Practices from Gretna near the Jefferson, Orleans and Plaquemines parish courthouses and has served the New Orleans area since 1980. Handles successions under administration, simple successions placing heirs into possession, small succession affidavits and double successions, and both contests and defenses of wills. Offers a free telephone consultation.
What to Do When Someone Dies in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana
How probate works in Plaquemines Parish: the District Court record, what the process costs, and how to file there.
Probate Court Record
Plaquemines Parish District Court
Plaquemines Parish · 25th Judicial District
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:00 PM
Office
18055 Highway 15, Pointe a la Hache, LA 70082
Website
E-filing
Self-represented filing
Allowed
E-filing
Self-represented filing
AllowedA self-represented litigant is held to the same standards as an attorney, and court staff cannot give legal advice or help complete forms. Some forms are on the court's self-help site.
Accepted payment
- At the counterCheck, Credit card.Additional advance costs and copies can be paid by credit card with the clerk's authorization form sent by email, for a convenience fee. Checks for service by another parish's sheriff are made payable to that sheriff unless the pleading is e-filed.
P.O. Box 40
Belle Chasse, LA 70037-0040
Fax
1-504-934-6629
Departments
- Belle Chasse Courthouse Annex1-504-297-5180 · 301 Main Street, Suite 108, Belle Chasse, LA 70037 · Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:30 PMThe clerk keeps a second office at the Belle Chasse annex.
About the court
- Louisiana uses "succession" instead of "probate" (civil law tradition). The Pointe a la Hache courthouse takes no mail; send mail to the clerk's mailing address in Belle Chasse. Plaquemines Parish alone makes up the 25th JDC.
Verified October 15, 2026 · Source
How Probate Works in Plaquemines 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 Plaquemines Parish, probate runs through the District Court at 18055 Highway 15, Pointe a la Hache. The court sits in the 25th Judicial District. Probate e-filing in Plaquemines Parish goes through cottfile.com, a system used by at least 8 Louisiana counties.
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 Plaquemines Parish
What probate costs in Plaquemines 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 18055 Highway 15, Pointe a la Hache. The court is part of the 25th Judicial District.
Procedures at this court that affect cost: The clerk refunds unused advance deposits, succession cases included.
Louisiana has no statewide succession filing fee: each parish clerk sets its own advance deposit, and the figure shown is a representative tier drawn from the posted parish schedules. A small succession pays half of regular court costs by statute. Publication of the tableau notice is bought from the parish journal on top of the depositLa. 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. 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 Plaquemines 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 25th Judicial District.
Beside the filing office, the court lists a separate line for Belle Chasse Courthouse Annex.
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 Plaquemines Parish Self-Filing Assessment.
Plaquemines Parish Filing Requirements
These are specific requirements for filing probate in this county. Following these guidelines will help avoid delays or rejected filings.
Before You File
Attorney-represented filings must be e-filed or delivered in person as of January 1, 2026.
Pleadings for a party represented by an attorney are e-filed through COTTFile or brought to the clerk's office on paper. Fax filings are no longer accepted.
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 Plaquemines Parish
In Louisiana a death is registered locally, and in Plaquemines Parish certified copies of the death certificate are issued by Plaquemines Parish Health Department as well as by Louisiana Department of Health - Vital Records Registry.
Vital Records Office Record
Local Health Department
Plaquemines Parish · Plaquemines Parish Health Department
Phone
Office
3706 Main Street, Belle Chasse, LA 70037
Website
Also issued by
The county recorder
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 in person at Belle Chasse and Pointe a la Hache, for deaths on or after July 7, 2012.
Certified copy fees
| First certified copy | $7 |
Verified November 2, 2026 · Source
Coroner or Medical Examiner Record
Coroner
Plaquemines Parish · Plaquemines Parish Coroner
Phone
Verified November 2, 2026 · Source
Transferring Property in Plaquemines 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 Plaquemines Parish are recorded with the Clerk of Court at 301 Main Street, Suite 108, Belle Chasse, LA 70037. Phone: 1-504-934-6610. Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:30 PM.
Documents submitted by mail go to P.O. Box 40, Belle Chasse, LA 70037-0040.
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.
Plaquemines Parish accepts electronic recording through CSC, ePN, Indecomm and Simplifile.
Recording Office Record
Clerk of Court
Plaquemines Parish
Phone
Hours
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:30 PM
Office
301 Main Street, Suite 108, Belle Chasse, LA 70037
Website
E-recording
available via CSC, ePN, Indecomm and Simplifile
P.O. Box 40
Belle Chasse, LA 70037-0040
Fax
1-504-934-6629
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 Plaquemines 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 Plaquemines 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.
Houma practice of Damon J. Baldone, a lifelong Houma resident with over 30 years of law practice, serving Terrebonne Parish, with a second office in Metairie. Opens succession proceedings and handles estate administration, from transferring property titles and accessing bank accounts to paying funeral expenses, taxes and debts and completing the required accounting.
Slidell solo practice of D. Bruce Cameron, with more than 20 years of succession and estate administration work in St. Tammany Parish and along the Northshore. Represents heirs, beneficiaries and executors from identifying assets and paying creditors to distribution, and in estate disputes over undue influence, incapacity and fraud. Evening and weekend appointments are available.
Shreveport attorney Carl H. Franklin has handled successions and probate for over 39 years, for clients in Caddo, Bossier, Webster, De Soto, Lincoln, Rapides and other parishes. Handles testate and intestate successions, from inventorying property and creditor notices to transferring titles, and works with out-of-state executors remotely. He offers a free phone consultation.
Baton Rouge firm serving clients throughout Louisiana, including out-of-state heirs with Louisiana property. Handles uncontested, contested, ancillary and corrective successions, trust administration, interdictions, succession litigation and appeals. Morgan Field has represented succession clients before the Louisiana Supreme Court; flat fees are available for many uncontested matters.
Haik, Minvielle, Grubbs & D'Albor, LLP
1101 East Admiral Doyle Drive, Suite 503, New Iberia, LA 70560
New Iberia firm with a satellite office in New Orleans, serving Iberia, St. Mary, St. Martin and Vermilion parishes and the rest of Louisiana. Handles successions with or without a will, from identifying assets and debts to putting heirs into possession and filing required accountings. Also drafts wills and special needs and spendthrift trusts.
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)
- Plaquemines Parish District Court, official page
- Plaquemines Parish Clerk of Court, official page
- Plaquemines 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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