On November 3, Louisiana voters approved two Louisiana senior property tax amendments that matter to a lot of homeowners in New Orleans, Jefferson Parish and across the Northshore. Amendment 9 lets more people qualify for the property tax “freeze.” Amendment 6 opens the door to a much bigger homestead exemption for homeowners 65 and older, but only if your parish or city votes for it.
Nothing changes on the property tax bill you’ll get this winter. But if you’re 65 or older, or will be in the next few years, now is the time to plan. Here’s what passed, when it starts, and what to do next, in plain English.
Vote figures below are the unofficial results reported on November 4, 2026.
Louisiana senior property tax amendments: the quick answer
| Amendment | What it does | Who it affects | When it starts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amendment 9 (passed, about 58% yes) | Raises the income limit for the property tax freeze from $100,000 to $150,000 | Homeowners 65+, veterans with a 50%+ service-connected disability rating, and people who are permanently and totally disabled | Tax year 2027, statewide, no local vote needed |
| Amendment 6 (passed, about 64% yes) | Lets parishes and cities offer an extra homestead exemption that grows with age | Homeowners 65+ who qualify for the freeze | 2028 at the earliest, and only after a local election |
| Amendment 1 (passed, about 74% yes) | Lets the surviving spouse of a disabled veteran transfer the veteran’s extra exemption once, to a new home | Surviving spouses of qualifying veterans | Tax year 2027 |
| Amendment 2 (failed) | Would have removed the “use it or lose it” rule on rolled-back tax rates | All property owners | Current rules stay in place |
Source: Louisiana House, 2026 Proposed Constitutional Amendment Summaries.
First, a quick refresher: homestead exemption vs. the “freeze”
These two programs get mixed up all the time, and the new amendments build on both.
The homestead exemption takes the first $75,000 of your home’s market value off the tax rolls. In Louisiana, a home’s assessed value is 10% of its market value, so that’s $7,500 of assessed value. You get it on your primary residence only, and you apply once at your parish assessor’s office.
The Special Assessment Level, often called the senior freeze, locks your home’s assessed value so it doesn’t go up when the assessor reappraises. You must already have the homestead exemption, and you must meet one of these:
- You’re 65 or older
- You’re a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 50% or more
- You’re permanently and totally disabled
- You’re in certain other limited military categories set out in the law
One important point: the freeze locks your assessment, not your tax bill. If local tax rates (millage) go up, your bill can still go up.
A New Orleans wrinkle. In Orleans Parish, the assessor’s office has treated the freeze as a lock in both directions. That means a frozen assessment may not drop when market values fall. The Bureau of Governmental Research reported this year that some frozen Orleans homeowners pay more than their neighbors because of it. If your home’s value has dropped and you have a freeze in Orleans Parish, ask the assessor’s office about waiving and reapplying.
Amendment 9: who newly qualifies for the Louisiana property tax freeze?
Until now, you couldn’t get the freeze if your adjusted gross income (AGI) was over $100,000, a limit voters set in 2020 and that began adjusting for inflation this year. Married couples count both spouses’ income.
Amendment 9 raises that limit to $150,000, starting with the 2027 tax year. The new limit starts adjusting for inflation in 2028. The assessor can verify income using the federal AGI from your Louisiana tax return for the year before you apply. This change is statewide, so no local vote is needed.
Example (illustrative only): A married couple in Metairie, both 67, with a combined AGI of $130,000. Under the old limit, they couldn’t get the freeze. Under Amendment 9, they could apply for the 2027 tax year. Once approved, their assessed value would stay at the 2027 level as long as they keep qualifying, even if the next reappraisal pushes values higher. Louisiana assessors must reappraise at least every four years, so that protection can add up over time.
Amendment 6: a bigger homestead exemption for homeowners 65 and older
Amendment 6 is the one getting the most attention, because the numbers are large. It lets a parish or city add an extra exemption on top of the standard $75,000 homestead exemption. The extra amount grows with age:
| Owner’s age | Extra exemption (assessed value) | Extra exemption (market value) | Total with standard homestead (market value) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 65 to 68 | $6,000 | $60,000 | $135,000 |
| 69 to 72 | $12,000 | $120,000 | $195,000 |
| 73 to 76 | $18,000 | $180,000 | $255,000 |
| 77 to 80 | $24,000 | $240,000 | $315,000 |
| 81 and older | $30,000 | $300,000 | $375,000 |
To qualify, you must be 65 or older, own and live in the home, and qualify for the freeze. That means the freeze’s income limit applies here too. A surviving spouse can keep the exemption if they keep living in the home, own it or hold a usufruct, and are no more than five years younger than the owner who died. Homes held in certain trusts can qualify as the law allows.
