LIVINGSTON — As the year winds down, many homeowners and property owners are preparing to pay their annual property taxes. Taxes are due by Dec. 31, 2025, and late payments will incur penalties and interest.
UWK spoke with Livingston Parish Assessor Jeff Taylor to better understand how property taxes work and what eligible residents can do to lower their assessments.
Taylor said his office assesses home values by reviewing neighborhoods and comparing homes built around the same time. They then review sales of similar nearby homes and “mass assess” properties accordingly.
“I do not know what is on the inside of their house, because I’m not allowed to go in,” Taylor said. “So we base assessments on everything visible from the outside. If I list your house at $150,000, but you have a $30,000 roof that needs to be replaced to sell it, that makes the house worth $120,000. Those are things I need to know, and we’re trying to educate people about that.”
If interior issues or damage could lower a home’s value, homeowners can contact the assessor’s office to request a reassessment. Residents may visit the office at any time with proof that their home is valued lower than the current assessment. For changes to apply to this year’s property taxes, homeowners should contact the office before Dec. 31. The same deadline applies for anyone who believes their assessment is incorrect.
“That’s what we’re there for. Call us! We will go over everything,” Taylor added.
Taylor noted that assessments are typically posted in August, and residents can review and discuss their assessments with his office at that time. However, he said few people show up during that window.
“You may not have known about it, you may have been out of town, you could have been sick…anything. So anytime that we can try to help alleviate a problem with that, we want to do it,” he said. However, once Dec. 31 rolls around, Taylor said, things are final and work for next year begins.
Although 2025 was not a reassessment year, homeowners may still notice changes in their tax bills. Taylor encourages residents to look closely at the millage rates, which are set by more than 40 taxing districts across Livingston Parish.
“My job is to assess. I put a value on the property,” he said. “I don’t do anything with your taxes.”
Tax bills are issued by the sheriff’s office using millage rates applied to the assessor’s values. Increases in millage rates, not assessments, are often the reason tax bills rise.
Read More Livingston: Property tax notices hitting the mail
Read More Breaking down the bill: Livingston residents question millages, seek answers on rising assessments
Who can freeze their assessments
Taylor said many residents may benefit from visiting the assessor’s office now.
For 100 percent-disabled veterans, there is no property tax at all. Certain first responders who own and live in a home in the parish can receive an extra $25,000 on their homestead exemption. Residents over 65 can take advantage of a freeze form that “freezes” their assessed property value at the previous year’s assessment.
Those approved for a freeze will still pay property taxes, but their assessed value will not change year to year. However, to take advantage of these freezes and exemptions, homeowners need to contact Taylor’s office.
Taylor encourages anyone with questions about freezes and exemptions to call first to find out if you qualify, which can save you an unnecessary trip out to the Livingston office. The Livingston Parish Assessor’s Office is located in the Delmas L Taylor Intergovernmental Building at 20400 Government Boulevard in Livingston.
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