PART IV.  ADJUDICATED PROPERTY

SUBPART A.  GENERAL PROVISIONS

§2196.  Adjudication to political subdivisions

A.  Subject to Article VII, Section 25(A)(2) of the Constitution of Louisiana, the bid to be accepted in tax sales shall be at least equal to the statutory impositions, costs, and interest; otherwise, the tax collector shall bid in tax sale title to the property for the political subdivision.  The tax collector shall make out a tax sale certificate and file the tax sale certificate with the recorder of conveyances of the parish in which the property is located.  The tax sale certificate shall be sufficient if it is in the following form:

"[Name of Political Subdivision]

v.

[Name of Tax Debtor]

State of Louisiana

Parish of _________________

City of ___________________

To:______________________

BE IT KNOWN AND REMEMBERED, that, I, [name of tax collector], Tax Collector for the [name of political subdivision], in the name of the [name of political subdivision], and by virtue of the authority in me vested by the Constitution and laws of the State of Louisiana and, pursuant to the requirements of the law, having mailed and published the notice required by the law, and having strictly complied with each and every requirement of the law relating to delinquent taxes,  tax debtors, and to seizures, advertisements, and sale of tax sale title to the property  in full, did in the manner prescribed in the law, advertise and list in [name of appropriate journal for legal notices] the property to be sold for delinquent property taxes with interest and costs for the year(s) of ___________________ in the [place of sale] on [dates of publication], beginning at ten o'clock A.M. giving notice in the issues of the newspaper and in the list as advertised the following described property:

[See Exhibit "A."]  (Include name of each tax debtor in Exhibit "A")

And on said [date], after beginning but not completing said list, I continued the same within legal hours the next succeeding legal days offering tax sale title to said property for sale at public auction in the manner required by said laws and the whole or the undivided interest of the tax debtor therein being the smallest amount of said property that any bidder would buy and pay the taxes and costs and [name of political subdivision to which the property is being adjudicated] being the bidder, and having complied with the terms of sale, became the purchaser of tax sale title to the whole of the property or the undivided interest of the tax debtor therein.

NOW, THEREFORE, all the formalities of the law having complied with, I [name of tax collector], Tax Collector for said [name of political subdivision], by virtue of the authority in me vested by the laws of the State of Louisiana do by these presents sell and transfer unto [name and address of political subdivision], tax sale title to the property or the undivided interest of the tax debtor therein.  The [name of political subdivision] has the right to take possession of the property and become owner of the property pursuant to R.S. 47:2231 through 2237.  [Name of the political subdivision] has the right to sell or donate the property pursuant to R.S. 47:2201, 2211 and 2237.  The property may be redeemed pursuant to the provisions of R.S. 47:2241 through 2247.

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto signed my name officially at _____________________, Parish of ________________________, in the presence of the two undersigned competent witnesses, who also signed this_________ day of __________________ [Month], ________ [Year].

Witnesses:

___________________________

Printed Name:________________

[Name of Tax Collector]

____________________________

[Name of Political Subdivision]

Printed Name:

By:_________________________"

B.  A certified copy of the tax sale certificate is prima facie evidence of the regularity of all matters regarding the tax sale and the validity of the tax sale.

C.  The tax sale certificate contemplated by this Section is a tax deed for purposes of Louisiana Constitution Article VII, Section 25.

D.  The political subdivision with the agreement of the tax collector may readvertise the selling of tax sale title to a property or properties so adjudicated at any regularly scheduled tax sale, and that tax sale shall utilize the same procedure required by R.S. 47:2153 and 2154.  However, the purchase price or bid shall be the redemption price.  If the tax collector does not agree to readvertise the selling of tax sale title to the property or properties so adjudicated to the political subdivision for sale, if the political subdivision decides not to readvertise, or if the property is readvertised but not sold, the property shall remain adjudicated property, unless it has been redeemed.  The purchaser of a tax sale title to an adjudicated property shall be deemed to have purchased the property at the tax sale at which the property was adjudicated to the political subdivision.

E.  With respect to property adjudicated to the state for nonpayment of taxes for the years 1880 through 1973, the state, as owner, may lease, transfer, or sell the property pursuant to R.S. 41:131 et seq.; provided that if the property is occupied or assessed taxes thereon rendering sale of the property inappropriate, the register of the state land office shall notify the occupier or taxpayer of the adjudication and the need to either redeem or cancel said adjudication.

Acts 2008, No. 819, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2009; Acts 2010, No. 281, §1.