The catch: it isn’t automatic. Each parish or city must put Amendment 6 on its own local ballot, and local voters must approve it. The earliest it can apply is the 2028 tax year. Any taxing body that adopts it has to absorb the lost revenue. It can’t shift that cost to other taxpayers by raising tax rates or reappraising. (PAR Louisiana’s guide to the amendments has more detail.)
Will Orleans, Jefferson or St. Tammany adopt Amendment 6?
As of this week, I haven’t seen any parish in our area announce a date for a local vote. Keep in mind that a parish and the cities inside it are separate taxing bodies. If only one of them adopts it, the extra exemption would apply only to that body’s share of your tax bill. I’ll update this post as local decisions are made.
Worked example: what Amendment 6 could save (illustrative)
This example is simplified to show the math. It is not a prediction of your bill. Real bills include taxes that the homestead exemption doesn’t apply to, and Amendment 6 only reduces the taxes of the bodies that adopt it.
Assumptions: a home with a $350,000 market value, an owner who is 74 and qualifies for the freeze, and a combined tax rate of 140 mills (14%). All numbers are made up for illustration.
| Step | Today | If fully adopted (2028 or later) |
|---|---|---|
| Assessed value (10% of $350,000) | $35,000 | $35,000 |
| Standard homestead exemption | −$7,500 | −$7,500 |
| Amendment 6 extra exemption (age 73 to 76) | $0 | −$18,000 |
| Taxable assessed value | $27,500 | $9,500 |
| Tax at 140 mills | $3,850 | $1,330 |
In this illustration, the owner would save about $2,520 a year. An owner 81 or older on the same home would have the entire assessed value exempt from the adopting bodies’ taxes.
What should New Orleans-area homeowners do now? A checklist
- ✅ Confirm your homestead exemption is on file. Everything else builds on it. Look up your property on your parish assessor’s website or call the office.
- ✅ If you’re 65 or older, check the new $150,000 limit. If your household AGI is between $100,000 and $150,000, you may qualify for the freeze starting with the 2027 tax year.
- ✅ Gather your paperwork early. Assessors typically ask for photo ID showing the property address, proof of income (such as last year’s tax return or Social Security and pension award letters), and proof of disability if that’s how you qualify.
- ✅ Ask your assessor about timing. Application windows and deadlines vary by parish. In Orleans Parish this year, freeze appointments started in late August.
- ✅ Already frozen in Orleans Parish and your value dropped? Ask whether waiving and reapplying would lower your assessment.
- ✅ Watch for a local Amendment 6 vote. If your parish or city schedules one, it will be on a local ballot.
- ✅ Surviving spouse of a disabled veteran planning to move? Amendment 1 lets you transfer that extra exemption once, starting in 2027.
Thinking about downsizing? Read this first
Many homeowners in their 60s and 70s are weighing whether to stay put or move to something smaller. These amendments are part of that math.
A freeze is tied to the home you’re in. If you sell and buy a new primary home, you generally start over: a new homestead exemption and a new freeze application, based on the new home’s assessed value. Confirm the details with your assessor before you make a move.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t move. A smaller, lower-maintenance home may cost less to insure and keep up, even if the tax picture changes. It just means the numbers deserve a side-by-side look. I’m glad to run them with you, including what your current home could sell for and what a new home’s taxes might look like.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Louisiana pass the senior property tax amendments in 2026? Yes. In the November 3, 2026 election, unofficial results show Amendment 6 passed with about 64% of the vote and Amendment 9 with about 58%.
When does the $150,000 income limit for the property tax freeze start? With tax years beginning January 1, 2027. The limit starts adjusting for inflation in 2028.
Will my property taxes go down automatically? No. Amendment 9 only helps if you apply for the freeze and qualify. Amendment 6 needs a separate local vote, and the earliest it can apply is 2028.
Does the freeze mean my property taxes can’t go up? No. The freeze locks your assessed value, not your bill. If local tax rates rise, your bill can still rise.
Where do I apply for the homestead exemption or the freeze? At your parish assessor’s office: the Orleans Parish Assessor, the Jefferson Parish Assessor or the St. Tammany Parish Assessor, depending on where your home is.
Have questions about your home and these changes?
Whether you’re staying put, downsizing or buying your next home in the New Orleans area, I’m happy to walk through the numbers with you. Reach out anytime at www.myNOLAhome.com.
Alicia Lagarde Craig, ALC Realty
This post is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Property tax rules and deadlines vary by parish and can change. Confirm the details for your situation with your parish assessor, a tax professional or an attorney.
Featured photo by Josh Doguet on Unsplash.