Practices from Coushatta in Red River Parish, where the firm was founded in 1922, and from Shreveport, with clients in Caddo, Natchitoches, DeSoto, Bienville, Bossier, Claiborne and Sabine parishes. Opens and completes successions with or without a will, including complex successions alongside landowners' property and mineral work, and handles interdictions and continuing tutorships.
What to Do When Someone Dies in Caddo Parish, Louisiana
How probate works in Caddo Parish: the District Court record, what the process costs, and how to file there.
Probate Court Record
Caddo Parish District Court
Caddo Parish · 1st Judicial District
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-5:00 PM
Office
501 Texas Street, Room 103, Shreveport, LA 71101
Website
E-filing
Filing in person
Walk-ins accepted
Self-represented filing
Allowed
Self-help forms
E-filing
OptionalCivil suits can be e-filed through Clerk Connect under the clerk's civil e-filing rules; the account needs the filer's name and mailing address so the advance deposit is credited. Fax filings have not been accepted since January 1, 2026.
Filing in person
Walk-ins acceptedThe Civil Filings Department receives and files petitions and other civil pleadings in person during office hours.
Self-represented filing
AllowedThe clerk's forms page carries succession forms: an affidavit of death and heirship, a succession bond and a succession oath. A civil deposit cost calculator estimates the deposit before filing.
County forms
- Affidavit of Death and HeirshipSworn statement of a decedent's death and heirs, filed in a succession.
- Bond (Succession)Bond form for a succession representative.
- Succession OathOath taken by the succession representative.
Departments
- Civil / Domestic Filings1-318-226-6776 · civilfilings@caddoclerk.comTakes civil pleadings, including successions. Call this line after emailing a document to the clerk.
- Civil Copies1-318-226-6791 · civilcopies@caddoclerk.com
- Civil & Domestic Court Minutes1-318-226-6785 · courtminutes@caddoclerk.com
- Copy Requestscopies@caddoclerk.com
About the court
- Louisiana uses "succession" instead of "probate" (civil law tradition). The clerk keeps the civil suit records of the First Judicial District Court, scanned since 2002 and indexed since 1982.
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
How Probate Works in Caddo Parish
Probate is the court-supervised process of settling someone's estate after they die — validating the will, paying debts and taxes, and transferring what's left to the heirs. In Caddo Parish, probate runs through the District Court at 501 Texas Street, Room 103, Shreveport. The court sits in the 1st Judicial District. Caddo Parish runs probate e-filing through caddoclerk.com, its own system rather than a shared statewide portal.
The personal representative opens the case, gives notice to heirs and creditors, files an inventory of the estate's assets, settles outstanding debts and taxes, and then distributes the remainder under the will — or under Louisiana intestacy law when there is no will.
Most Louisiana estates take 6 months to 12 months to move through this process. Creditors have 3 monthsLa. C.C.P. arts. 3241-3249, 3301-3308; La. C.C. art. 3276Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present a claim, counted from the date of death.
What Probate Costs in Caddo Parish
What probate costs in Caddo Parish, Louisiana comes down to a handful of line items — the court filing fee, attorney and executor compensation, publication, and sometimes a bond — scaled by the estate's size and whether the will is contested. The case itself runs through the District Court at 501 Texas Street, Room 103, Shreveport. The court is part of the 1st Judicial District.
Procedures at this court that affect cost: Succession advance deposit is $450.00 for both large and small successions.
The District Court charges $300 - $400 (based on estate value)La. R.S. 13:841; La. CCP Art. 3421-3422; Acts 2026, No. 293, §1 (HB 215); Acts 2024, No. 90, §1 (SB 32)Verified Oct 17, 2026View source to open a probate case. Additional filings during administration — inventory, accounting, the final petition — add to the total.
Estimate the costs for this estate:
Attorney fees in Louisiana are negotiated, typically 1.9%Modeled estimate under La. C.C.P. arts. 3301, 3303 (attorney fees are an administration expense — La. Civ. Code art. 1415 — payable only on court authorization); art. 3351.1 (dual-role limit): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3%Modeled estimate under La. C.C.P. arts. 3301, 3303 (attorney fees are an administration expense — La. Civ. Code art. 1415 — payable only on court authorization); art. 3351.1 (dual-role limit): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of estate value. Flat-fee arrangements are common for straightforward estates.
