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Read. Follow. Verify.House Bill 200 Shortens St. Bernard Parish Grass Removal Notice Window and Authorizes Tax Bill Fees
Last action · March 9, 2026: Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs.Sponsor: Mike Bayham
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What This Bill Proposed
House Bill 200 shortens the notice window from 15 days to seven days for St. Bernard Parish property owners to cut or remove overgrown grass, weeds, and debris before the parish performs the work and bills the owner. If owners fail to pay, the parish may record a lien matching an priority or add the removal charges directly to the annual property tax bill, including a 15 percent collection fee reimbursed to the sheriff.
Property owners in St. Bernard Parish face a reduced 7-day compliance window to clear overgrown lots before parish intervention, with unpaid charges converted to property liens or added to annual tax bills alongside a 15 percent collection fee.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
St. Bernard Parish property owners
Property owners face a shortened 7-day notice window to remove weeds and debris, potential parish-performed removal fees, property liens, and additional charges added to their annual tax bills.
St. Bernard Parish governing authority
The governing authority gains explicit statutory power to enforce a 7-day notice period, place liens on properties, add removal fees to tax bills, and act as the sole defendant in legal contests regarding these charges.
Sheriff
The sheriff collects the unpaid removal charges added to the ad valorem tax bill and receives a 15 percent reimbursement from the governing authority based on collected amounts.
Key Facts
- St. Bernard Parish property owners have seven days after receiving notice by registered or certified letter to cut or remove overgrown grass, weeds, trash, or debris before the parish takes action.
- If a property owner fails to remove the material, the parish may have the matter cut or removed and charge the owner according to parish regulations.
- Unpaid removal charges can be filed with the recorder of mortgages to operate as a lien and privilege against the property, ranking with the same priority as an ad valorem tax lien on immovable property when recorded within 60 days.
- The parish may enact ordinances to add cutting and removal charges directly to the annual ad valorem tax bill of the property involved.
Show all 6 facts
- The sheriff effecting collection is reimbursed by the governing authority in an amount equal to 15 percent of the charges actually collected, which is also added to the property tax bill.
- St. Bernard Parish serves as the sole and proper defendant in any legal action to contest the addition of these charges to the ad valorem tax bill.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many days do property owners in St. Bernard Parish have to clear overgrown grass or weeds after receiving notice?
What happens if a property owner does not pay the charges for the parish cutting their grass or weeds?
Who collects the unpaid removal charges if they are added to the tax bill?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
4 actions- Mar 9, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs.
- Feb 20, 2026HouseFirst appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/20/2026.
- Feb 18, 2026HousePrefiled.
- Feb 18, 2026HouseCommitteeUnder the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs.
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Shortened Compliance Window
HB 200 accelerates municipal enforcement by halving the required notification period from 15 days to 7 days before the parish intervenes to clear private property.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.la.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 35)
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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