Find Property Records in Houma

Houma property records are filed at the Terrebonne Parish Clerk of Court, located in the city at 7856 Main St. As the Terrebonne Parish seat, Houma is where all deeds, mortgages, conveyances, and land instruments for the parish are kept and recorded. You can search Houma property records in person at the clerk's office or online through the eClerks system. The Terrebonne Parish Assessor also provides a free online search for ownership information and assessed values across the parish.

Property Records for Houma Residents

Houma is the parish seat of Terrebonne Parish and the largest city in the parish. All property records for Houma go to the Terrebonne Parish Clerk of Court, which happens to be right in town. That makes Houma one of the more convenient cities in Louisiana for in-person records access -- you don't have to drive to a different city for the clerk's office.

Like all Louisiana cities, Houma does not maintain its own land records at the city level. Property deeds, mortgages, liens, and other instruments are parish-level documents. The city government has no role in recording or storing them. All of that goes through the parish clerk.

Both the Terrebonne Parish Clerk of Court and the Terrebonne Parish Assessor are in the same building at 7856 Main St. in downtown Houma. You can handle assessment questions and deed searches in one stop, which is convenient. Just go to different suites -- the clerk is in Suite 100 and the assessor is in Suite 300.

Terrebonne Parish Clerk of Court

The Terrebonne Parish Clerk of Court is the official keeper of all property records for Houma. Under Louisiana law, instruments affecting immovable property must be recorded in the parish where the property sits to be effective against third parties. For Houma properties, that means Terrebonne Parish.

The screenshot below shows the Terrebonne Parish Records portal serving Houma. Visit terrebonneparishrecords.us to access online searches, filing details, and contact information for the clerk's office.

The Terrebonne Parish Records portal provides online access to recorded instruments for Houma properties -- check the site for current search options and any account requirements.

Staff at the clerk's office can look up records by name, property description, or instrument number. You can get plain or certified copies of any recorded instrument. Call ahead if you plan to mail a document for recording so you can confirm current fees and any specific requirements.

How to Search Property Records in Houma

There are several ways to search Houma property records. The most direct is the Terrebonne Parish Records portal at terrebonneparishrecords.us. This site gives access to the clerk's recorded instrument index so you can search deeds, mortgages, liens, and other documents without a courthouse visit.

eClerks LA. The eClerks LA platform provides a free index of recorded documents for participating Louisiana parishes. You can search by name and see basic filing details at no cost. Viewing full document images may require a fee or account depending on the parish.

Clerk Connect. Clerk Connect is a subscription service used by title companies and attorneys. It covers many Louisiana parishes including Terrebonne and lets you search by grantor, grantee, or instrument type. Both platforms pull from the same official clerk data.

In-Person at 7856 Main St. The clerk's office has public access terminals where you can search and print records. This is the right option for certified copies or for older documents that may not yet be available online.

When searching, have the property owner's name, the property address, and an approximate recording date range ready. If you know the instrument number from a prior search, use that -- it is the fastest way to pull up a specific document.

Terrebonne Parish Assessor

The Terrebonne Parish Assessor sets the assessed value for all Houma properties. The assessor's office is at 7856 Main St., Suite 300, Houma, LA 70360 -- same building as the clerk, different suite. The phone is (985) 876-6620. Office hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM.

Under La. Const. art. VII, sec. 18, residential property is assessed at 10% of fair market value. Commercial property is assessed at 15%, and public service properties at 25%. These ratios apply to all Houma parcels. The assessed value is what the millage rate gets applied to -- not the full market price of the property.

The assessor's records are public. They show current ownership, legal descriptions, lot sizes, assessed values, and any exemptions on file. These records are a good starting point before doing a full title search. You get the current owner name and legal description, which you then take to the clerk's records for the full instrument history.

If you think your Houma property is over-assessed, you can object during the annual open book period. Contact the assessor's office at (985) 876-6620 for the current review dates and filing process. Formal appeals after the open book period go to the Louisiana Tax Commission.

Understanding Louisiana Property Records

Louisiana property records are public under La. R.S. 44:1, which gives any person the right to inspect and copy records maintained by public bodies in the state. You don't need a reason or a legal interest in the property to search deed records at the Terrebonne Parish Clerk's office.

Louisiana follows a civil law tradition, and recording matters a great deal here. Under La. Civ. Code art. 3338, recording a document in the parish records is what makes it effective against third parties who later deal with the property. A deed that isn't recorded may not protect the buyer against a competing later claim that was recorded. This is why every real estate closing in Houma ends with the act of sale going to the clerk's office.

Houma sits in coastal Louisiana, where land ownership can be more complex than in other parts of the state. Terrebonne Parish includes bayou, marsh, and coastal areas. Some properties near water may involve mineral rights, water bottoms, or coastal zone regulations. Mineral rights can be severed from the surface in Louisiana, so checking the recorded instruments for any prior mineral reservations is important when buying property in the Houma area.

Common documents recorded for Houma properties include acts of sale, acts of mortgage, mortgage cancellations, judgment liens, servitudes, acts of donation, mineral leases, and subdivision plats. Each has its own instrument type code in the clerk's index.

Property Taxes in Houma

Property taxes for Houma are collected by the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office Tax Division -- not by the clerk. That's different from some other parishes. The Sheriff's Tax Division is at 8026 Main St., Suite 600, Houma, LA 70360. The phone is (985) 873-6767.

Tax bills are generally due by December 31. If you are checking whether taxes are current on a Houma property, contact the Sheriff's Tax Division. They handle payment status questions, not the clerk's office. This is a point that trips up some buyers during the due diligence process.

Tax records are permanent public records under La. R.S. 44:411. The history of tax payments on a property stays in the public record. If taxes go unpaid, a lien attaches to the property. That lien follows the property through any sale unless it is resolved at closing. A full title search through the Terrebonne Parish Clerk's records will show any recorded tax liens or judgment liens.

Homestead exemption is available for Houma homeowners who use the property as their primary home. The exemption removes the first $75,000 of assessed value from most parish and school taxes. File it with the Terrebonne Parish Assessor. It doesn't apply automatically -- you must apply before the deadline in the year you want it to start.

Nearby Cities

Other Louisiana cities near Houma with property record guides include New Iberia, Lafayette, and Slidell.