In November 2025, Orleans Parish Assessor Erroll Williams asked every New Orleans owner to sign up for a fraud alert run by a different office4. That one request explains how property records work here.
The Assessor values your home and keeps the tax roll. The Clerk of Civil District Court records the papers that transfer ownership.
Knowing which office holds what helps any family, most of all one with a home still in a late parent's name. For the basics of the crime itself, read our guide to deed theft.
What does the Orleans Parish Assessor keep, and what doesn't it do?
The Assessor values every property for taxes and lists its owner, mailing address and exemptions. It doesn't record deeds, set tax rates, mail bills or take payments.
In its own words, the office "does not set the tax rate, mail out tax bills, seize or sell property for any reason, nor collect payments for taxes"2. The City's Bureau of the Treasury mails the bills to "the owner of record with the Orleans Parish Assessor's Office"20.
Homes are assessed at 10 percent of fair market value. Each summer, from July 15 to August 15, the rolls are open so you can go over your notice of assessment with the office2.
Deeds go to the Clerk. Every real estate transaction in the parish is recorded at its Land Records Division, 1340 Poydras St., as the public library's City Archives explains9.
| Orleans Parish Assessor | Clerk of Civil District Court | |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Values property for taxes and grants exemptions | Records sales, mortgages and judgments of possession |
| Legal weight | Tax data only, "not considered legal documentation" | A sale counts against outsiders only once it is recorded here |
| Free search | Online, by owner, address or tax bill number | Public computers at 1340 Poydras St., 4th floor |
| Alerts | Urges owners to use the Clerk's alert | Free Recording Notification Service |
Sources: Orleans Parish Assessor2,3,4, Clerk of Civil District Court5,6,25, Louisiana Civil Code art. 333815, read October 25, 2026.
What do succession, act of sale and conveyance mean in Louisiana?
New Orleans records use words from Louisiana's civil-law past. Learn these and the Assessor and Clerk records get much easier to read.
That past is still on the shelves. Until July 1970, notaries here kept the signed originals of property sales themselves. The Clerk's Notarial Archives holds those acts, going back to 17358.
- Act of sale
- The notarized paper that sells a home. Most states call it a deed.
- Conveyance records
- The public file of sales and other land transfers. The Clerk's Land Records Division keeps it.
- Notarial Archives
- The Clerk's collection of notaries' acts from 1735 to July 1970, at 1340 Poydras St., Suite 360.
- Succession
- The legal process that passes a person's property to heirs after death. Other states call it probate.
- Judgment of possession
- A judge's order at the end of a court succession that puts heirs in possession of the property.
- Homestead exemption
- A tax break on the home you live in. Here it exempts the first $75,000 of market value.
- Square
- A numbered city square, the land inside a ring of streets. Records pair it with a municipal district and a lot.
Three old offices, the Recorder of Mortgages, the Register of Conveyances and the Custodian of Notarial Archives, became one Land Records Division under the Clerk on January 1, 20096. Older sales show book and page numbers. Sales since 1989 carry an instrument number instead9.
What happens when a New Orleans owner dies without a succession?
The heirs own the home, but the public record keeps the late owner's name until a succession is recorded. Some families go generations without one.
Louisiana Appleseed, a nonprofit that has worked on inherited-home title problems since 2007, saw the cost after the 2005 hurricanes. Some owners couldn't get disaster aid because legal documents didn't list them as owners. "Their homes were passed down through generations by family agreement, but not through the legal system," the group wrote10.
A home in a dead owner's name also leaves a gap a forger can use, as the Bywater case below shows. And the Assessor asks for proof of ownership before it grants a homestead exemption1.
Two ways heirs put a New Orleans home in their names
From Louisiana's Code of Civil Procedure, current text read October 25, 2026
- Check the estate fits: $200,000 or less at death for a Louisiana resident, or any value if the death was at least 20 years ago.
- If there was no will, have at least two people sign a sworn affidavit, including the surviving spouse, if any, and at least one heir.
- Record it with the Land Records Division at 1340 Poydras St.
- Open the succession with the Clerk's Civil Division, 421 Loyola Ave.
- Get a judgment of possession from the court.
- Record that judgment with the Land Records Division.
Sources: C.C.P. art. 3421 (raised to $200,000 by Act 293 of 2026), arts. 3432 and 343417,18,19; Clerk of Civil District Court6,7,29.
Free legal help for heirs who qualify is listed in the contacts table below26,27.
How do I search the Orleans Parish Assessor's records?
