Louisiana property deeds
Deed rules are state law, and Louisiana's differ from its neighbours in ways that decide whether your document records or comes back. Here is the whole picture: which deeds exist here, how they have to be signed, what the recorder wants on the page, and what it costs.
- Recording office
- Parish Clerk of Court
- Witnesses
- 2 + notary
- Transfer tax
- None
- First-page margin
- 3″ top
- Recording fee
- ~$105 first page
- E-recording
- Generally available
Deeds Louisiana recognizes
| Deed | What it does | Available? |
|---|---|---|
| Quitclaim deed | Transfers whatever interest you have in a property, with no promises about the title. | Limited |
| General warranty deed | Transfers ownership with the strongest title guarantees the law allows. | No |
| Special warranty deed | Transfers ownership, but only guarantees the title for the period you owned it. | Yes |
| Transfer-on-death deed | Names who inherits your property, skips probate, and changes nothing while you're alive. | No |
| Lady bird deed | An enhanced life estate deed: you keep total control for life, and the property passes automatically at death. | No |
| Life estate deed | You keep the right to live in the property for life; named remaindermen own it after you. | Yes, less common |
| Gift deed | Transfers property to someone as an outright gift, for no payment. | Yes, less common |
Louisiana does not recognize general warranty deeds, transfer-on-death deeds, and lady bird deeds. Recording one here wouldn't achieve what you want.
How a deed has to be signed in Louisiana
Louisiana is one of only 4 states that still require witnesses. Louisiana requires an act of sale or donation to be executed before a notary and two witnesses to be an authentic act (La. Civ. Code art. 1833). This is not optional.
| Requirement | Rule |
|---|---|
| Notarization | Required for every signature |
| Witnesses | 2 in addition to the notary |
| Preparer statement | Customary, not required |
| Grantee address on the deed | Required |
| Prior deed reference | Optional |
| Spousal joinder | Both spouses must concur in the alienation of community immovable property (La. Civ. Code art. 2347). |
Louisiana document formatting rules
Parish clerks of court in Louisiana expect 8.5 × 11 inch paper with a 3-inch top margin on the first page and 1-inch margins elsewhere. Type must be at least 10 point. That top margin is the recorder's stamp area. Writing into it is the most common formatting rejection there is.
Louisiana transfer tax and recording fees
Louisiana has no state real estate transfer tax. Louisiana has no statewide transfer tax. Orleans Parish imposes a documentary transaction tax.
Recording fees run about $105 for the first page. Louisiana clerks commonly charge a flat fee per act; rates vary widely by parish.
How to hold title in Louisiana
- Sole ownership. One person owns everything.
- Tenancy in common. Separate, divisible shares with no survivorship. A deceased owner's share goes to their heirs.
- Joint tenancy with right of survivorship. Equal shares; the survivor takes the whole property automatically.
- Community property. Property acquired during marriage belongs to both spouses equally.
What the law presumes for married couples
Louisiana's community property regime governs most property acquired during marriage (La. Civ. Code art. 2338).
Where to record a deed in Louisiana
Deeds are recorded with the Parish Clerk of Court in the parish where the property is located. Louisiana has 64 parishes. Most offices accept e-recording through a submitting service, which is usually same-day.
East Baton Rouge · Jefferson · Orleans · St. Tammany · Lafayette · Caddo · Calcasieu. all Louisiana recording offices
Why deeds get rejected in Louisiana
- Louisiana is the only US civil law jurisdiction. It does not use common-law deeds at all. Property moves by act of sale, act of donation, or act of exchange, and those must be authentic acts signed before a notary and two witnesses.
- Louisiana's forced heirship rules can override what a document says about who inherits. This is genuinely different from every other state.
- Louisiana notaries have far broader authority than notaries elsewhere and typically draft the act themselves.
- Deedly does not generate Louisiana instruments. If your property is in Louisiana, work with a Louisiana notary or attorney. This is not a DIY situation.
From $39. Every Louisiana rule above is applied automatically, and you read the finished document before you pay.
Common questions
You sign a deed, have it notarized in front of 2 witnesses, and record it with the Parish Clerk of Court in the parish where the property sits. Which deed depends on what you're doing: a quitclaim for family transfers and adding or removing a name, a warranty deed for a sale, and a living trust for probate avoidance.
No. Louisiana does not require an attorney to prepare or record a deed. Use one when ownership is disputed, when the owner has died and the estate has not been probated, when the estate is large enough to owe tax, or when Medicaid planning is involved.
About $105 for the first page. Louisiana has no state transfer tax.
No. Louisiana is not among the 32 states plus DC that authorise a transfer-on-death deed. The usual alternatives here are a revocable living trust or survivorship titling.
Keep reading
- Louisiana special warranty deedTransfers ownership, but only guarantees the title for the period you owned it.
- Louisiana life estate deedYou keep the right to live in the property for life; named remaindermen own it after you.
- Louisiana gift deedTransfers property to someone as an outright gift, for no payment.
- Louisiana recording officesWhere to file in each parish, with fees and contact details.
- Compare all 51 jurisdictionsWitness rules, transfer taxes, and recording fees side by side.
Deedly is not a law firm
We provide self-help software and state-specific statutory forms; you make your own decisions about your property. Using Deedly does not create an attorney-client relationship, and nothing here is legal advice. If your situation is complex or contested, talk to a licensed attorney in your state.