Lafayette. For an empty house, see selling a vacant house.

Your options, in order

A Lafayette owner behind on property taxes has four practical options, and the first two keep the house.

1. Pay before the sale

Paying before the sale is the least expensive exit, because the 5% penalty never attaches. In 2026 the last day was June 9. Pay the city bill separately through the City Tax Office.

2. Pay the termination price

After the sale, the termination price ends the lien until 30 days after the last party is served with suit. You pay the tax collector, not the holder (La. R.S. 47:2243). Interest runs at the June rate, so the price climbs each month.

3. Sell before suit

You still own the house, so you can sell it with the lien in place. The title company or closing attorney requests the termination price and pays it from your proceeds at closing, along with any city lien.

The tax debt is often small next to the house's value. Redfin's median sale price for the City of Lafayette was $246,383 for the three months ending September 2026 (Redfin, September 2026). Separately, Zillow's typical value for the city was $226,811 (Zillow ZHVI, August 2026).

Propcash is a direct cash homebuyer that can buy a Lafayette house as-is with a tax lien on it. The closing follows once the tax collector calculates the payoff or termination price, and you pick the date. You can get a cash offer with the payoff shown in the math. Propcash is free for sellers, and if listing would serve you better, we will say so.

4. Use the three-year clock on purpose

A June 2026 certificate cannot reach court before the summer of 2029. That gives you room, but each month adds 0.7% to 1% interest, and each unpaid year can add another certificate. Deciding early often leaves more equity than deciding late.

A mortgage default moves faster; see how foreclosure works in Lafayette or our Louisiana cash offer page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you lose a Lafayette house at the June tax lien sale?

You cannot lose a Lafayette house at the June tax lien sale itself. Since January 1, 2026, the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's June sale transfers a lien that secures the unpaid taxes, and you keep ownership and possession. A holder can sue only after the later of three years from recording or six months after a pre-suit notice (La. R.S. 47:2266.1).

When is the Lafayette Parish tax lien sale?

The 2026 Lafayette Parish tax lien sale ran online from June 10 to noon June 11, covering parish and City of Lafayette taxes. Delinquent taxes could be paid through close of business June 9. The Sheriff posts each year's dates on its taxes page.

Does the homestead exemption lower my City of Lafayette tax bill?

No, the homestead exemption does not lower a City of Lafayette tax bill. The homestead exemption covers the first $7,500 of assessed value on state, parish, and special taxes, but outside Orleans Parish it does not extend to municipal taxes (La. Const. art. VII, sec. 20). City millage applies to the full assessed value.

What if a Lafayette house was adjudicated or sold at a tax sale before 2026?

A pre-2026 tax sale is redeemed under the law in effect on December 31, 2025, which allowed three years from recording plus a 5% penalty and 1% a month (La. R.S. 47:2241.1). Adjudicated parcels can also be converted to a tax lien certificate under Act 411 of 2025. Ask the tax collector which rules apply to your parcel.

Can you sell a Lafayette house with a tax lien certificate on it?

Yes, you can sell a Lafayette house with a tax lien certificate on it. You still own the house, and the title company or closing attorney pays the termination price to the tax collector from your proceeds at closing. Because the tax lien ranks ahead of mortgages (La. R.S. 47:2127), any buyer's title company will expect it paid.