Sources checked:
Quick answer. Louisiana: deposit returned within one month; 10-day notice to end month-to-month; 5-day notice for unpaid rent; $5,000 small claims limit. 11 of 23 items are confirmed on official pages; 12 are marked not confirmed, with the page to check.
Key numbers
- Deposit back within
- one month
- Month-to-month notice (landlord)
- 10 days
- Unpaid rent notice
- 5 days
- Time to answer or appear
- At the hearing
- Judgment to writ
- 24 hours
- Small claims limit
- $5,000
Security deposit (3 of 6 confirmed)
Law read: La. R.S. 9:3251 and 9:3252.
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Not confirmedDeposit limit
Not confirmed — check Louisiana Legislature: R.S. 9:3252, Failure to comply. Not confirmed from official text. Check R.S. 9:3251.
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ConfirmedReturn deadline
Within one month after the lease ends; an itemized statement of any amount kept and why within one month after the tenancy ends.
Source: Louisiana Legislature: R.S. 9:3252, Failure to comply, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedItemized list of deductions
An itemized statement of the amounts kept and the reasons. A 2026 bill (HB 292) proposed 15 more days for the statement; check R.S. 9:3251 for the current wording.
Source: Louisiana Legislature: R.S. 9:3252, Failure to comply, checked November 2026
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Not confirmedInterest on the deposit
Not confirmed — check Louisiana Legislature: R.S. 9:3252, Failure to comply. Not confirmed from official text. Check R.S. 9:3251.
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Not confirmedWhere the deposit is held
Not confirmed — check Louisiana Legislature: R.S. 9:3252, Failure to comply. Not confirmed from official text. Check R.S. 9:3251.
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ConfirmedPenalty the law states
Willful failure: the amount wrongfully kept plus $300 or twice that amount, whichever is greater. Not paying within 30 days after a written demand counts as willful (9:3252(A)).
Source: Louisiana Legislature: R.S. 9:3252, Failure to comply, checked November 2026
More: Security deposit rules by state · Deposit return deadline calculator
Notice periods (3 of 6 confirmed)
What the official text says about each notice. Cities and counties can add their own notice, just-cause or rent rules. Check local rules too.
| Notice | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ending month-to-month (landlord) | Notice at least 10 days before the end of the month for a month-to-month lease (5 days before the period ends for week-to-month leases). It ends the lease at the end of the period named, or the first period for which it was on time. | Source: Louisiana State Legislature: Civil Code Article 2728, checked November 2026 (Civil Code art. 2728) |
| Ending month-to-month (tenant) | Notice at least 10 days before the end of the month for a month-to-month lease (5 days before the period ends for week-to-month leases). It ends the lease at the end of the period named, or the first period for which it was on time. | Source: Louisiana State Legislature: Civil Code Article 2728, checked November 2026 (Civil Code art. 2728) |
| Rent increase notice | Not confirmed — check Louisiana State Legislature: Civil Code Article 2728. Not in Article 2728. Check the lease and the Civil Code articles on lease. | |
| Unpaid rent notice | A notice to vacate allows the lessee five days from its delivery to vacate the premises, as existing law quoted in the Legislature's 2022 digest. The digest doesn't tie the five days to nonpayment specifically. | Source: Louisiana State Legislature: Resume digest of Act 442 (HB 160), 2022 Regular Session, checked November 2026 (Code of Civil Procedure art. 4701) |
| Entry notice | Not confirmed — check Louisiana State Legislature: Civil Code Article 2728. Not confirmed. Check the lease. | |
| Late fee limits | Not confirmed — check Louisiana State Legislature: Civil Code Article 2728. Not confirmed. Check the lease. |
More: Notice periods by state · Notice date calculator
Eviction case, in order (4 of 10 confirmed)
- Notice before filing The written notice comes first; its length is in the notice table above.
Unpaid rent: A notice to vacate allows the lessee five days from its delivery to vacate the premises, as existing law quoted in the Legislature's 2022 digest. The digest doesn't tie the five days to nonpayment specifically.
- Filing the case Where the case goes and what it costs to start.
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Not confirmedCourt
Not confirmed — check Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Art. 4732: Trial of rule; judgment of eviction. Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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Not confirmedFiling fee
Not confirmed — check Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Art. 4732: Trial of rule; judgment of eviction. Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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- The tenant's answer or appearance
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ConfirmedTime to answer or appear
The tenant answers or appears at the trial of the rule; judgment of eviction is rendered immediately if the landlord prevails or the tenant doesn't appear.
the court shall render immediately a judgment of eviction
Source: Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Art. 4732: Trial of rule; judgment of eviction, checked November 2026
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- Hearing or trial
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ConfirmedHearing after filing
The rule to show cause can be tried no earlier than the third day after service (the earliest date here assumes service on the filing day).
The court shall make the rule returnable not earlier than the third day after service thereof
Source: Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Art. 4732: Trial of rule; judgment of eviction, checked November 2026
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- Judgment and the writ The order that lets the officer act.
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ConfirmedJudgment to writ
If the tenant doesn't comply within 24 hours after the judgment of eviction, the court issues the warrant of possession.
does not comply with the judgment of eviction within twenty-four hours after its rendition
Source: Louisiana Supreme Court, Uniform Forms Committee: Forms for City and Parish Courts, checked November 2026
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- Lockout Carried out by an officer, not by either side.
