§21. Other Property Exemptions

            Section 21. In addition to the homestead exemption provided for in Section 20 of this Article, the following property and no other shall be exempt from ad valorem taxation:

            (A) Public lands and other public property used for public purposes. Land or property owned by another state or owned by a political subdivision of another state shall not be exempt under this Paragraph.

            (B)(1)(a)(i) Property owned by a nonprofit corporation or association organized and operated exclusively for religious, dedicated places of burial, charitable, health, welfare, fraternal, or educational purposes, no part of the net earnings of which inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or member thereof and that is declared to be exempt from federal or state income tax; and

            (ii) Medical equipment leased for a term exceeding five years to such a nonprofit corporation or association that owns or operates a small, rural hospital and that uses the equipment solely for health care purposes at the hospital, provided that the property shall be exempt only during the term of the lease to such corporation or association, and further provided that "small, rural hospital" shall mean a hospital that meets all of the following criteria:

            (aa) It has less than fifty Medicare-licensed acute care beds.

            (bb) It is located in a municipality with a population of less than ten thousand that has been classified as an area with a shortage of health manpower by the United States Health Service; and

            (b) Property leased to such a nonprofit corporation or association for use solely as housing for homeless persons, as defined by regulation adopted by the tax commission or its successor provided that the term of such lease shall be for at least five years, that as a condition of entering into the lease the property be in compliance with all applicable health and sanitation codes for use as housing for homeless persons, that the lease shall provide that compensation to be paid the lessor shall not exceed one dollar per year, and that such contract of lease shall recite that the property shall be used exclusively for the purpose of housing the homeless, and further provided that at such time as the property is no longer used solely as housing for homeless persons, the property shall no longer be exempt from taxation;

            (2) Property of a bona fide labor organization representing its members or affiliates in collective bargaining efforts; and

            (3) Property of an organization such as a lodge or club organized for charitable and fraternal purposes and practicing the same, and property of a nonprofit corporation devoted to promoting trade, travel, and commerce, and also property of a trade, business, industry or professional society or association, if that property is owned by a nonprofit corporation or association organized under the laws of this state for such purposes.

            (4)(a) None of the property listed in this Paragraph shall be exempt if owned, operated, leased, or used for commercial purposes unrelated to the exempt purposes of the corporation or association.

            (b)(i) None of the property listed in this Paragraph shall be exempt if the property is owned by a nonprofit corporation or association and the governing authority of the municipality or parish in which the property is located determines all of the following:

            (aa) The property is leased as housing, is in a state of disrepair, and manifests conditions which endanger the health or safety of the public.

            (bb) The owner of the property habitually neglects maintenance of the property as evidenced by three or more sustained code enforcement violations issued for the property in the prior twelve months for matters that endanger the health or safety of residents of the property or of persons in the area surrounding the property. For purposes of this Item, matters deemed to endanger health or safety include structural instability due to deterioration; injurious or toxic ventilation; contaminated or inoperable water supply; holes, breaks, rotting materials, or mold in walls; roof defects that admit rain; unsecured overhang extensions in danger of collapse; a hazardous electrical system; improper connection of fuel-burning appliances or equipment; an inactive or inoperable fire detection system; an unsecured or contaminated swimming pool; or any combination of these.

            (ii) An ad valorem tax exemption denied or revoked pursuant to the provisions of Item (i) of this Subsubparagraph may be issued or reinstated if the governing authority of the municipality or parish in which the property is located determines that the conditions enumerated in Item (i) of this Subsubparagraph no longer exist.

            (C)(1) Cash on hand or deposit;

            (2) stocks and bonds, except bank stocks, the tax on which shall be paid by the banking institution;

            (3) obligations secured by mortgage on property located in Louisiana and the notes or other evidence thereof;

            (4) loans by life insurance companies to policyholders, if secured solely by their policies;

            (5) the legal reserve of domestic life insurance companies;

            (6) loans by a homestead or building and loan association to its members, if secured solely by stock of the association;

            (7) debts due for merchandise or other articles of commerce or for services rendered;

            (8) obligations of the state or its political subdivisions;

            (9) personal property used in the home or on loan in a public place;

            (10) irrevocably dedicated places of burial held by individuals for purposes of burial of themselves or members of their families;

            (11) agricultural products while owned by the producer, agricultural machinery and other implements used exclusively for agricultural purposes, animals on the farm, and property belonging to an agricultural fair association;

            (12) property used for cultural, Mardi Gras carnival, or civic activities and not operated for profit to the owners;

            (13) rights-of-way granted to the State Department of Highways;

            (14) boats using gasoline as motor fuel;

            (15) commercial vessels used for gathering seafood for human consumption; and

            (16) ships and oceangoing tugs, towboats, and barges engaged in international trade and domiciled in Louisiana ports. However, this exemption shall not apply to harbor, wharf, shed, and other port dues or to any vessel operated in the coastal trade of the states of the United States.

