Tax Division
Tax Collection Dept. Supervisor – Danette Hargrave
Phone: (337) 821-2120
E-mail:dhargrave@jdpso.org
Office hours: Monday thru Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
The Sheriff is the Ex-Officio Tax Collector in Jefferson Davis Parish and is responsible for collecting parish Ad Valorem taxes. The Sheriff's Office collects taxes for the parish and some municipalities, as well as school and improvement district taxes. The collected tax revenues are then distributed to each of the respective taxing districts. The parish is responsible for collecting all property taxes from the middle of November until the day of the tax sale, which is generally held sometime in or around June of each year.
The Jefferson Davis Parish Tax Division is under the command of Tax Collection Dept. Supervisor and Finance Division Commander Danette Hargrave.
Finance Division Commander Danette Hargrave
Commander Danette Hargrave is the Chief Financial Officer and Supervisor of the Tax Collection Department for the sheriff’s office and handles a variety of financial duties and responsibilities.
With 30 years of experience in the financial field, Commander Hargrave began her career following her graduation from McNeese State University in 1990 with a BA in Business Management. Following college graduation, she began her career working for a local insurance company and was the property and casualty insurance agent. During that time, she was also responsible for the financial duties of the company.
In 1994, she then entered the private industrial sector as an office manager. In that capacity, she continued to spend the next 22 years performing various duties involving payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable and all other financial responsibilities.
In the summer of 2013, Commander Hargrave then joined The Jeff Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office, where she became the Chief Financial Officer and Supervisor of the Tax Collection Department.
All taxes are to be paid before December 31st of the tax year and become delinquent after that date incurring a monthly interest of 1% after that date until paid. The Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff's Office allows three ways to pay taxes:
- Pay online - Online payments may be made with a credit debit card, however redemptions payments are not acceptable online.
- Pay in person – Citizens may pay in person at the Sheriff’s Office Main Office, located at 1530 Hwy. 90 West (Shankland Ave.), in Jennings, Louisiana. To get to the main office, enter the Sheriff's Office property via Hwy. 90 and travel through the double gateway entrance to the back building. Payments made in person will be accepted in the form of cash, money order, cashier's check, personal check or credit or debit cards. Cashier's check, money order or personal check payments should be made out to: Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff's Office
- Pay by mail - Only payments made with money orders, cashier's checks or personal checks will be accepted through the mail. Cash payments will not be accepted through the mail: NO EXCEPTIONS. Cashier's Checks, money orders or personal checks should be made out to: Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff's Office. P.O. Box 863 Jennings, Louisiana 70546
If you have a question about taxes owed or concerns about your tax statement, please contact the Sheriff's Office at (337)-821-2120.
All corrections to a tax statement must be made through the Tax Assessor. Please contact the Tax Assessor's Office at (337)-824-3451.
Some frequently asked questions and answers are as follows:
Who should I contact to make a change of address? The Jefferson Davis Parish Tax Assessor's Office should be contacted at (337) 824-3451 for change of address information.
How are my taxes calculated? The amount collected is based on an assessment that has been done by the Tax Assessor, which is another government entity entirely separate from the Sheriff's Office. The assessment is used in calculations, which include the amount of millage a particular property is subject to paying.
What is Homestead Exemption? In the state of Louisiana, homeowners are eligible for homestead exemption of the first $75,000 of the assessed value of the home considered their permanent residence. A person can have homestead exemption on only one home. To file for homestead exemption contact the Tax Assessor's Office at (337) 824-3451.
How are my taxes computed? Ten percent of the assessed value of your residential property is multiplied by the current year's millage rate to arrive at the total tax shown on the tax notice. Some property will have additional amounts.
What happens if I do not pay my taxes? A delinquent account is subject to be sold at the annual Tax Sale held in June, following the tax due date. Your property will be advertised in the official "Parish Journal," certified notices will be forwarded and every attempt will be made to ensure that you have adequate notice of taxes owed prior to this sale.
Does anyone really fail to pay his or her taxes? Yes - Nearly 100 real estate property accounts are sold each year for delinquent taxes.
Can you tell me a little about the Tax Sale? The Tax Sale is held at the Jefferson Davis Parish Courthouse, located at 300 N. State St., in Jennings, at 10 a.m. on the scheduled date. As per LA RS 47:2153, all unsettled property taxes are read aloud to the people or Tax Buyers who are present. These buyers must pre-register with the Sheriff's Office prior to the sale in order to participate.
Rather than bidding on the dollar amount, participants bid on the least amount of percentage tax interest for which they are willing to accept, while still paying the total delinquent amount due. The bids begin at 100% and the lowest whole percentage bid is accepted.
For example, if the total delinquent amount due on a property is $1,000, one individual may submit a bid for a 100% ownership interest in that property and another bidder may submit a bid for a 99% ownership interest in the property. The purchase amount of the $1,000 total remains the same for either bid. In this instance, the individual bidding the least percent ownership (99%) interest would be the successful bidder. Bidders may submit a bid of whatever whole percent ownership interest in the property they are comfortable accepting, while still paying the total delinquent amount due.
By law, as part of the bid down process, the Sheriff continues accepting bids until the lowest bid is received in the interest of the actual owner-which gives the buyer who bid that amount the right to purchase it.
What happens if the property is not sold at the Tax Sale? Any unsold property will be adjudicated to the parish, city or town, which then assumes ownership of the property.
What if a buyer buys my property and I want to get it back? The original owner has up to three years from the date the deed is filed in the Clerk of Court‘s office to redeem the property. The Tax Collector calculates redemption. The amount of redemption will include a redemption fee, tax sale fee; interest due the Tax Buyer, the base taxes and monthly interest accrued on the assessment. A property adjudicated to the Parish is calculated in much the same manner.
Who can I contact to see if my property has taxes owed? You can contact the Tax Clerk at the Sheriff's Office at (337) 821-2120 for any questions regarding taxes on your property.
Please visit the FAQ for other commonly asked questions about taxes.
Occupational License
Any home-based, trade, profession, occupation, vocation, chain or industrial business providing a for-profit service or product to be opened out of a permanent structure and operated in any of the unincorporated rural areas of the parish must apply for an Occupational License.
To do so, interested parties must come into the Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office Main Office, located at 1530 La. Hwy. 90 West in Jennings. Be prepared to provide a valid driver’s license and proof of LLC., if applicable.
To start a business within any city or town limits, applicants must go through the proper channels for that municipality.
For more information, please call Rhonda Timmons at 821-2102 or email rtimmons@jdpso.org.