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Louisiana service via parish sheriffs under La. C.C.P. Art. 1231. Out-of-state subpoena domestication under UIDDA at La. R.S. § 13:3821 et seq.
Louisiana is the only civil-law jurisdiction in the United States and uses distinct legal terminology: a "citation" (not a summons) served with a "petition" (not a complaint), in parishes (not counties) that are organized into 42 judicial districts. Service of process is governed primarily by the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure, Articles 1231 through 1293. Virtually all service in Louisiana is handled by the parish sheriff, and out-of-state counsel cannot serve Louisiana citations through a private process server except in unusual court-appointed circumstances. This monopoly of parish-sheriff service is the most important practical distinction out-of-state practitioners must understand.
This is practical guidance, not legal advice. Louisiana service of process rules are found in La. C.C.P. Art. 1231; La. R.S. § 13:3471. For service of process nationwide, Served 123 LLC handles Louisiana and all 49 other states with qualified servers.
Under La. C.C.P. Art. 1231, service of the citation and petition is the duty of the sheriff of the parish where service is to be made. The sheriff may designate deputies. Louisiana does not have a statewide private process-server industry — a private server may serve Louisiana process only by specific appointment of the court in the particular case, and this is uncommon outside specialized contexts. Out-of-state counsel should budget sheriff service fees and expect sheriff timelines, which vary by parish.
Personal service under La. C.C.P. Art. 1232 is accomplished by a tendering to the defendant personally, or to any place the defendant is found within the territorial jurisdiction of the server. The sheriff completes a return on the original citation reciting the date, time, and place of service. Louisiana personal service does not require the defendant to physically accept the papers — tender is sufficient.
Louisiana's equivalent of substituted service is "domiciliary service" under La. C.C.P. Art. 1234, which requires the sheriff to leave the citation at the dwelling house or usual place of abode of the person to be served in the hands of a person of suitable age and discretion residing in the domiciliary establishment. Louisiana uses the term "domicile" in its civil-law sense — the place of the person's principal establishment — which is a more rigorous concept than the abode used in common-law states. The recipient must genuinely reside at the domicile.
Louisiana generally does not authorize service of a citation and petition by ordinary or certified mail on in-state defendants. La. R.S. § 13:3471(1) authorizes service by certified mail on out-of-state defendants through the Louisiana long-arm statute, with the Secretary of State serving as statutory agent for certain nonresidents. First-class mail is never a valid method of serving a Louisiana citation.
Service on Louisiana corporations, LLCs, and partnerships is governed by La. C.C.P. Art. 1261 and is made on an agent for service of process designated by the entity. The Louisiana Secretary of State's Commercial Division portal (sos.la.gov) identifies the registered agent. If the agent cannot be found after reasonable diligence, La. R.S. § 12:308 (corporations) and § 12:1308.1 (LLCs) permit service on the Secretary of State as substitute agent. For foreign corporations transacting business in Louisiana without registration, the Secretary of State serves as statutory agent under La. R.S. § 13:3471.
Louisiana's long-arm statute at La. R.S. § 13:3201 extends jurisdiction to defendants with specified contacts with Louisiana. Service on nonresidents is authorized under La. R.S. § 13:3204 by any form of mail requiring a signed receipt, or by actual delivery by a commercial courier, to the defendant's address. Alternatively, service may be made through the Louisiana Secretary of State under § 13:3471, who then forwards process to the defendant by registered mail.
Louisiana service by publication is limited and is generally employed only in in rem or status proceedings (such as partition actions or child-custody modifications where the defendant is absent). La. C.C.P. Art. 5091 authorizes a court to appoint an attorney at law to represent an absent defendant, which substitutes for publication in many cases. Where publication is used, it typically runs once a week for four consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the parish.
Louisiana adopted the Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act at La. R.S. § 13:3821 et seq. To domesticate a foreign subpoena, counsel submits the original out-of-state subpoena to the clerk of the district court in the Louisiana parish where discovery is sought, together with a proposed Louisiana subpoena incorporating the foreign commands. The clerk issues the Louisiana subpoena without requiring a motion or appearance by local Louisiana counsel. Service of the Louisiana subpoena on the deponent or custodian must be made by the parish sheriff — this is the single most common friction point for out-of-state counsel accustomed to private-server jurisdictions.
Louisiana does not set a strict days-from-filing deadline for service under the Code of Civil Procedure, but La. C.C.P. Art. 561 permits abandonment of the action if no step in its prosecution is taken for three years. In practical terms, plaintiffs should pursue sheriff service immediately on filing and monitor the sheriff's progress. Rural parish sheriffs may take several weeks; urban parish sheriffs (Orleans, Jefferson, East Baton Rouge) are generally faster.
The sheriff's return of service is typed onto the reverse of the citation, identifying the date, time, parish, manner of service, and the person served (with relationship to the defendant for domiciliary service). The return is sworn and filed with the clerk of court. The return is prima facie evidence of the facts stated. Amendment of a defective return under La. C.C.P. Art. 5094 is permitted only if the underlying service itself was valid.
Practitioners routinely handle Louisiana service by coordinating with parish sheriffs in Orleans, Jefferson, East Baton Rouge, Caddo, and rural parishes statewide, UIDDA subpoena domestication through the clerk of the district court in 42 judicial districts, registered-agent service on Louisiana corporations and LLCs through the Commercial Division, and long-arm service on out-of-state defendants under La. R.S. § 13:3204.
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No. Louisiana, like every other state, prohibits parties from serving their own process. The server must be an adult non-party or an authorized officer/licensed server per Louisiana rules.
Louisiana does not set a specific days-from-filing service deadline. La. C.C.P. Art. 561 permits abandonment of the action if no step in its prosecution is taken for three years. In practice, plaintiffs should request sheriff service immediately on filing, and monitor the sheriff's progress — rural parish sheriffs may take several weeks longer than urban parishes.
Louisiana generally does not authorize service of a citation and petition by mail on in-state defendants. La. R.S. § 13:3471(1) authorizes certified mail service on out-of-state defendants through the Louisiana long-arm statute, with the Secretary of State serving as statutory agent for certain nonresidents. Ordinary first-class mail is never a valid method.
La. C.C.P. Art. 1261 authorizes service on a corporation's designated agent for service of process. The Louisiana Secretary of State's Commercial Division portal identifies the registered agent for Louisiana-registered entities. If the agent cannot be found after reasonable diligence, the Secretary of State may be served as substitute under La. R.S. § 12:308 (corporations) or § 12:1308.1 (LLCs).
Louisiana follows the majority refused-acceptance rule. The server may place the papers in the defendant's immediate presence after identifying the nature of the documents. Service is valid despite refusal.
Louisiana's long-arm statute at La. R.S. § 13:3201 extends jurisdiction to out-of-state defendants with specified contacts. Service is authorized under § 13:3204 by any form of mail requiring a signed receipt or by actual delivery by a commercial courier. Alternatively, service may be made through the Louisiana Secretary of State under § 13:3471.
Start with a skip trace, then move for service by publication on a court order supported by an affidavit documenting diligent inquiry. four consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the action is pending.
