Back to Louisiana

HB514 • 2026

TAX/AD VALOREM-EXEMPTION: (Constitutional Amendment) Authorizes an additional ad valorem tax exemption for certain property owners aged sixty-five and older (EN SEE FISC NOTE LF RV See Note)

TAX/AD VALOREM-EXEMPTION: (Constitutional Amendment) Authorizes an additional ad valorem tax exemption for certain property owners aged sixty-five and older (EN SEE FISC NOTE LF RV See Note)

Taxes
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Les Farnum
Last action
2026-05-25
Official status
Signed by the Speaker
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill's effective date is January 1, 2028, as specified in Section 2 of the Act.

Additional Property Tax Exemption for Older Residents

This bill allows certain property owners aged sixty-five and older to receive an additional ad valorem tax exemption, with the amount increasing based on age.

What This Bill Does

  • Adds a new part (P) to Article VII of the Louisiana Constitution that provides for an additional ad valorem tax exemption for property owners who are at least sixty-five years old and qualify for special assessment levels under existing law.
  • The exemption increases in value based on the homeowner's age: $6,000 for ages 65-68, $12,000 for ages 69-72, up to $30,000 for those 81 or older.
  • Surviving spouses of qualifying property owners can also receive the exemption if they meet certain conditions and continue to occupy the property.
  • Parishes and municipalities must approve the exemption through a local vote before it applies there.
  • The bill prevents taxing authorities from raising taxes on other people to compensate for lost revenue due to these exemptions.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Property owners aged sixty-five or older who qualify for special assessment levels under Louisiana law.
  • Surviving spouses of qualifying property owners.
  • Parishes and municipalities that must vote on whether to allow the exemption locally.

Terms To Know

Ad valorem tax
A type of tax based on the value of a property or item.
Homestead exemption
An exemption from property taxes for a person's primary residence.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how much money will be lost in tax revenue.
  • It is unclear what happens if local parishes or municipalities do not approve the exemption.
  • The exact implementation details are left to future laws and regulations.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Plain English: Filed 3

  • This amendment summary is using official source text because generated interpretation was skipped for this run.
  • The official amendment text was available, but an easy plain-English summary could not be produced automatically during the last sync.

Plain English: HCAHB514 4883 2792 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Ways and Means to Original House Bill No.

  • HCAHB514 4883 2792 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Ways and Means to Original House Bill No.
  • 514 by Representative Farnum 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 2, line 6, after "Article VII" and before "Section 18(G)(1)(a)(i)" insert a comma "," Page 1 of 1 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions.

Plain English: HCAHB514 4883 1686 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Ways and Means to Original House Bill No.

  • HCAHB514 4883 1686 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by House Committee on Ways and Means to Original House Bill No.
  • 514 by Representative Farnum 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 2, line 6, after "Article VII" and before "Section 18(G)(1)(a)(i)" insert a comma "," Page 1 of 1 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-25 H

    Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.

  2. 2026-05-25 H

    Received from the Senate without amendments.

  3. 2026-05-22 H

    Effective date: See Act.

  4. 2026-05-22 H

    Becomes Act No. 274.

  5. 2026-05-22 H

    Sent to the Governor for executive approval.

  6. 2026-05-21 S

    Signed by the President of the Senate.

  7. 2026-05-20 S

    Rules suspended. Read by title, passed by a vote of 34 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

  8. 2026-05-19 S

    Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.

  9. 2026-05-18 S

    Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

  10. 2026-05-18 S

    Rules suspended. Recalled from Committee.

  11. 2026-05-12 S

    Read by title. Recommitted to the Committee on Finance.

  12. 2026-05-11 S

    Reported favorably.

  13. 2026-04-21 S

    Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Revenue and Fiscal Affairs.

  14. 2026-04-20 S

    Received in the Senate. Rules suspended. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.

  15. 2026-04-20 H

    Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 93, nays 0. The bill, having received two-thirds vote of the elected members, was finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

  16. 2026-04-15 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 04/20/2026.

  17. 2026-04-14 H

    Read by title, ordered reengrossed, passed to 3rd reading.

  18. 2026-04-13 H

    Reported without amendments (6-0-1).

  19. 2026-03-31 H

    Read by title, amended, ordered engrossed, recommitted to the Committee on Civil Law and Procedure.

  20. 2026-03-30 H

    Reported with amendments (17-0). To be recommitted to the Committee on Civil Law and Procedure.

  21. 2026-03-09 H

    Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

  22. 2026-02-27 H

    First appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.