Louisiana sets executor compensation at 2.5% of the estate by statuteLa. C.C.P. art. 3351 (2.5% of inventory default; court may increase if inadequate)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source. Family members who are also beneficiaries often waive the fee — executor pay is taxable income while inheritances are not.
A surety bond may be required unless the will waives it or all beneficiaries consent. Premiums run roughly 0.5%Industry surety premium estimate; the bond itself under La. C.C.P. arts. 3151 (administrator security, 1.25x inventory), 3153 (testator-named executor), 3154-3155 (forced heirs, spouse or creditor may compel), 3396.14 (independent administrator)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source of estate value annually.
Probate in Louisiana typically runs 6 months to 12 months, and costs accrue throughout that period.
How to File Probate at the District Court
Probate documents in Caddo Parish can be filed in person at the District Court, by mail, or electronically. Most families handling probate themselves prefer paper filing, though e-filing is available. The court sits in the 1st Judicial District.
Beside the filing office, the court lists separate lines for Civil / Domestic Filings, Civil Copies, Civil & Domestic Court Minutes, and Copy Requests.
Can You File Without an Attorney?
Louisiana has no statewide fill-in probate petition, so the opening petition is drafted as a legal pleading, and informal probate is not available.
For a full cost comparison and filing checklist, see the Caddo Parish Self-Filing Assessment.
Caddo Parish Filing Requirements
These are specific requirements for filing probate in this county. Following these guidelines will help avoid delays or rejected filings.
Document Requirements
Civil Court Rules require all filings to be submitted on legal-size paper.
SourceWhat to Bring
Filed with the opening petition at the District Court: Proof of the decedent’s death and of the heirs’ relationship — EITHER an official certificate issued by the proper public officer (a certified death certificate) OR an affidavit executed by two persons having knowledge of the facts, filed in the record of the succession proceeding (CCP arts. 2821-2822). The affidavit route — the customary "Affidavit of Death, Domicile and Heirship" — is what Louisiana practice actually files; no article requires a death certificateLa. Code Civ. Proc. arts. 2811, 3001-3198 (succession opening, appointment, letters); arts. 3396-3396.20 (independent administration)Verified Aug 24, 2026View source.
Death Certificates and the Coroner in Caddo Parish
In Louisiana a death is registered locally, and in Caddo Parish certified copies of the death certificate are issued by Caddo Parish Health Unit as well as by Louisiana Department of Health - Vital Records Registry.
Vital Records Office Record
Local Health Department
Caddo Parish · Caddo Parish Health Unit
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM
Office
1035 Creswell Avenue, Shreveport, LA 71101
Website
Also issued by
The county recorder
Fax
1-318-676-5221
Local rule
- By law the health unit's local registrar can issue a death certificate only in the ten days after it is filed. The Clerk of Court also issues death certificates, for deaths from July 9, 2012 on.
Certified copy fees
| First certified copy | $7 |
Verified November 2, 2026 · Source
Coroner or Medical Examiner Record
Coroner
Caddo Parish · Caddo Parish Coroner
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM
Office
2900 Hearne Avenue, Shreveport, LA 71103
Website
Cremation authorization
Signed by this office
Mail and offices
Fax
1-318-226-6884
Verified November 2, 2026 · Source
Transferring Property in Caddo Parish
Clearing title to real estate after a death, whether by a personal representative’s deed, an affidavit of survivorship, or a court order, happens at the Clerk of Court.
Deeds and other real property documents for Caddo Parish are recorded with the Clerk of Court at 501 Texas Street, Room 103, Shreveport, LA 71101. Phone: 1-318-226-6790. Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-5:00 PM.
The Clerk of Court charges $100 for 1-5 pages, $200 for 6-25 pages, $300 for 26-50 pages, $300 plus $5 for each page beyond 50.
Caddo Parish accepts electronic recording through ClerkConnect.
