§1577. Tax obligation to constitute a lien, privilege and mortgage

A. Except as is specifically provided in the laws regulating building and loan associations, any tax, penalty, interest, or attorney fee due under the provisions of this Subtitle, shall operate as a lien, privilege, and mortgage on all of the property, rights to property, or after-acquired property of the tax debtor, both movable and immovable, which said lien, privilege, and mortgage shall be enforceable in any court of competent jurisdiction in an action, at law, or may be enforced as otherwise provided by this Subtitle. The lien, privilege, and mortgage shall arise at the time the tax is assessed or at the time a return thereof is filed, whichever occurs first. The lien, privilege, and mortgage created herein shall continue upon all property, rights to property, or after-acquired property, both movable and immovable, belonging to the tax debtor until the liability for the amount assessed or a judgment against the tax debtor arising out of such liability is satisfied or becomes unenforceable by reason of lapse of time.

B. The secretary may cause notice of such lien, privilege, and mortgage to be recorded at any time after the tax becomes due or the assessment is made, and regardless of whether or not then payable, according to the following:

(1) Notices of liens, privileges, and mortgages upon immovable property shall be filed in the office of the parish recorder of mortgages of any parish wherein the secretary has reason to believe the tax debtor owns immovable property.

(2)(a) Notices affecting movable property, including titled motor vehicles subject to R.S. 32:701 et seq. not held as inventory for sale or lease, shall be filed with the clerk of court of any parish or in the case of Orleans Parish, with the recorder of mortgages thereof (the "filing officer"), for inclusion in the master index of information maintained by the secretary of state.

(b) The notice herein provided shall be on a form prescribed by the secretary and shall be accepted by all filing officers. Nonstandard form penalties shall not be applicable to such filings presented pursuant to this Section.

(3) All costs associated with filing the notices provided for herein shall be assessed against the taxpayer. The amount of such costs shall be an obligation to be collected and accounted for in the same manner as if it were a part of the tax due.

C. The lien, privilege, and mortgage shall not be valid against any mortgagee, purchaser, secured party, judgment lien creditor, or person holding a repairman's or vendor's privilege whose interest in any property of the tax debtor is perfected prior to the time notice of the lien, privilege, and mortgage is recorded in the mortgage records of any parish wherein the secretary has reason to believe the tax debtor owns property or filed in the office of the clerk of court of the parish of East Baton Rouge, or both. The lien, privilege, and mortgage shall affect the rights of all other third parties from the date the assessment is made or a return thereof is filed, whichever occurs first, and shall take their respective ranks by virtue of such.

D. The secretary shall promulgate rules and regulations as necessary to implement this Section under the Administrative Procedure Act.

Acts 2003, No. 878, §1, eff. July 1, 2003.