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East Baton Rouge Parish, LA Probate Information
Quick facts
| Item | East Baton Rouge Parish details |
|---|---|
| Court | The Nineteenth Judicial District Court. |
| Filing office | East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court, Suit Accounting Department, room 3301, Nineteenth Judicial District Courthouse, 300 North Boulevard, Baton Rouge, LA 70801. |
| Main administrative office | 222 St. Louis Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70802. New successions are filed at the courthouse, not at this City Hall office. |
| Mailing address | P.O. Box 1991, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-1991. |
| Phone | Suit Accounting, (225) 389-3982. Clerk administration, (225) 389-7642. Civil Duty Office, (225) 389-4935. |
| Fax | Clerk administration, (225) 389-5594. Suit Accounting fax shown on the current cost schedule, (225) 389-3392. |
| Hours | 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except legal holidays. No earlier civil filing cutoff is published. |
| Advance cost deposit | $520.00 for opening a succession under the East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court Advance Cost Fee Schedule, Suit Accounting Form #17, revised July 3, 2024. The schedule states that more may be required when the deposit is exhausted (La. R.S. 13:842). |
| Local forms | No succession petition form, checklist or cover sheet is published by the clerk or the Nineteenth Judicial District Court. |
| E-filing | The clerk uses ClerkConnect and has had an electronic filing and storage system since June 4, 2018. Attorney filings follow La. C.C.P. art. 253(B)(2), effective January 1, 2026. The original testament still goes in on paper and is retained by the clerk (La. C.C.P. arts. 253(B)(3)(a), 2911). |
| Case lookup | ClerkConnect is the parish's paid online system for civil and succession matters. The clerk also links the free statewide portal run by the Louisiana Clerks' Remote Access Authority, but the parish does not state that the free portal includes succession matters. |
| Remote appearance | The Nineteenth Judicial District Court has a civil video conference rule. A hearing or bench trial may use video only when the presiding judge finds special circumstances and all parties consent. Uncontested successions are generally reviewed on the papers through the Civil Duty Office. |
| Website | https://www.ebrclerk.com/ |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you choose a succession route in East Baton Rouge Parish, identify the decedent's assets, debts, testament, heirs, legatees and any immovable property. That inventory affects whether the matter can proceed by affidavit, by possession without administration, or through an administration with letters testamentary or letters of administration.
For estate settlement, Sunset helps families locate accounts before the petition is drafted. Sunset's asset discovery checks more than 2,300 institutions so you can file with a clearer picture of what belongs in the succession.
Which court handles jurisdiction
Successions for East Baton Rouge Parish are filed with the East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court at the Nineteenth Judicial District Courthouse in Baton Rouge and are heard in the Nineteenth Judicial District Court. The district is limited to East Baton Rouge Parish, so there is no shared parish filing arrangement.
File in East Baton Rouge Parish when the decedent was domiciled there at death. If the decedent was not domiciled in Louisiana, a Louisiana succession may be opened in a parish where the decedent owned immovable property, or where movable property is located if there is no Louisiana immovable property (La. C.C.P. art. 2811). Communities in the parish include Baton Rouge, Baker, Zachary and Central.
East Baton Rouge Parish also has a separate Family Court in the same courthouse building. That court hears family matters; succession filings go to the Nineteenth Judicial District Court through the Clerk of Court.
The jurisdiction process
- Gather the death certificate, the original testament if one exists, a list of heirs and legatees, asset information, debt information and descriptions of any immovable property in East Baton Rouge Parish.
- Choose the Louisiana succession path with the petition drafter or attorney: small succession affidavit, possession without administration, administration, or independent administration. The parish clerk does not publish a fill-in succession petition or checklist.
- File the petition with the East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court, Suit Accounting Department, room 3301, Nineteenth Judicial District Courthouse, 300 North Boulevard, Baton Rouge, or by mail to P.O. Box 1991, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-1991. Suit Accounting can be reached at (225) 389-3982.
- Pay the advance cost deposit. The published succession deposit is $520.00 under Suit Accounting Form #17, revised July 3, 2024, plus $100.00 for each additional service under that same schedule. The clerk's schedule states that more may be required if the original deposit is exhausted (La. R.S. 13:842).