Recording Office Record
Clerk of Court
Caddo Parish
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-5:00 PM
Office
501 Texas Street, Room 103, Shreveport, LA 71101
Website
E-recording
Fax
1-318-841-4001
Recording fees
| 1-5 pages | $100 |
| 6-25 pages | $200 |
| 26-50 pages | $300 |
| 51+ pages | $300 |
| Louisiana Clerks' Remote Access Authority (LCRAA) portal feeRequired with most deeds | $5 |
La. R.S. 13:844(A)(1)
Verified October 16, 2026 · Source
Probate Attorneys Serving Caddo Parish
Louisiana allows independent administrationLa. C.C.P. art. 3396.2Verified Sep 8, 2026View source, so the personal representative manages, pays and distributes the estate without returning to the court for approval at each step. A probate attorney earns the fee when the estate is contested, includes a business or out-of-state real estate, has unclear or insolvent debts, or when beneficiaries disagree.
Probate attorney fees in Louisiana are based on reasonable compensation, billed hourly or as a flat fee. Ask a Caddo Parish firm to quote a structure up front.
A probate attorney files the petition with the District Court, publishes the required creditor notices, prepares the inventory and accounting, handles creditor claims and tax filings, and guides the final distribution. They represent the personal representative — not the beneficiaries — a distinction that matters if a dispute develops.
Bossier City practice of David L. White, whose firm has served North Louisiana since 1982, with succession clients in Bossier City and Shreveport. Handles the probate of wills and testate and intestate successions, and brings interdictions in which the court appoints a curator for a family member who can no longer manage his or her affairs. Offers a free phone consultation.
Ruston firm with offices in Monroe, Minden and Shreveport serving the Interstate 20 corridor in North Louisiana. Handles small-succession affidavits, independent and administered successions, and ancillary successions for Louisiana property of out-of-state decedents. Also prepares wills, trusts, powers of attorney and living will declarations, and handles guardianships.
Shreveport practice of attorney Angela Smith in Caddo Parish. Her succession work covers the executor's duties: inventorying assets, validating the will, settling debts and taxes, filing the paperwork, distributing assets and mediating disputes between beneficiaries. She also handles bankruptcy, expungements and car accidents, and offers a free consultation.
Shreveport firm, formed in May 1982, representing executors and heirs in Louisiana successions from submitting the will to the court through paying bills and distributing the estate. Handles succession litigation, including will contests and claims of malfeasance or fraud, and monitors successions handled by other lawyers for heirs. Its elder law attorneys also plan for Medicaid and VA benefits.
Represents families in Baton Rouge, where East Baton Rouge Parish successions are filed in the 19th Judicial District Court, and in West Baton Rouge, Livingston, Jefferson, Orleans, Caddo and Ouachita parishes. Opens and administers successions, including small succession affidavits, and handles probate litigation. Attorneys on staff hold LLM degrees in tax law.
Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to verify their current practice areas and availability.
Legal Sources
(9)·
- La. C.C.P. art. 3351 (2.5% of inventory default; court may increase if inadequate)
- La. C.C.P. art. 3396.2
- La. C.C.P. arts. 3241-3249, 3301-3308; La. C.C. art. 3276
- La. Code Civ. Proc. arts. 2811, 3001-3198 (succession opening, appointment, letters); arts. 3396-3396.20 (independent administration)
- La. R.S. 13:841; La. CCP Art. 3421-3422; Acts 2026, No. 293, §1 (HB 215); Acts 2024, No. 90, §1 (SB 32)
- La. R.S. 13:844(A)(1)
- Caddo Parish District Court, official page
- Caddo Parish Clerk of Court, official page
- Caddo Parish vital records and death investigation offices, official page
Data sourced from Louisiana statutes and official state code. Fee percentages are modeled estimates; each figure's note says how. How we research.
Tools for Settling an Estate in Louisiana
Free tools for settling an estate in Louisiana: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines and taxes. Run each tool for Louisiana.
How Do I Settle an Estate?
Settling an estate in Louisiana: creditors have 3 monthsLa. C.C.P. arts. 3241-3249, 3301-3308; La. C.C. art. 3276Verified Oct 18, 2026View source to present claims; a simple estate closes in 3 months to 6 months.
See the Steps
How Do I Settle a Trust?
Settling a trust in Louisiana happens outside court: the trustee acts under the state's trust statuteLa. R.S. 9:1721 et seq.Verified Oct 17, 2026View source, notifies the beneficiaries, then pays the debts and distributes under the trust's terms.
See the Steps
Can I Self-File Probate?
Louisiana has no statewide fill-in probate petition, so the opening petition is drafted as a legal pleading, and informal probate is not available.
Get the Answer
Hire a Louisiana Probate Attorney
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