This page organizes the recorded statewide starting rules and official sources for Louisiana. Court location, local forms, fees, service, deadlines and individual eligibility still require confirmation before filing.
Source record reviewed: 2026-10-29 · Page updated: 2026-11-03 · Not attorney-certified legal advice
For an ordinary no-fault divorce, the period of living apart is 180 days without a minor child together or 365 days with one. The starting points under Article 102 and Article 103(1), and exceptions for other grounds, differ.
Division of community property may require proceedings separate from the divorce status; prepare a separate property and debt inventory.
Divorce Filing Path provides an intake roadmap and source links for this jurisdiction. Selected official PDF drafting is not currently offered for this state; do not purchase expecting state-form generation.
At least one spouse must be domiciled in Louisiana when filing. 6 months of residence in a parish creates a rebuttable presumption of domicile; it must not be interpreted as a mandatory 6-month wait in every case. Record actual dates and do not combine two people’s residence periods unless the controlling rule expressly allows it.
Use the official statewide source to locate the trial court or clerk. Confirm venue, the family-law filing location, accepted filing method, current fee and required local packet.
Check whether the state distinguishes regular, joint, simplified, summary, contested or uncontested procedures. Agreement alone does not prove eligibility for a shorter procedure.
Prepare legal names, marriage and separation dates, residence history, children’s information, income, expenses, assets, debts, requested relief and existing orders.
Complete only facts you know. Leave clerk, court, signature, notarization, service and later-event fields for the correct person and stage.
A draft or download is not a filed case. Follow the clerk’s instructions and record service or waiver only after the legally effective event occurs.
Use current financial, child-jurisdiction, parenting and support documents. Settlement terms should match the procedure and be reviewed before rights are waived.
A waiting or separation period does not itself end a marriage. Confirm entry and the effective date from the court’s signed or entered order.
Domicile means a genuine Louisiana home with the required intent. Six months’ parish residence creates a rebuttable presumption; it is not a mandatory 6-month wait in every case. County selection uses Louisiana parishes.
This intake question helps organize facts; it does not decide domicile, jurisdiction or venue for an individual case.
Open the official page and read the current instructions. A listed document may be conditional or require local additions.
Initial pleadings and completion checklists appropriate to the chosen procedure and parish.
Open official starting point ↗Local child-support and child-custody jurisdiction documents.
Open official starting point ↗Rules, forms, fees and local procedures can change. These links are the controlling starting points; the explanations on this site are preparation guidance, not a substitute for the current source.