§2576. Administrative adjudication of blighted or abandoned property, public health, housing, fire code, environmental, and historic district violations

A. In any municipality or parish, the failure to pay the liens, privileges, judicial mortgages, and any fines, fees, penalties, or hearing costs imposed pursuant to R.S. 13:2575 shall cause the liens, privileges, judicial mortgages, and any fines, fees, penalties, or hearing costs to be enforceable pursuant to the following provisions, in addition to those provided for in R.S. 13:2575:

(1)(a) The municipality may, immediately after the recordation of the order, judgment, notice of judgment, or lien in the mortgage office of the parish in whose jurisdiction the municipality is located:

(i) Apply to the clerk of the district court for issuance of a writ in accordance with Code of Civil Procedure Article 2253, upon describing with particularity the immovable property and the manner in which the writ is to be enforced, or

(ii) Institute a suit by ordinary proceeding against the owner of record in any court of competent jurisdiction to enforce the order, judgment, notice of judgment, or lien.

(b) All money judgments rendered in favor of the municipality shall recognize the order, judgment, notice of judgment, or lien, which shall have the effect of establishing the ranking in accordance with R.S. 13:2575, and shall be enforced in accordance with all laws relative to the enforcement of such judgments.

(2) The suit shall be tried by preference over all other civil suits both in the lower and appellate courts and shall be prosecuted without costs of court to the municipality. However, the municipality shall, whenever revenue is received from property as provided in this Chapter, pay the court costs out of the first revenue received.

(3) All actions to annul or invalidate sales made hereunder, for any cause whatsoever, and all actions to subject the property to any mortgage which existed before the sale to the purchaser shall be prescribed by the lapse of one year from the date of registry in the conveyance office of the deed to the purchaser.

(4) The municipality may pay out of the proceeds of the sale all costs incurred in enforcement of this Chapter, including the cost and expense of executing and recording the lien, except for deeds and copies of same, which shall be paid for by the purchaser in addition to the price bid for the property.

(5) After payment of costs incurred in the enforcement of this Chapter, the remaining proceeds of any judicial sale shall be credited and applied in satisfaction of all outstanding taxes, charges, assessment liens, mortgages, privileges, and other encumbrances secured by the property in the order of their priority as provided by law.

(6) Any past due and unpaid ad valorem taxes remaining after applying the proceeds of the judicial sale as provided by Paragraph (A)(5) of this Section shall become, be, and remain the personal obligation of the tax debtor.

(7) If property for which tax sale title was acquired and held by a political subdivision pursuant to R.S. 47:2196 is sold pursuant to this Chapter, upon recordation of such sale the property shall no longer be deemed adjudicated property. For purposes of any rights of redemption required pursuant to state law, the redemption period shall be deemed to have commenced on the date of the recordation of the initial adjudication to the political subdivision and not on the date of sale pursuant to this Chapter.

B. The governing body of the municipality may waive the collection or enforcement of any code liens in accordance with procedures established by the municipality in order to serve the public health, safety, and welfare through the financing, reconstruction, or rehabilitation of deteriorated housing.

C. The governing body of the municipality may, by ordinance, establish a dedicated fund into which funds collected in accordance with this Chapter for the satisfaction of liens shall be deposited and from which such funds may be distributed in accordance with procedures established by the municipality in order to serve the public health, safety, and welfare through the financing, reconstruction, or rehabilitation of deteriorated housing.

Added by Acts 1994, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 66, §1, eff. July 7, 1994; Acts 1997, No. 463, §1, eff. June 22, 1997; Acts 2000, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 145, §1; Acts 2001, No. 366, §1; Acts 2004, No. 209, §2, eff. June 14, 2004; Acts 2007, No. 115, §1; Acts 2011, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 38, §1; Acts 2013, No. 223, §1, eff. June 12, 2013.