Provides relative to blighted property. (8/1/26)

Senate Bill 231 amends Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:600.35(C) to require the statewide housing locator system to be made publicly accessible online through the state housing agency's website. The bill preserves all existing statutory requirements for local governmental subdivisions to submit blighted housing property lists to the state housing agency by December 31st each year with quarterly updates, and it maintains the state housing agency's obligation to publish and maintain a comprehensive statewide blighted housing property list updated quarterly and posted on its website by March 15th annually. The sole substantive change is the addition of a new mandate that the statewide housing locator system itself, which serves as the mechanism for maintaining the blighted housing property list, must be made available to the general public through online access via the state housing agency's website.

This legislation affects local governmental subdivisions, the state housing agency, and members of the general public seeking information about blighted properties. Local governments continue their existing responsibilities to compile and submit blighted housing lists on schedule without modification. The state housing agency gains a new obligation to provide public online access to the housing locator system, which will likely require technological infrastructure to support widespread web-based access to the database previously maintained primarily for official use. Members of the public, real estate professionals, community organizations, and investors will gain direct access to comprehensive information about blighted properties across Louisiana, enabling greater transparency and potentially facilitating targeted redevelopment efforts and informed property transactions.

This bill operates within the existing statutory framework governing blighted property management in Louisiana under R.S. 40:600.35, which establishes the dual-layer system of local property identification and state aggregation and publication. The amendment does not alter the substantive definition of blighted property, the procedures for listing determinations, or the timeline requirements already in place. The change represents a modernization initiative to democratize access to information that was already being compiled and maintained by the state, shifting from limited official access to unrestricted public availability through digital means consistent with contemporary transparency and open data principles in state government operations.