- After filing and payment of costs chargeable to the matter, the clerk allots the new civil proceeding by chance to a division of the civil court (La. Dist. Ct. R. 9.3, Appendix 9.3, Nineteenth Judicial District).
- If there is an original testament, submit it on paper even when other pleadings are filed electronically. The original testament is retained by the clerk under Louisiana law (La. C.C.P. arts. 253(B)(3)(a), 2911).
- For an uncontested succession, the filing is scanned and sent to the court's Civil Duty Office. The staff attorney reviews uncontested successions in the order received; if approved, the pleadings go to the divisional judge for electronic signature. If there is a deficiency, the file is returned with reasons.
- When ordered, letters testamentary or letters of administration issue through Civil Processing, room 3201, at a published charge of $25.00 under Suit Accounting Form #17, revised July 3, 2024. The clerk asks for a cover letter requesting the certified copies you need.
- Administer the succession under the court's orders. A succession representative is the Louisiana term for an executor, administrator, provisional administrator, administrator of a vacant succession, or dative testamentary executor (La. C.C.P. art. 2826(3)).
- Close with a judgment of possession signed by the court. If the succession involves immovable property in East Baton Rouge Parish, record the judgment in the conveyance records. The local recording schedule effective August 1, 2017 lists $135.00 for a one-to-five-page document, including indexing up to ten names and one certified copy, and the signed order must direct recordation.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in East Baton Rouge Parish
Neither the East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court nor the Nineteenth Judicial District Court publishes a succession petition form, succession checklist or succession cover sheet. A Louisiana succession is opened by a petition drafted to the Code, not by completing a parish form.
The clerk's published form library contains cancellation and recording-related forms, and the court's civil forms page lists forms for other civil matters. The Nineteenth Judicial District's appendices to the Rules for Louisiana District Courts are still useful because they contain the local allotment rule and civil duty judge rule, but they are not succession forms.
The statewide civil case cover sheet used for certain tort litigation is not a succession filing requirement. If you cannot pay the advance costs, ask about the in forma pauperis procedure, which is decided by the court.
Fees
| Cost item | Amount and local note |
|---|---|
| Opening deposit | $520.00 for a succession under the East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court Advance Cost Fee Schedule, Suit Accounting Form #17, revised July 3, 2024. This is an advance deposit against costs, not a final total. |
| Additional service | $100.00 for each additional service under Suit Accounting Form #17, revised July 3, 2024. |
| Letters | $25.00 for issuing and processing letters of confirmation, appointment, administration or testamentary under Suit Accounting Form #17, revised July 3, 2024. |
| Certificate of no opposition | $25.00 under Suit Accounting Form #17, revised July 3, 2024. |
| Recordation of testament | $135.00 shown for recordation of a testament under Suit Accounting Form #17, revised July 3, 2024. |
| Judgment of possession recordation | $135.00 for a one-to-five-page conveyance recordation under the East Baton Rouge Parish recording schedule effective August 1, 2017. The price includes indexing up to ten names and one certified copy or e-certification. |
| Online certified document | $5.00 per certified document through ClerkConnect under the online access pricing published for June 2022 and later online access. |
The clerk's own cost schedule quotes La. R.S. 13:842: when costs exhaust the original advance deposit, the clerk may require additional costs before performing further functions. Call Suit Accounting before filing if the petition has multiple services, unusually long attachments, or recordation needs.