            (17) Materials, boiler fuels, and energy sources used by public utilities to fuel the generation of electricity.

            (18) All incorporeal movables of any kind or nature whatsoever, except public service properties, bank stocks, and credit assessments on premiums written in Louisiana by insurance companies and loan and finance companies. For purposes of this Section, incorporeal movables shall have the meaning set forth in the Louisiana Civil Code of 1870, as amended.

            (19) All artwork including sculptures, glass works, paintings, drawings, signed and numbered posters, photographs, mixed media, collages, or any other item which would be considered as the material result of a creative endeavor which is listed as a consignment article by an art dealer.

            (D)(1) Raw materials, goods, commodities, and articles imported into this state from outside the states of the United States:

            (a) so long as the imports remain on the public property of the port authority or docks of the common carrier where they first entered this state;

            (b) so long as the imports (other than minerals and ores of the same kind as any mined or produced in this state and manufactured articles) are held in this state in the original form in bales, sacks, barrels, boxes, cartons, containers, or other original packages, and raw materials held in bulk as all or a part of the new material inventory of manufacturers or processors, solely for manufacturing or processing; or

            (c) so long as the imports are held by an importer in any public or private storage in the original form in bales, sacks, barrels, boxes, cartons, containers, or other original packages and agricultural products in bulk. This exemption shall not apply to these imports when held by a retail merchant as part of his stock-in-trade for sale at retail.

            (2) Raw materials, goods, commodities, and other articles being held on the public property of a port authority, on docks of any common carrier, or in a warehouse, grain elevator, dock, wharf, or public storage facility in this state for export to a point outside the states of the United States.

            (3) Goods, commodities, and personal property in public or private storage while in transit through this state which are moving in interstate commerce through or over the territory of the state or which are in public or private storage within Louisiana, having been shipped from outside Louisiana for storage in transit to a final destination outside Louisiana, whether such destination was specified when transportation began or afterward.

            Property described in Paragraph (D), whether or not entitled to exemption, shall be reported to the proper taxing authority on the forms required by law.

            (E) Motor vehicles used on the public highways of this state, from state, parish, municipal, and special ad valorem taxes.

            (F) Notwithstanding any contrary provision of this Section, the State Board of Commerce and Industry or its successor, with the approval of the governor, may enter into contracts for the exemption from ad valorem taxes of a new manufacturing establishment or an addition to an existing manufacturing establishment, on such terms and conditions as the board, with the approval of the governor, deems in the best interest of the state.

            The exemption shall be for an initial term of no more than five calendar years, and may be renewed for an additional five years. All property exempted shall be listed on the assessment rolls and submitted to the Louisiana Tax Commission or its successor, but no taxes shall be collected thereon during the period of exemption.

            The terms "manufacturing establishment" and "addition" as used herein mean a new plant or establishment or an addition or additions to any existing plant or establishment which engages in the business of working raw materials into wares suitable for use or which gives new shapes, qualities or combinations to matter which already has gone through some artificial process.

            (G) Coal or lignite stockpiled in Louisiana for use in Louisiana for industrial or manufacturing purposes or for boiler fuel, gasification, feedstock, or process purposes.

            (H) Notwithstanding any contrary provision of this constitution, the State Board of Commerce and Industry or its successor, with the approval of the governor and the local governing authority and in accordance with procedures and conditions provided by law, may enter into contracts granting to a property owner, who proposes the expansion, restoration, improvement, or development of an existing structure or structures in a downtown, historic, or economic development district established by a local governing authority or in accordance with law, the right for an initial term of five years after completion of the work to pay ad valorem taxes based upon the assessed valuation of the property for the year prior to the commencement of the expansion, restoration, improvement, or development. Contracts may be renewed, subject to the same conditions, for an additional five years extending such right for a total of ten years from completion of the work.

            (I)(1) Notwithstanding any contrary provision of this Section, the authority or district charged with economic development of each parish is hereby authorized to enter into contracts for the exemption from parish, municipal, and special ad valorem taxes of goods held in inventory by distribution centers. In the absence of the existence of an economic development authority or district, the parish governing authority is authorized to grant contracts of exemption as are provided for in this Paragraph.