Use the Assessor's free property search, which runs on a site called Beacon. Search by owner name, address or tax bill number.
- Open the search. Go to the Assessor's property search, accept the disclaimer, then click "Agree" on Beacon's terms3.
- Pick one search box. Type the owner's name, the street address or the tax bill number. A range such as "1200-1299 Main" works for a stretch of street3.
- Open the report. It shows a summary, the owners, values, and sections for exemptions and sales3.
- Note the parcel ID and tax bill number. You will want both when you call the Assessor or the Treasury.
The City's Property Viewer at property.nola.gov shows Assessor and City data on a map, "updated weekly." Type names last name first28.
- Owner name. A name you don't know is a reason to pull the latest recorded act.
- Mailing address. Tax bills go to the owner of record20. Call the Assessor about an address you don't know.
- Homestead exemption. It belongs only on a home an owner lives in. Report doubts to the Exemption Fraud Hotline, 504-754-892921.
- Age freeze. If you qualified, check it still shows. The Assessor says, "Once obtained, the Age Freeze is permanent"2.
- Latest sale. Look for the sale date, price and Conveyance instrument number9. Use that number at the Clerk.
How do I get an alert when something is recorded on my New Orleans home?
Sign up for the Clerk's free Recording Notification Service, known as RNS. It emails you when a document recorded in Orleans Parish matches a name, business, notary or address you registered.
"Signing up for the Recording Notification Service is a simple, proactive way to stay informed and guard against fraud."
On the RNS sign-up page, type your email twice, pick what to watch from the menu, enter it and click Sign Up. Then check your email and follow its steps to activate the alert5.
Last name first, every version
Write it the Clerk's way, like "Doe John R." Add your middle name, initial and any married name5,11.
Both spellings of the street
Matches must be exact. Register "St Charles" and "Saint Charles," or "S Claiborne" and "South Claiborne"5.
Up to 10 items per email
One email can watch up to 10 names or properties, so add a parent's name and home11.
- Nothing from before you joined. It covers only documents recorded and indexed after you subscribe11.
- No other parishes. It watches Orleans Parish filings only11.
- No near misses. A filing indexed as "Saint Charles" won't match a registration for "St Charles"5.
- No free online copy. Viewing the document online takes a paid subscription: $20 for a day, $100 for 30 days or $700 a year. Looking it up at 1340 Poydras St. is free6,12.
- No promise to catch everything. The Clerk's FAQ warns the service may not report every document tied to your property11.
Has deed fraud happened in New Orleans?
Yes. In 2023, WWL-TV documented a forged deed on a Bywater home and impostors trying to sell vacant lots23,24. For scale, the Land Records Division takes in some 50,000 new acts a year6.
In Bywater, the forged deed was recorded and the house resold. In Riverbend, a title company's check stopped the sale, a textbook case of seller impersonation fraud.
What Louisiana laws cover a forged act of sale?
Forging a signature on a legal paper can bring up to 10 years in prison, and filing a forged document is a separate crime. A recorded paper is not presumed real just because it was recorded.
- Forgery, R.S. 14:72: up to 10 years, a fine up to $5,000, or both13.
- Filing false public records, R.S. 14:133: filing a forged document, knowing it is false, carries up to 5 years, a fine up to $5,000, or both14.
- Civil Code art. 3341: recording "does not create a presumption that the instrument is valid or genuine"16.
- Civil Code art. 3338: a sale has no effect on outsiders until it is recorded in the conveyance records15.
If an RNS email shows a filing you don't recognize, the Clerk's FAQ suggests reporting it to the FTC and the Louisiana Attorney General, and talking with an attorney11. File a police report with NOPD as well. Our national guide walks through the steps after a forged deed is recorded.
Who do I call about a property record in Orleans Parish?
Call the Assessor about values, owner names on the tax roll and exemptions. Call the Clerk's Land Records Division about recorded acts and RNS.
| Who | Call about | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Orleans Parish Assessor | Values, owner and mailing address, exemptions | (504) 754-8811, City Hall Room 4E01, 1300 Perdido St. Algiers office: (504) 368-7642 ³ |
| Clerk, Land Records Division | Recorded acts, copies, RNS | (504) 407-0005, 1340 Poydras St., 4th floor ⁷ |
| Clerk, Civil Division | Opening a succession | (504) 407-0000, 421 Loyola Ave., Room 402 ⁷ |
| NOPD | A police report | (504) 821-2222. Call 911 in an emergency ²² |
| The Pro Bono Project | Free civil legal help, if you qualify | (504) 581-4043, 935 Gravier St., Suite 1340 ²⁶ |
| Southeast Louisiana Legal Services | Free civil legal help, if you qualify | Apply online at slls.org ²⁷ |
The Clerk's office says its regular hours become 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. starting Monday, November 9, 202629. Sign-up links and phone numbers on this page were checked on October 25, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a copy of my deed in New Orleans?
