State guide
Louisiana
This is general information, not legal advice. Louisiana describes a small claims division in Revised Statutes section 13:5202. The section says the division is a court not of record and has civil jurisdiction where the amount in dispute does not exceed $5,000, exclusive of interest, court costs, attorney fees, or penalties, whether those extras come from a contract or from a statute. Not more than ten plaintiffs may be joined, and class actions are prohibited. The division may grant money damages and equitable relief. It may not issue injunctions or restraining orders except to stop execution of its own writ. The City Court of East St. Tammany is given a jurisdictional amount tied to justice-of-the-peace civil jurisdiction instead of the $5,000 sentence.
Checked against official sources on October 11, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.
- Which court hears it
- Small claims division, where a court has created one
- Dollar limit we could verify
- Louisiana Revised Statutes section 13:5202 says a small claims division has jurisdiction where the amount in dispute does not exceed $5,000, exclusive of interest, court costs, attorney fees, or penalties. The City Court of East St. Tammany is given a different tie to justice-of-the-peace jurisdiction.
- Statute or court page
- Official page →
- Filing or self-help page
- Official page →
The statute assumes a court that has a small claims division. City courts and some other local courts are where people encounter it. Before you prepare papers, ask the clerk of the city court whether that court has a small claims division and whether your dispute is inside section 13:5202. The $5,000 line is the amount in dispute, not a filing fee. Interest, court costs, attorney fees, and penalties are outside it. A demand that hides fees inside the $5,000 number can be rewritten. A demand that is already over $5,000 before those extras belongs on the court's ordinary docket. Ten plaintiffs is a hard cap.
Equitable relief is allowed, with the injunction ban kept in place. You may ask for money and for appropriate relief the statute names. You may not ask the division to issue a restraining order against the other side, except the narrow writ-execution exception. Summary proceedings and executory proceedings are also prohibited. If your case depends on those Louisiana procedures, it is not a small claim. The statute lets each court set mass-filing limits by court rule. A business that files many cases should ask the clerk about a local mass-filing rule before it assumes every file will be accepted in the division.
East St. Tammany is the exception written into the section. Its small claims division uses the justice-of-the-peace civil amount rather than the $5,000 sentence. This directory does not state that justice-of-the-peace number, because it is not the number in the subsection that was retrieved as the statewide rule. If your case is in that city court, read subsection E and ask the clerk. Everywhere else the section's $5,000 words apply. Service, fees, and appeal practice are local. The statute makes the division not a court of record, which affects how an appeal is built. Ask the clerk what papers leave with the record.
Official resources in Louisiana
Statute stating the $5,000 small-claims amount and the East St. Tammany exception.
Official laws, including Title 13 on courts.
Search page for related small-claims sections in Title 13.
Key facts for Louisiana
- Louisiana small claims divisions are courts not of record under R.S. 13:5202.
- The amount in dispute may not exceed $5,000, exclusive of interest, costs, attorney fees, and penalties.
- No more than ten plaintiffs may be joined, and class actions are prohibited.
- Injunctions are barred except to arrest execution of the division's own writ.
- Courts may set mass-filing limits by local rule.
- East St. Tammany's city court uses a different amount tied to justice-of-the-peace jurisdiction.
What to do next
- Ask the city-court clerk whether a small claims division exists there.
- Keep interest, costs, attorney fees, and penalties out of the $5,000 amount in dispute.
- Do not ask this division for a restraining order.
- In East St. Tammany, read subsection E instead of assuming $5,000.
Looking for your city or county in Louisiana?
We haven't found official court-level pages for Louisiana we can verify yet, so we don't show local numbers here rather than guess. Here's what to use instead, in order:
- General Start with the statewide information above. It applies across Louisiana, but cities and counties can add their own steps, fees or deadlines.
- Call to confirm Ask the official office. They have the current local rule, fee and form.Louisiana Legislature, laws
Website →Phone not shown: use the contact page on the official website above.Your city or county office: Local governments →Not sure who handles it locally? USAGov's free help line, 1-844-872-4681, or the Louisiana page on USA.gov can point you to the right office. - Know the current info? Tell us and include a link to the official page. We check every tip before it goes up.
Helpful guides
- What small claims court is
- How dollar limits work
- Who can sue and be sued
- A demand letter before you file