            (2) The contract for exemption shall be on such terms and to the extent, up to and including the full assessed valuation of the goods held in inventory, as the economic development authority or district deems in the best interest of the parish. However, prior to entering into each individual contract, the economic development authority or district must request and receive written approval of the contract, including its terms and an estimated fiscal impact, from each affected tax recipient body in the parish, as evidenced by a favorable vote of a majority of the members of the governing authority of the tax recipient body. Failure to receive all required approvals from the tax recipient bodies before entering into a contract shall render the contract null and void and of no effect.

            (3) The term "distribution center" as used herein means an establishment engaged in the sale of products for resale or further processing for resale. The term "goods held in inventory" as used herein means goods or products which have been given new shapes, qualities, or combinations through some artificial process and does not include raw materials such as natural gas, crude oil, sulphur, or timber or goods or products held for sale to consumers.

            (J)(1) Drilling rigs used exclusively for the exploration and development of minerals outside the territorial limits of the state in Outer Continental Shelf waters which are within the state for the purpose of being stored or stacked for use outside the territorial limits of the state, or for the purpose of being converted, renovated, or repaired, and any property in the state for the purpose of being incorporated in, or to be used in the operation of said drilling rigs.

            (2) The exemption provided in this Paragraph shall be applicable in any parish in which the exemption has been approved by a majority of the electors of the parish voting thereon at an election called for that purpose.

            (K)(1)(a) In addition to the homestead exemption authorized pursuant to the provisions of Section 20 of this Article, which applies to the first seven thousand five hundred dollars of the assessed valuation of property, the next two thousand five hundred dollars of the assessed valuation of property receiving the homestead exemption that is owned and occupied by a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of fifty percent or more but less than seventy percent by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs shall be exempt from ad valorem taxation. The surviving spouse of a deceased veteran with a service-connected disability rating of fifty percent or more but less than seventy percent by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs shall be eligible for this exemption if the surviving spouse occupies and remains the owner of the property, whether or not the exemption was in effect on the property prior to the death of the veteran. If property eligible for the exemption provided for in this Subsubparagraph has an assessed value in excess of ten thousand dollars, ad valorem property taxes shall apply to the assessment in excess of ten thousand dollars.

            (b) In addition to the homestead exemption authorized pursuant to the provisions of Section 20 of this Article, which applies to the first seven thousand five hundred dollars of the assessed valuation of property, the next four thousand five hundred dollars of the assessed valuation of property owned and occupied by a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of seventy percent or more but less than one hundred percent by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs shall be exempt from ad valorem taxation. The surviving spouse of a deceased veteran with a service-connected disability rating of seventy percent or more but less than one hundred percent by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs shall be eligible for this exemption if the surviving spouse occupies and remains the owner of the property, whether or not the exemption was in effect on the property prior to the death of the veteran. If property eligible for the exemption provided for in this Subsubparagraph has an assessed value in excess of twelve thousand dollars, ad valorem property taxes shall apply to the assessment in excess of twelve thousand dollars.

            (c) In addition to the homestead exemption authorized pursuant to the provisions of Section 20 of this Article, which applies to the first seven thousand five hundred dollars of the assessed valuation of property, the remaining assessed valuation of property receiving the homestead exemption that is owned and occupied by a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of one hundred percent unemployability or totally disabled by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs shall be exempt from ad valorem taxation. The surviving spouse of a deceased veteran with a service-connected disability rating of one hundred percent unemployability or totally disabled by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs shall be eligible for this exemption if the surviving spouse occupies and remains the owner of the property, whether or not the exemption was in effect on the property prior to the death of the veteran.

            (2) Notwithstanding any provision of this Constitution to the contrary, the property assessment of a property for which an exemption established pursuant to this Paragraph has been claimed, to the extent of the applicable exemption, shall not be treated as taxable property for purposes of any subsequent reappraisals and valuation for millage adjustment purposes pursuant to Section 23(B) of this Article. The decrease in the total amount of ad valorem tax collected by a taxing authority as a result of the exemption shall be absorbed by the taxing authority and shall not create any additional tax liability for other taxpayers in the taxing district as a result of any subsequent reappraisal and valuation or millage adjustment. Implementation of the exemption authorized in this Paragraph shall neither trigger nor be cause for a reappraisal of property or an adjustment of millages pursuant to the provisions of Section 23(B) of this Article.

            (3) A trust shall be eligible for the exemption provided for in this Paragraph as provided by law.