Local nuance
East Baton Rouge Parish-specific considerations
| Local point | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Two downtown clerk locations | The clerk's main administrative office is at City Hall, 222 St. Louis Street, but new succession filings go to Suit Accounting at the courthouse, 300 North Boulevard, room 3301. |
| Separate Family Court | The Family Court sits in the same courthouse and handles family matters. A succession is filed through the Clerk of Court for the Nineteenth Judicial District Court. |
| Civil Duty Office review | Uncontested successions are routed to the Civil Duty Office for staff attorney review before the divisional judge signs electronically. The court states that files are no longer walked through for same-day signature. |
| Paper file exception | The clerk stopped maintaining paper files for most civil suit files effective October 1, 2020, but kept an exception for succession matters. The original testament still goes in on paper. |
| Older succession files | Succession record numbers 103,000 and higher are at the courthouse; 80,000 through 102,999 are at City Hall; older files are in the Archives Department at 444 St. Louis Street, (225) 389-3988. |
| Courthouse screening | Visitors pass through a metal detector and bags are x-rayed. Food and drinks are not allowed. Phones are currently permitted, but photographing or recording inside the courthouse is prohibited without written approval. |
Recent updates
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| January 1, 2026 | Louisiana's attorney filing rule under La. C.C.P. art. 253 took effect. Attorney filings are made in person on paper or transmitted electronically through a clerk-established system or the Louisiana Clerks' Remote Access Authority, and the original testament remains a paper filing. |
| August 1, 2026 | Act 293 of 2026 changed Louisiana's small succession law in La. C.C.P. art. 3421. Use current law, not older handouts, when evaluating a small succession route. |
| June 4, 2018 | The East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court established an electronic filing and storage system for the Nineteenth Judicial District Court and the Family Court for East Baton Rouge Parish under La. C.C.P. art. 253(B). |
| October 1, 2020 | The clerk's civil suit records department stopped maintaining paper files for most civil matters, with an exception for succession matters. |
| June 2022 | East Baton Rouge Parish online access moved to ClerkConnect for civil and succession matters along with other case and land-record categories. |
Page last reviewed: August 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely local path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse with a co-owned home | In Louisiana, each spouse owns an undivided half of community property, and only the decedent's half passes through the succession (La. C.C. art. 2336). If descendants survive, the spouse may have a usufruct over the decedent's share of the community property that ends at death or remarriage (La. C.C. art. 890). In East Baton Rouge Parish, file at Suit Accounting and make sure the judgment of possession is recorded in the conveyance records if the home is in the parish. | Sunset helps identify mortgage, bank, investment and insurance accounts before the petition is drafted, then helps organize the estate settlement packet. |
| Out-of-state adult child with a small succession | A small succession affidavit may avoid opening a full judicial proceeding when Louisiana law allows it. If the affidavit affects immovable property in East Baton Rouge Parish, record it in the parish conveyance records. Certified copies can be requested from the clerk, and ClerkConnect offers electronically certified documents at $5.00 per certified document under the online access pricing published for June 2022 and later online access. | Sunset helps locate accounts, prepare information for the affidavit route, and reduce travel by organizing requests for certified documents. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate when a home must be sold | A sale of immovable property often requires an administration or independent administration. File with Suit Accounting at the courthouse, pay the $520.00 succession advance deposit under the schedule revised July 3, 2024, and request letters through Civil Processing when ordered. Certified copies should be requested by cover letter. | Sunset helps assemble asset information, generate a draft packet for attorney review, and connect the family with local counsel for the sale and court filings. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | How it helps in East Baton Rouge Parish | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, Corp. | Serves East Baton Rouge Parish and states that it helps with wills, powers of attorney and uncontested successions, subject to eligibility. Apply online first unless it is an emergency. | Statewide intake for its service area, 1-844-244-7871. Baton Rouge office, 715 St. Ferdinand Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70802. Local intake, (225) 448-0331. |
| Baton Rouge Bar Association Pro Bono Project | Offers a legal advice hotline for low-income people in the Greater Baton Rouge area through an online application. Applying does not mean the application will be accepted or that an attorney has agreed to represent you. | 544 Main Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70802. Phone, (225) 344-4803. |
| Baton Rouge Bar Association Ask-A-Lawyer | Free legal clinics where the public can ask questions of practicing lawyers. Clinics are generally held at local libraries. | Use the Baton Rouge Bar Association public resources page for the current clinic schedule. |
| LouisianaLawHelp.org | Statewide public legal information site with an Estates, Wills, And Guardianships topic, a Louisiana Civil Legal Navigator, a Legal Aid Organizations directory searchable by parish, and online free-help application links. | https://louisianalawhelp.org/ |
| Law Library of Louisiana | Research resource operated by the Louisiana Supreme Court, including self-represented litigant materials and a Wills and Estates forms guide. | https://lasc.org/ and the Law Library of Louisiana research guides. |
| East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court | Filing and case-file office. Deputy clerks are not qualified to make legal determinations or give legal advice. | Suit Accounting, (225) 389-3982. Civil Processing, (225) 389-3967. Civil Suit Records, (225) 389-3972. |
When to hire an attorney
Legal counsel often makes sense in East Baton Rouge Parish when there is a testament, immovable property, a sale, heirs who do not agree, a nonresident succession representative, forced heirship questions, or a need for independent administration. The local clerk and court do not publish a succession petition form, deputy clerks cannot make legal determinations, and an uncontested filing is reviewed for deficiencies before it reaches a judge. Southeast Louisiana Legal Services may help eligible families with uncontested successions, and the Baton Rouge Bar Association offers public advice programs. Sunset connects families to a vetted attorney.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches across more than 2,300 institutions to help identify bank, investment, retirement, insurance and other accounts that may belong in the East Baton Rouge Parish succession. That makes estate settlement more complete before a petition or affidavit is prepared.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset organizes the family details, asset information, debt information, testament details and local filing notes into a packet that can be reviewed by counsel and used for a Louisiana succession filing.