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Not confirmedWrit to lockout
Not confirmed — check Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Art. 4732: Trial of rule; judgment of eviction. Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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ConfirmedWho carries out the lockout
The sheriff, constable or marshal executes the warrant.
The sheriff, constable, or marshal shall execute a warrant rendered under Article 4733.
Source: Louisiana Supreme Court, Uniform Forms Committee: Forms for City and Parish Courts, checked November 2026
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- Along the way Paying to stop the case, counsel and diversion programs.
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Not confirmedPaying to stop the case
Not confirmed — check Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Art. 4732: Trial of rule; judgment of eviction. Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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Not confirmedRight to counsel (statewide)
Not confirmed — check Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Art. 4732: Trial of rule; judgment of eviction. Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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Not confirmedDiversion or mediation (statewide)
Not confirmed — check Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Art. 4732: Trial of rule; judgment of eviction. Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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Example: a case filed Monday, March 1, 2027
The earliest date of each stage the confirmed rules allow, from our eviction timeline estimator. Earliest under the statute; courts' calendars often take longer.
| Stage | Earliest date |
|---|---|
| Case filed | Monday, March 1, 2027 |
| Answer or appear | Thursday, March 4, 2027 |
| Hearing or trial | Thursday, March 4, 2027 |
| Judgment | Thursday, March 4, 2027 |
| Writ or warrant of possession | Friday, March 5, 2027 |
More: Eviction process timeline by state · Eviction timeline estimator
Deposit disputes: small claims
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ConfirmedSmall claims limit (for a deposit dispute)
$5,000: the most a small claims case can ask for.
Not more than $5,000, not counting interest, court costs, attorney fees and penalties. At most 10 plaintiffs; no class actions. The City Court of East St. Tammany uses the justice of the peace limit instead.
Source: Shreveport City Court: Small Claims, checked November 2026
More: Louisiana small claims court
Still to confirm
- Deposit limit: check Louisiana Legislature: R.S. 9:3252, Failure to comply
- Interest on the deposit: check Louisiana Legislature: R.S. 9:3252, Failure to comply
- Where the deposit is held: check Louisiana Legislature: R.S. 9:3252, Failure to comply
- Rent increase notice: check Louisiana State Legislature: Civil Code Article 2728
- Entry notice: check Louisiana State Legislature: Civil Code Article 2728
- Late fee limits: check Louisiana State Legislature: Civil Code Article 2728
- Court: check Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Art. 4732: Trial of rule; judgment of eviction
- Filing fee: check Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Art. 4732: Trial of rule; judgment of eviction
- Writ to lockout: check Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Art. 4732: Trial of rule; judgment of eviction
- Paying to stop the case: check Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Art. 4732: Trial of rule; judgment of eviction
- Right to counsel (statewide): check Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Art. 4732: Trial of rule; judgment of eviction
- Diversion or mediation (statewide): check Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Art. 4732: Trial of rule; judgment of eviction
Louisiana kit
Louisiana Landlord Compliance Kit
This page as a printable checklist with every source link and check date, a move-in and move-out deposit checklist with the Louisiana return deadline, a notice calendar, an eviction timeline sheet, and an Excel workbook with a tenant notice log, a deposit tracker that works out the return date, and a rent ledger.
Kits for any state: Security Deposit Kit for Landlords and Tenants ($15) · Landlord-Tenant Notice Organizer ($15) · Eviction Case File Organizer ($15)
General information, not legal advice. We are not lawyers, and MCC Solutions is not a law firm. The same rules apply whichever side of the lease you are on; this page describes them and doesn't take a side. Rules change, cities and counties can add their own, a lease can add terms, and the official source has the final word.
Common questions
How long does a Louisiana landlord have to return a deposit?
Within one month after the lease ends; an itemized statement of any amount kept and why within one month after the tenancy ends. What goes with it: An itemized statement of the amounts kept and the reasons. A 2026 bill (HB 292) proposed 15 more days for the statement; check R.S. 9:3251 for the current wording.
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in Louisiana?
From the landlord: Notice at least 10 days before the end of the month for a month-to-month lease (5 days before the period ends for week-to-month leases). It ends the lease at the end of the period named, or the first period for which it was on time. From the tenant: Notice at least 10 days before the end of the month for a month-to-month lease (5 days before the period ends for week-to-month leases). It ends the lease at the end of the period named, or the first period for which it was on time.
What notice comes before an unpaid-rent case in Louisiana?
A notice to vacate allows the lessee five days from its delivery to vacate the premises, as existing law quoted in the Legislature's 2022 digest. The digest doesn't tie the five days to nonpayment specifically.
How long does an eviction case take in Louisiana?
Time to answer or appear: At the hearing. Hearing after filing: At least 3 days. Judgment to writ: 24 hours. These are the stated rules; the court's calendar often takes longer.
Can a Louisiana deposit dispute go to small claims court?
The small claims limit in our data: $5,000: the most a small claims case can ask for. The court's own page explains what kinds of cases it hears.
How much can a security deposit be in Louisiana?
Not confirmed in our data files. Check Louisiana Legislature: R.S. 9:3252, Failure to comply (https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=107469).
How much notice before a landlord enters a rental in Louisiana?
Not confirmed in our data files. Check Louisiana State Legislature: Civil Code Article 2728 (https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=109792).
Related: Landlord rules by state · Kits for landlords