            (L)(1) Except as otherwise provided herein, property owned or leased by, and used by, a targeted non-manufacturing business in the operation of its facility, including buildings, improvements, equipment, and other property necessary or beneficial to such operation, according to a program and pursuant to contracts of exemption which contain such terms and conditions which shall be provided by law. Land underlying the facility and other property pertaining to the facility on which ad valorem taxes have previously been paid, inventories, consumables, and property eligible for the manufacturing exemption provided by Paragraph (F) of this Section, shall not be exempt under this Paragraph.

            (2) Ad valorem taxes shall apply to the assessed valuation of the first ten million dollars or ten percent of fair market value, whichever is greater, and this amount of property shall not be exempt under this Paragraph.

            (3) A targeted non-manufacturing business means at least fifty percent of such business' total annual sales from a site or sites in the state is to out-of-state customers or buyers, or to in-state customers or buyers but the product or service is resold by the purchaser to an out-of-state customer or buyer for ultimate use, or to the federal government, or any combination thereof. The legislature may provide by law for the inclusion of sales by affiliates when appropriate in making this fifty percent determination.

            (4) A contract for the exemption shall be available only in parishes which have agreed to participate, in the manner provided by the legislature by law.

            (M) There is hereby established an exemption from ad valorem tax for the total assessed value of the homestead of the unmarried surviving spouse of a person who died under the conditions enumerated in Subsubparagraph (1)(a) or (b) of this Paragraph, and if the conditions established in Subsubparagraph (1)(c) of this Paragraph are met.

            (1)(a) For ad valorem taxes due in 2017 and thereafter, the exemption shall apply beginning in the tax year in which any of the following persons died or 2017, whichever is later:

            (i) A member of the armed forces of the United States or the Louisiana National Guard who died while on active duty.

            (ii) A state police officer who died while on duty.

            (iii) A law enforcement or fire protection officer who qualified for the salary supplement authorized in Section 10(D)(3) of this Article who died while on duty.

            (b) For ad valorem taxes due in 2018 and thereafter, the exemption shall apply beginning in the tax year in which any of the following persons died or 2018, whichever is later:

            (i) An emergency medical responder, technician, or paramedic, as such terms may be defined by law, who died while performing the duties of their employment.

            (ii) A volunteer firefighter, verified by the Office of the State Fire Marshal to have died while performing firefighting duties.

            (iii) A law enforcement or fire protection officer who died while on duty and who would have qualified for the salary supplement authorized in Section 10(D)(3) of this Article if he had completed the first year of his employment before his death.

            (c)(i) The property is eligible for the homestead exemption and the property was the residence of a person listed within Subsubparagraph (a) or (b) of this Subparagraph at the time of that person's death.

            (ii) The surviving spouse has not remarried.

            (iii) The surviving spouse annually provides evidence of their eligibility for the exemption in accordance with the requirements of Subparagraph (2) of this Paragraph.

            (2) Each assessor shall establish a procedure whereby a person may annually apply for the exemption. Eligibility for the exemption shall be established by the production of documents and certification of information by the surviving spouse to the assessor as follows:

            (a) In an initial application for the exemption, the surviving spouse shall produce documentation issued by their deceased spouse's employer evidencing the death.

            (b) For purposes of the continuation of an existing exemption, the surviving spouse shall annually provide a sworn statement to the assessor attesting to the fact that the surviving spouse has not remarried.

            (3) Once an unmarried surviving spouse has qualified for and taken the exemption, if the surviving spouse then acquires a different property which qualifies for the homestead exemption, the surviving spouse shall be entitled to an exemption on that subsequent homestead, the exemption being limited in value to the amount of the exemption claimed on the prior homestead in the last year for which the exemption was claimed. The assessor may require the submission of certain information concerning the amount of the exemption on the prior homestead for purposes of determining the extent of the exemption available for the subsequent homestead.

            (4) A trust shall be eligible for the exemption provided for in this Paragraph as provided by law.

            (N)(1) All property delivered to a construction project site for the purpose of incorporating the property into any tract of land, building, or other construction as a component part, including the type of property that may be deemed to be a component part once placed on an immovable for its service and improvement pursuant to the provisions of the Louisiana Civil Code of 1870, as amended. The exemption provided for in this Paragraph shall be applicable until the construction project for which the property has been delivered is complete. A construction project shall be deemed complete when construction is finished to the extent that the project can be used or occupied for its intended purpose. A construction project shall not be deemed complete during its inspection, testing, or commissioning stages, as defined by reasonable industry standards.

            (2) Notwithstanding the provisions of Subparagraph (1) of this Paragraph, this exemption shall not apply to any of the following:

            (a) Any portion of a construction project that is complete, available for its intended use, or operational on the date that property is assessed.

            (b) For projects constructed in two or more distinct phases, any phase of the construction project that is complete, available for its intended use, or operational on the date the property is assessed.