  23. 2026-02-26 H

    Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

  24. 2026-02-26 H

    Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

TAX/AD VALOREM-EXEMPTION: (Constitutional Amendment) Authorizes an additional ad valorem tax exemption for certain property owners aged sixty-five and older (EN SEE FISC NOTE LF RV See Note)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
ENROLLED
ACT No. 2742026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 514
BY REPRESENTATIVES FARNUM AND CHASSION
1 A JOINT RESOLUTION
2 Proposing to add Article VII, Section 21(P) of the Constitution of Louisiana, relative to ad
3 valorem taxation; to extend an ad valorem tax exemption for property owners who
4 are sixty-five years of age or older; to provide for the amount of the exemption; to
5 provide for requirements and limitations; to provide for implementation of the
6 exemption by parishes and municipalities; to prohibit the reappraisal and valuation
7 of property for purposes of millage adjustments under certain circumstances; to
8 provide for applicability; to provide for an effective date; to provide for submission
9 of the proposed amendment to the electors; and to provide for related matters.
10 Section 1. Be it resolved by the Legislature of Louisiana, two-thirds of the members
11 elected to each house concurring, that there shall be submitted to the electors of the state of
12 Louisiana, for their approval or rejection in the manner provided by law, a proposal to add
13 Article VII, Section 21(P) of the Constitution of Louisiana, to read as follows:
14 §21. Other Property Exemptions
15 Section 21. In addition to the homestead exemption provided for in Section
16 20 of this Article, the following property and no other shall be exempt from ad
17 valorem taxation:
18 * * *
19 (P)(1) In addition to the homestead exemption authorized pursuant to the
20 provisions of Section 20 of this Article, which applies to the first seven thousand five
21 hundred dollars of the assessed valuation of property, an additional exemption shall
22 apply to property receiving the homestead exemption that is owned and occupied by
Page 1 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 514 ENROLLED
1 a person who is at least sixty-five years of age or older and who qualifies for the
2 special assessment level pursuant to Article VII, Section 18(G)(1)(a)(i) of this
3 constitution. The amount of the additional exemption shall be as follows:
4 (a) For persons sixty-five years of age but not yet sixty-nine years of age, the
5 next six thousand dollars of the assessed valuation of the property shall be exempt
6 from ad valorem taxation.
7 (b) For persons sixty-nine years of age but not yet seventy-three years of age,
8 the next twelve thousand dollars of the assessed valuation of the property shall be
9 exempt from ad valorem taxation.
10 (c) For persons seventy-three years of age but not yet seventy-seven years of
11 age, the next eighteen thousand dollars of the assessed valuation of the property shall
12 be exempt from ad valorem taxation.
13 (d) For persons seventy-seven years of age but not yet eighty-one years of
14 age, the next twenty-four thousand dollars of the assessed valuation of the property
15 shall be exempt from ad valorem taxation.
16 (e) For persons eighty-one years of age and older, the next thirty thousand
17 dollars of the assessed valuation of the property shall be exempt from ad valorem
18 taxation.
19 (2) The surviving spouse of a property owner claiming the exemption shall
20 be eligible for the exemption provided for in this Paragraph if the surviving spouse
21 occupies and remains the owner of or retains a usufruct on the property and is not
22 more than five years younger than the owner.
23 (3) The exemption provided in this Paragraph shall be applicable in any
24 parish or municipality in which the exemption has been approved by a majority of
25 the electors of the parish or municipality voting at an election called for that purpose.
26 (4) Notwithstanding any provision of this constitution to the contrary, any
27 decrease in the total amount of ad valorem tax collected by the taxing authority as
28 a result of the exemption shall be absorbed by the taxing authority and shall not
29 create any additional tax liability for other taxpayers in the taxing district as a result
30 of any subsequent reappraisal and valuation or millage adjustment. Implementation
Page 2 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 514 ENROLLED
1 of the exemption authorized in this Paragraph shall neither trigger nor be cause for
2 a reappraisal of property or an adjustment of millages pursuant to the provisions of
3 Section 23(B) of this Article.
4 (5) A trust shall be eligible for the exemption provided for in this Paragraph
5 as provided by law.
6 Section 2. Be it further resolved that the provisions of the amendment contained in
7 this Joint Resolution shall become effective January 1, 2028, and shall be applicable to all
8 tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2028.
9 Section 3. Be it further resolved that this proposed amendment shall be submitted
10 to the electors of the state of Louisiana at the statewide election to be held on November 3,
11 2026.
12 Section 4. Be it further resolved that on the official ballot to be used at the election,
13 there shall be printed a proposition, upon which the electors of the state shall be permitted
14 to vote YES or NO, to amend the Constitution of Louisiana, which proposition shall read as
15 follows:
16 Do you support an amendment to authorize parishes and municipalities to
17 extend an additional property tax exemption for property subject to the
18 homestead exemption that is owned and occupied by a person who is at least
19 sixty-five years of age and who qualifies for the special assessment level?
20 (Effective January 1, 2028) (Adds Article VII, Section 21(P))
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
Page 3 of 3
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.