St. Tammany Sheriff Randy Smith reminds the public the annual tax sale for delinquent 2020 taxes will occur online again this year in order to avoid crowding a courtroom with tax sale buyers.
In anticipation of its annual tax sale on July 19, the St. Tammany Sheriff’s Office is advertising the list of delinquent properties in the July 14 edition of The St. Tammany Farmer. The list will also be posted under “Public Notices” on the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office website, www.stpso.com.
The public notices will include approximately 900 properties with taxes due to the parish and the municipalities of Slidell, Mandeville, Covington, Pearl River, Abita Springs and Madisonville.
It is not too late for property owners to settle delinquent tax bills prior to the sale. However, delinquent taxpayers are strongly encouraged to make their payments by noon on July 16 so payments can be recorded and those properties removed from the website before the sale begins.
Property tax payments may be made Monday-Friday between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the Justice Center in Covington or at the Sheriff’s Slidell Administrative Complex at 300 Brownswitch Road. Payments may be made in person by certified check, cash, money order or by credit card (a 2.5% convenience fee will be charged on credit card transactions). Payments can also be made online at https://secure.stpsopayments.com via credit card.
The tax sale process completes the annual property tax collection cycle. The sale is not of the structure or land itself, but of a tax title, which places a lien against the delinquent property. Tax sale buyers pay the tax that is due, interests and other costs incurred in the collection process. Owners of properties that sell at tax sale have a three-year period during which they can redeem their property with the STPSO by paying all amounts owed at the time of redemption. The amounts collected are then used to reimburse the tax sale buyer.
For additional information on taxes owed or the tax sale process, call the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office property tax department at (985) 809-8217.