            (c) Any public service property, unless the public service property is otherwise eligible for an exemption provided by any other provision of this constitution.

            (O)(1) In addition to the homestead exemption authorized pursuant to the provisions of Section 20 of this Article, which applies to the first seven thousand five hundred dollars of the assessed valuation of property, a parish governing authority may approve an ad valorem tax exemption of up to two thousand five hundred dollars of the assessed valuation of property receiving the homestead exemption that is owned and occupied by a qualified first responder.

            (2) For the purposes of this Paragraph, "first responder" shall mean a volunteer firefighter who has completed within the tax year no fewer than twenty-four hours of firefighter continuing education and is an active member of the Louisiana State Firemen's Association or is on the departmental personnel roster of the Volunteer Firefighter Insurance Program of the office of state fire marshal. For the purposes of this Paragraph, "first responder" shall also mean a full-time public employee whose duties include responding rapidly to an emergency and who resides in the same parish in which their employer is located. The term includes the following:

            (a) Peace officer, which means any sheriff, police officer, or other person deputized by proper authority to serve as a peace officer.

            (b) Fire protection personnel.

            (c) An individual certified as emergency medical services personnel.

            (d) An emergency response operator or emergency services dispatcher who provides communication support services for an agency by responding to requests for assistance in emergencies.

            (3) The exemption provided for in this Paragraph shall only apply in a parish if it is approved by the parish governing authority.

            (4) Each tax assessor shall establish a procedure whereby a person may annually apply for the exemption which shall include the production of documents by the first responder. In the application for the exemption, the first responder shall produce documentation issued by his employer evidencing employment for the taxable period for which the exemption is being requested.

            (5) Notwithstanding any provision of this Constitution to the contrary, any decrease in the total amount of ad valorem tax collected by the taxing authority as a result of an ad valorem tax exemption granted pursuant to this Paragraph shall be absorbed by the taxing authority and shall not create any additional tax liability for other taxpayers in the taxing district as a result of any subsequent reappraisal and valuation or millage adjustment. Implementation of the exemption authorized in this Paragraph shall neither trigger nor be cause for a reappraisal of property or an adjustment of millages.

            Amended by Acts 1981, No. 942, §1, eff. Oct. 16, 1982; Acts 1981, No. 943, §1, eff. Oct. 16, 1982; Acts 1981, No. 944, §1, eff. Oct. 16, 1982; Acts 1989, No. 845, §1, approved Oct. 6, 1990, eff. Jan. 1, 1991; Acts 1990, No. 1101, §1, approved Oct. 6, 1990, eff. Jan. 1, 1991; Acts 1990, No. 1104, §1, approved Oct. 6, 1990, eff. Jan. 1, 1991; Acts 1996, No. 47, §1, approved Sept. 21, 1996, eff. Nov. 5, 1996; Acts 2003, No. 1297, §1, approved Oct. 4, 2003, eff. Jan. 1, 2004; Acts 2005, No. 509, §1, approved Nov. 7, 2006, eff. Jan. 1, 2007; Acts 2005, No. 510, §1, approved Nov. 7, 2006, eff. Jan. 1, 2007; Acts 2005, No. 512, §1, approved Nov. 7, 2006, eff. Dec. 11, 2006; Acts 2010, No. 1049, §1, approved Nov. 2, 2010, eff. Jan. 1, 2011; Acts 2012, No. 871, §1, approved Nov. 6, 2012, eff. Jan. 1, 2013; Acts 2012, No. 875, §1, approved Nov. 6, 2012, eff. Dec. 10, 2012; Acts 2013, No. 433, §1, eff. Dec. 9, 2014; Acts 2015, No. 470, §1, approved Oct. 24, 2015, eff. Nov. 25, 2015; Acts 2016, No. 678, §1, eff. Dec. 1, 2016 ; Acts 2017, No. 427, §1, approved Oct. 14, 2017, eff. January 1, 2018; Acts 2017, No. 428, §1, approved Oct. 14, 2017, eff. Nov. 16, 2017; Acts 2018, No. 721, approved Nov. 6, 2018, eff. Dec. 12, 2018; Acts 2019, No. 444, §1; Acts 2019, No. 448, §1; Acts 2020, No. 370, §1; Acts 2022, No. 172, §1, approved Nov. 8, 2022, eff. Dec. 13, 2022; Acts 2023, No. 48, §1, approved Oct. 14, 2023, eff. Nov. 20, 2023; Acts 2023, No. 179, §1, approved Nov. 18, 2023, eff. Jan. 1, 2024.