Find a local probate attorney. Sunset can connect the family with a Louisiana attorney familiar with successions in the Nineteenth Judicial District Court, including filings through Suit Accounting, Civil Duty Office review, letters and judgment of possession recordation.
Sunset is free for families. Families can use Sunset to understand the estate settlement path, gather information and decide what help they need without paying Sunset.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file a succession in East Baton Rouge Parish?
File new succession pleadings with the East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court, Suit Accounting Department, room 3301, Nineteenth Judicial District Courthouse, 300 North Boulevard, Baton Rouge. The clerk's main administrative office is at 222 St. Louis Street, but that is not the new-suit filing counter.
What phone number should I call before filing?
Call Suit Accounting at (225) 389-3982 for new filings and cost questions. Call Civil Processing at (225) 389-3967 for letters and processing after an order is signed. Call the Civil Duty Office at (225) 389-4935 if an uncontested matter is under court review.
Can I e-file a succession in East Baton Rouge Parish?
The clerk uses ClerkConnect and has an electronic filing and storage system for the Nineteenth Judicial District Court. Attorney filings follow La. C.C.P. art. 253(B)(2), effective January 1, 2026. The original testament still goes in on paper and is retained by the clerk (La. C.C.P. arts. 253(B)(3)(a), 2911). If you are filing without counsel, call Suit Accounting before relying on an electronic route.
How much is the East Baton Rouge Parish succession deposit?
The clerk's published advance cost schedule lists $520.00 for a succession under Suit Accounting Form #17, revised July 3, 2024. It also lists $100.00 for each additional service under the same schedule. The schedule states that if the original deposit is exhausted, more costs may be required before the clerk performs further functions (La. R.S. 13:842).
Does East Baton Rouge Parish publish succession forms?
No succession petition form, checklist or cover sheet is published by the East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court or the Nineteenth Judicial District Court. The available form libraries cover other matters. A Louisiana succession petition is drafted to the Code and the facts of the estate.
How is an uncontested succession reviewed after filing?
The filing is scanned and routed to the Civil Duty Office. The staff attorney reviews uncontested successions in the order received. If approved, the pleadings go to the divisional judge for electronic signature, then return through the Civil Duty Office for a minute entry and to Civil Processing.
Can I attend a succession hearing by video in East Baton Rouge Parish?
The Nineteenth Judicial District Court has a civil rule allowing video for a hearing or bench trial when the presiding judge finds special circumstances and all parties consent. The rule does not specifically address successions. Many uncontested successions are reviewed on the papers, so ask the Civil Duty Office or the allotted division if a setting is issued.
How do I look up an East Baton Rouge Parish succession file?
Use ClerkConnect for the parish's paid online search for civil and succession matters. The clerk publishes $20.00 for a 24-hour pass and $65.00 for a 30-day pass under the online access pricing published for June 2022 and later online access. Older succession file locations depend on the file number: 103,000 and higher are at the courthouse, 80,000 through 102,999 are at City Hall, and older files are in Archives at 444 St. Louis Street.
Do I need to travel to Baton Rouge for certified copies?
Not always. Certified copies can be requested from the clerk, and ClerkConnect supports electronic certification. The online access pricing published for June 2022 and later online access lists $5.00 per certified document. If an original testament must be submitted, ask the clerk how to deliver it safely because the original is kept by the clerk.
Shaped by the families we've helped
Thank you to the thousands of families who have trusted Sunset to help settle their loved ones' estates. This page is shaped by the questions they actually asked and the obstacles they actually hit — and that hard-won experience is what keeps it accurate, current, and genuinely useful to the families who come next.