How to answer a debt lawsuit in Louisiana
Deadlines by court, filing, fees and defenses, with a calculator.
Checked against official sources: Oct 24, 2026.
Short answer
City or parish court (including small claims) or justice of the peace court: 10 days. District court: 21 days. District court, discovery requests served with the petition: 30 days. File a written answer with the clerk of the court named on your citation, and send a copy to the plaintiff or its lawyer.
- Time to answer
- 10 days
- Official answer form
- No official form found
Your deadline to answer in Louisiana
- City or parish court (including small claims) or justice of the peace court: 10 days.
- District court: 21 days.
- District court, discovery requests served with the petition: 30 days.
District court: 21 days after you are served, or 30 days if discovery requests were served with the petition. City and parish courts, including their small claims divisions, and justice of the peace courts: 10 days after service (15 days if served through the Secretary of State). Check your citation.
Law: La. C.C.P. arts. 1001, 4902, 4903, 4917, 4920; La. R.S. 13:5211
In nearby states
Your last day to answer
Defenses you can raise in Louisiana
Prescription (time limit): 3 years for open accounts and money lent, 5 years for promissory notes, 10 years for most other contracts. A default judgment needs a prima facie case proved with admissible evidence; for an open account or note, an affidavit of correctness is prima facie proof.
Law: La. Civ. Code arts. 3494, 3498, 3499; La. C.C.P. art. 1702(A), (B)(3)
A written-contract debt in Louisiana must be sued on within 10 years. Raise an older debt as a defense in your answer.
How to file your answer in Louisiana
File a written answer with the clerk of the court named on your citation, and send a copy to the plaintiff or its lawyer. In a justice of the peace court you may instead state your answer and defenses out loud to the justice of the peace or the clerk. You can ask the court for more time.
When service counts in Louisiana
Service means officially getting the court papers. Your deadline usually starts that day.
A sheriff or other proper officer serves the citation on you in person, or leaves it at your home with a person of suitable age who lives there (domiciliary service). In small claims, service is usually by certified mail, return receipt requested.
Law: La. C.C.P. arts. 1231, 1234; La. R.S. 13:5204(A)
Fees and fee waivers in Louisiana
If you can't pay the fees
Ask to proceed without paying costs in advance because of poverty (in forma pauperis), under La. C.C.P. arts. 5181-5188; no statewide form was found.
Your answer, step by step
Check the court papers
The summons names the court, the case number and the lawyer suing you. Keep it safe.
Mark your deadline
Louisiana's rule: City or parish court (including small claims) or justice of the peace court: 10 days; District court: 21 days; District court, discovery requests served with the petition: 30 days.
Write and file your answer
Give it to the clerk, mail a copy to the plaintiff's lawyer and keep one for yourself.
Ask for the documents
Send a documents request letter to the plaintiff's lawyer.
Get help
Free help: Louisiana Law Help (legal aid, LawHelp network) and Louisiana State Bar Association: Find Legal Help.
Federal rules in every state
- Where a collector must sue. A debt collector that sues you over a consumer debt must file where you signed the contract or where you live when the suit starts. Law: 15 U.S.C. 1692i(a)(2)
- Old debts. A debt collector must not sue you, or threaten to sue you, on a debt that is too old to sue on. Law: 12 CFR 1006.26(b)
Free help in Louisiana
Questions about answering in Louisiana
How long do I have to answer a debt lawsuit in Louisiana?
District court: 21 days after you are served, or 30 days if discovery requests were served with the petition. City and parish courts, including their small claims divisions, and justice of the peace courts: 10 days after service (15 days if served through the Secretary of State). Check your citation.
How do I file an answer in Louisiana?
File a written answer with the clerk of the court named on your citation, and send a copy to the plaintiff or its lawyer. In a justice of the peace court you may instead state your answer and defenses out loud to the justice of the peace or the clerk. You can ask the court for more time.
What if I can't afford the court fees in Louisiana?
Ask to proceed without paying costs in advance because of poverty (in forma pauperis), under La. C.C.P. arts. 5181-5188; no statewide form was found.
Related Louisiana pages
Sources
- La. C.C.P. arts. 1001, 4902, 4903, 4917, 4920; La. R.S. 13:5211
- La. C.C.P. art. 4903 (10-day answer, city and parish courts)
- La. C.C.P. art. 4843 (city court jurisdiction)
- La. C.C.P. art. 4911 (justice of the peace)
- La. R.S. 13:5202 (small claims $5,000)
- La. R.S. 13:5204 (small claims service and transfer notice)
- La. C.C.P. art. 1702 (default judgment)
- La. C.C.P. art. 1913 (notice of judgment)
- La. C.C.P. art. 1974 (new trial delay)
- La. C.C.P. art. 2002 (nullity for vices of form)
- La. C.C.P. art. 2004 (nullity for fraud)
- La. R.S. 13:4202 (judicial interest)
- La. Civ. Code art. 3501 (judgments prescribe in 10 years)
- La. C.C.P. art. 2031 (revival)
- La. C.C.P. art. 2412 (garnishment service)
- La. R.S. 13:3923 (garnishment judgment)
- La. C.C.P. art. 5181 (proceeding without paying costs)
- La. C.C.P. arts. 1231, 1234 (service)
- La. C.C.P. art. 4842 (parish court $20,000)
- La. C.C.P. art. 4907 (new trial, city and parish courts)
- La. C.C.P. art. 4917 (oral pleadings, justice of the peace)
- La. C.C.P. art. 4920 (10-day answer, justice of the peace)
- La. C.C.P. art. 4921 (default, justice of the peace)
- La. R.S. 13:5208 (small claims judgment final after 3 days)
- La. R.S. 13:5209 (small claims removal)
- La. R.S. 13:5211 (small claims citation under art. 4902)
- Louisiana OFI: Judicial Interest Rates
Last checked: Oct 24, 2026.