Use the free public computers at the Land Records Division, 1340 Poydras St., 4th floor, or pay $20 for a day of online access. Online images start in 2005, and acts from before July 1970 are at the Notarial Archives Research Center in Suite 360. Our guide to finding the deed to your house has the general steps.
How do I find out who owns a property in New Orleans?
Search the address in the Assessor's property search or the City's Property Viewer. Both show the owner on the tax roll. For the legal owner, check the latest recorded act at the Clerk's Land Records Division.
What are the requirements for a homestead exemption in the City of New Orleans?
The home must be your main residence, and you need proof of ownership. Bring the application, a Louisiana driver's license or ID showing the property address, and a current Entergy or cable bill in your name. The Assessor does not accept Sewerage and Water Board bills.
What is the age freeze on property taxes in New Orleans?
It holds your home's assessment at a set level, called a special assessment level. You must be at least 65 by December 31, meet a state income limit and have a homestead exemption. Apply no later than three business days after the rolls close on August 15.
Is a succession public record in Louisiana?
The parts that affect a home are. Small succession affidavits and judgments of possession are recorded in the Land Records Division, and the Clerk says the documents there are public records. Anyone can search them at 1340 Poydras St.
Is property fraud alert a free service?
In Orleans Parish, yes. The Clerk's Recording Notification Service costs nothing, and its FAQ says, "it is a free service." Only viewing the recorded document online costs money.
Check your parcel, then register your names
Look up your home on the Assessor's site and note the owner, mailing address and exemptions. Then add your name, its variations and your address to RNS.
Sign up for RNSOpen the Assessor's searchOwn a home in another state too? Look up free recording alerts county by county.
Sources
- Homestead & SAL, Orleans Parish Assessor's Office, checked October 25, 2026
- Frequently Asked Questions, Orleans Parish Assessor's Office, checked October 25, 2026
- Property Search and its Beacon search page, Orleans Parish Assessor's Office, checked October 25, 2026
- Protect Your Home From Title Fraud, Orleans Parish Assessor's Office, November 11, 2025
- Recording Notification Service (sign-up page), Clerk of Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans, checked October 25, 2026
- Land Records Division, Clerk of Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans, checked October 25, 2026
- Hours and Locations, Clerk of Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans, checked October 25, 2026
- Research Center, Clerk of Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans, checked October 25, 2026
- Chain of Title, City Archives, New Orleans Public Library, checked October 25, 2026
- Heir Property, Louisiana Appleseed, July 19, 2019 (updated December 12, 2024)
- Recording Notification Service FAQ, Clerk of Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans, checked October 25, 2026
- Online Records, Clerk of Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans, checked October 25, 2026
- La. R.S. 14:72, Forgery, Louisiana State Legislature, checked October 25, 2026
- La. R.S. 14:133, Filing false public records, Louisiana State Legislature, checked October 25, 2026
- Civil Code art. 3338, Louisiana State Legislature, checked October 25, 2026
- Civil Code art. 3341, Louisiana State Legislature, checked October 25, 2026
- Code of Civil Procedure art. 3421, Small successions defined, Louisiana State Legislature, checked October 25, 2026
- Act No. 293 (House Bill 215), Louisiana Legislature, 2026 Regular Session
- Code of Civil Procedure art. 3434 and art. 3432, Louisiana State Legislature, checked October 25, 2026
- Property Tax, City of New Orleans, checked October 25, 2026
- Fraud & Abuse, Orleans Parish Assessor's Office, checked October 25, 2026
- New Orleans Police Department, City of New Orleans, checked October 25, 2026
- Un-Real Estate: a forged quitclaim deed in Bywater, David Hammer, WWL-TV, June 5, 2023
- Scammers are using fake IDs, forged documents to sell vacant lots they don't own, WWL-TV, February 28, 2023
- Land Records FAQ, Clerk of Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans, updated August 21, 2026
- The Pro Bono Project, New Orleans, checked October 25, 2026
- Get Help, Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, checked October 25, 2026
- Property Viewer help, City of New Orleans, checked October 25, 2026
- Clerk of Civil District Court home page (notice on business hours), Parish of Orleans, checked October 25, 2026
