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The End of Life Plannerby Valoren

General information · not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.

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Successions in Louisiana

The Code quoted on this page speaks of successions, not probate. These are its own words on which court opens a succession, the judgment of possession, independent administration, the two forms of testament, when a testament must be offered for probate, and how far successors answer for the debts. Nothing on this page decides whether a particular estate needs a succession opened in court. That belongs to the court, or to an attorney in Louisiana.

  • Every fact dated, in the official words
  • Each state’s own law

Every quotation checked October 24, 2026

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Every quotation on this page is the official body’s own words, as they stood on the day we read them. The date is beside each one.

Which court opens a succession, and in which parish

A proceeding to open a succession shall be brought in the district court of the parish where the deceased was domiciled at the time of his death.

Louisiana · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · La. C.C.P. art. 2811

Sending legatees into possession without an administration, on the petition of all of them

the court may send all of the legatees into possession of their respective legacies without an administration of the succession, on the ex parte petition of all of the general and universal legatees

Louisiana · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · La. C.C.P. art. 3031(A)

The judgment of possession, and when the court signs it

The court shall render and sign immediately a judgment of possession, if it finds from an examination of the petition for possession, and from the record of the proceeding, that the petitioners are entitled to the relief prayed for.

Louisiana · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · La. C.C.P. art. 3061(A)

How a notarial testament is made: the notary and the witnesses

The notarial testament shall be prepared in writing, dated, executed before a notary public in the presence of two witnesses, and signed by the testator, each witness, and the notary.

Louisiana · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · La. C.C. art. 1576(A)

The order to file and execute a testament, and its effect as probate

Upon production of the testament, the court shall order it filed and executed and this order shall have the effect of probate.

Louisiana · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · La. C.C.P. art. 2891

The time limit for offering a testament for probate, counted from the opening of the succession

No testament shall be admitted to probate unless a petition therefor has been filed in a court of competent jurisdiction within five years after the judicial opening of the succession of the deceased.

Louisiana · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · La. C.C.P. art. 2893

How a creditor submits a claim to the succession representative

A creditor of a succession under administration may submit his claim to the succession representative for acknowledgment and payment in due course of administration.

Louisiana · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · La. C.C.P. art. 3241

How far universal successors answer for the debts of the estate

Universal successors are liable to creditors for the payment of the estate debts in proportion to the part which each has in the succession, but each is liable only to the extent of the value of the property received by him, valued as of the time of receipt.

Louisiana · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · La. C.C. art. 1416(A)

What a person holding a testament must do, even one they doubt

If a person has possession of a document purporting to be the testament of a deceased person, even though the person believes that the document is not the valid testament of the deceased or has doubts concerning the validity of the testament, the person shall present the document to the court with a petition praying that the document be filed in the record of the succession proceeding.

Louisiana · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · La. C.C.P. art. 2853(A)

The Secretary of State's will registry, and the place of safekeeping it records

The secretary of state shall establish a registry in which a testator, or his attorney, if authorized by the testator to do so, may register information regarding the execution of the testator's will.

the intended place of deposit or safekeeping of the instrument pending the death of the testator

Louisiana · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · La. R.S. 9:2446

The same page for other states

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FAQ

Common questions

A proceeding to open a succession shall be brought in the district court of the parish where the deceased was domiciled at the time of his death.

Louisiana · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · La. C.C.P. art. 2811

The court shall render and sign immediately a judgment of possession, if it finds from an examination of the petition for possession, and from the record of the proceeding, that the petitioners are entitled to the relief prayed for.

Louisiana · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · La. C.C.P. art. 3061(A)

the court may send all of the legatees into possession of their respective legacies without an administration of the succession, on the ex parte petition of all of the general and universal legatees

Louisiana · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · La. C.C.P. art. 3031(A)

all of the intestate successors may agree on the advisability of having an independent administration

Louisiana · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · La. C.C.P. art. 3396.5

There are two forms of testaments: olographic and notarial.

Louisiana · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · La. C.C. art. 1574

The notarial testament shall be prepared in writing, dated, executed before a notary public in the presence of two witnesses, and signed by the testator, each witness, and the notary.

Louisiana · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · La. C.C. art. 1576(A)

No testament shall be admitted to probate unless a petition therefor has been filed in a court of competent jurisdiction within five years after the judicial opening of the succession of the deceased.

Louisiana · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · La. C.C.P. art. 2893

Universal successors are liable to creditors for the payment of the estate debts in proportion to the part which each has in the succession, but each is liable only to the extent of the value of the property received by him, valued as of the time of receipt.

Louisiana · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · La. C.C. art. 1416(A)

A creditor of a succession under administration may submit his claim to the succession representative for acknowledgment and payment in due course of administration.

Louisiana · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · La. C.C.P. art. 3241

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