Star Thing WindAsk us to check

Star Thing Wind › States › Louisiana

South

Surplus funds in Louisiana.

When a property in Louisiana sells at a tax sale or a foreclosure sale for more than what was owed, the extra can belong to the former owner. Here is who holds it, the law behind it, and every parish office linked so you can check for yourself, free.

Star Thing Wind is a private company, not the Clerk or any government office.

Foreclosure sales here

Judicial, through the courts.

Our fee here

We don't offer paid help in Louisiana. You can claim surplus here yourself, free; see below.

Tax sale surplus

Since Jan. 1, 2026 (Acts 2024 No. 774, as amended by Acts 2025 No. 411), Louisiana auctions tax liens, not the property: bidders compete on the monthly interest rate, from 1% down to no lower than 0.7% (La. R.S. 47:2154). Surplus arises only if the property is later sold. In a court sale to enforce a tax lien certificate, the sheriff pays the certificate holders and recorded creditors first, then each owner by their interest. Money that can't be delivered goes to the court's registry and, if unclaimed after one year, to unclaimed property (47:2267). When a parish or other political subdivision sells property, it holds the excess for one year from its notice. Any person holding an interest in the property may submit a claim by affidavit, and unclaimed money reverts to the political subdivision (47:2211).

Foreclosure surplus

Foreclosure type
Judicial
Who holds the surplus

Parish sheriff (mortgage foreclosures are carried out by sheriff's sale under executory or ordinary process)

After a sheriff's sale, the sheriff deducts costs, pays the seizing creditor, then pays inferior mortgages, liens and privileges, and pays any remaining surplus to the debtor (former owner) under Code of Civil Procedure art. 2373. A former owner claims by contacting the sheriff's office for the parish that ran the sale; if creditors dispute the money, the matter is decided in the court that ordered the sale. We found no statutory claim deadline for mortgage-foreclosure surplus.

Fees and assignments. No foreclosure-surplus-specific fee statute found. Once surplus is turned over as unclaimed property, La. R.S. 9:177 applies: locator agreements made from the date the property is presumed abandoned until 24 months after it is delivered to the state are void; a 'fiduciary agent' (limited by R.S. 9:153 to Louisiana-licensed attorneys, CPAs and financial advisors) may charge no more than 10% of the claim; any recovery agreement must be in writing, describe the property and services, be signed by the owner, and state the value before and after the fee.

Published surplus lists

These official Louisiana pages publish lists or lookups of unclaimed surplus or excess proceeds. If your name or parcel appears, the office that runs the list can tell you how to claim, free.

Lists change often and may be out of date. Checked October 2026.

Claiming it yourself

We don't offer paid help in Louisiana. You can claim surplus here yourself, free.

See the free self-filing steps →

Every Louisiana parish office(65)

Surplus is public record. Call the office that held the sale with the parcel or case number; in most places it will confirm whether a surplus exists, how much, and the deadline. Self-filing is free. Each entry links the county's tax office and court clerk where the directory lists them, plus the full set of county offices.

Each dot is a county below. Pick one from the list to see it up close.© OpenStreetMap contributors

Check this yourself

This page is plain-language orientation, not legal advice. Statutes were checked against official sources in October 2026, and county links come from the NETR public-records directory, an independent resource. Laws and county procedures change, so confirm with the office before you rely on any of it. You can always file a claim yourself with no recovery fee (a court or notary may charge a small fee).