A Justice of the Peace in Louisiana can decide small civil disputes involving $5,000 or less, hear eviction cases, perform marriage ceremonies, administer oaths, order peace bonds, and act as a committing magistrate in criminal matters that are not capital offenses or crimes punishable by hard labor. What a Justice of the Peace can do in Louisiana is deliberately limited: these are local, elected officials who handle everyday legal problems in their ward, and Louisiana law draws firm lines around the cases they cannot touch. The role traces back to the 1974 Louisiana Constitution, which continued the previously existing Justice of the Peace courts.1Louisiana Senate. State Constitution of 1974 – Article V: Judicial Branch
Civil Cases Up to $5,000
The core civil power is a $5,000 cap. A JP court can hear any civil case where the amount in dispute is $5,000 or less, and that jurisdiction runs concurrently with the district court.2Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Art 4911 – Jurisdiction in Justice of the Peace Courts Only the core amount demanded counts against the cap. Interest, court costs, attorney fees, and penalties are not part of the calculation.
If the case grows past $5,000 later, through an amended claim or a counterclaim, the JP court has to transfer the whole matter to a court that can handle it.2Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Art 4911 – Jurisdiction in Justice of the Peace Courts That matters for defendants weighing a counterclaim that would push the total above the ceiling.
The court also handles disputes over movable property valued at $5,000 or less, meaning claims over personal belongings, tools, or equipment can be resolved there.3Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Art 4912 – Possession or Ownership of Movable Property; Eviction Proceedings; Justice of the Peace Courts
Evictions
Evictions are one of the busiest categories in JP court, and the rules split by property type. For residential rentals, a JP can hear the eviction regardless of the monthly rent or the amount of back rent owed.3Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Art 4912 – Possession or Ownership of Movable Property; Eviction Proceedings; Justice of the Peace Courts A landlord renting a home for $3,000 a month has the same access as one renting a small unit for $500.
Commercial evictions are narrower. A JP court only has jurisdiction when the monthly rental amount is $5,000 or less. Above that, the landlord has to go to district court.3Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Art 4912 – Possession or Ownership of Movable Property; Eviction Proceedings; Justice of the Peace Courts
Criminal Role and Peace Bonds
A Justice of the Peace is not a criminal trial judge, but the office carries a narrow criminal function. JPs serve as committing magistrates throughout their parish, meaning they can conduct initial appearances, set bail, and discharge defendants in cases that are not capital offenses and not punishable by hard labor.4Justia. Louisiana Revised Statutes RS 13-2586 – Jurisdiction and Procedure They can also order peace bonds when someone’s behavior threatens a breach of the peace.5Justia. Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure Art 26 – Power to Order Peace Bonds
Some JP courts have concurrent jurisdiction over specific local offenses. The most common is litter violations under R.S. 30:2531(B), where the penalty is limited to the fine range set by that statute. Certain parishes have also given their JP courts jurisdiction over property standards and abandoned property matters by local ordinance.4Justia. Louisiana Revised Statutes RS 13-2586 – Jurisdiction and Procedure One firm limit: a Justice of the Peace cannot issue an arrest warrant for a law enforcement officer acting in the course of official duties.
Marriages and Oaths
Justices of the Peace perform marriage ceremonies. A JP can officiate weddings within the parish where the court sits and in any parish within the same Louisiana Supreme Court district. If a neighboring parish has no JP court, the JP can officiate there too.6Justia. Louisiana Revised Statutes RS 9-203 – Officiant; Judges and Justices Caddo, Bossier, DeSoto, Webster, Bienville, and Red River parishes share a special arrangement letting their JPs cross parish lines freely within that group. Retired JPs who served at least eighteen years can keep performing marriages if they register to do so.
JPs also administer oaths, a routine but useful power for affidavits and sworn statements in communities where a district courthouse is not close.
What a Justice of the Peace Cannot Do
Knowing the limits is as important as knowing the powers. If you file the wrong kind of case, it gets dismissed or transferred. Louisiana law bars a JP court from hearing any of the following:
- Real estate title disputes involving ownership of land or buildings.
- Family law cases, including divorce, annulment, child custody, visitation, child support, and spousal support.
- Successions, interdictions, receiverships, and other probate matters.
- Adoptions, tutorships, and emancipations.
- Cases against the state, a parish, a municipality, or any other political body.
- Claims asserting civil or political rights under the federal or state constitutions.
- Disputes over the right to hold a public office or position.
- Executory proceedings, a specialized foreclosure-type action.
JP courts also cannot issue injunctions, with two narrow exceptions: they can halt execution of their own writs and enforce execution of their own judgments.7Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Art 4913 – Limitations Upon Jurisdiction; Nature of Proceedings; Justice of the Peace Courts If you need a restraining order or any other injunctive relief, district court is your only option.
Appeals and Enforcement
A JP court judgment can be appealed to the parish court, or to the district court where the JP sits if the parish has no parish court. The appeal is a full do-over. The higher court retries the case from scratch, is not bound by anything the JP found, and is not limited by the $5,000 cap when hearing the appeal. After that decision, the only remaining path is supervisory review from the court of appeal that would otherwise have had appellate jurisdiction.8Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Art 4924 – Appeals From Justice of the Peace Courts; District Courts With Concurrent Jurisdiction
When you win a money judgment and the losing party won’t pay, the JP court can issue a writ of fieri facias directing a constable or sheriff to seize property or garnish wages and bank accounts. Louisiana money judgments accrue interest at the judicial rate, set at 7.50% per year for 2026, running from the date of the judgment until it is paid.
Who Sits as Justice of the Peace
Justices of the Peace are elected by voters within their ward and district for six-year terms, taking office on January 1 following the election. A law degree is not required. Candidates must be of good moral character, be a qualified elector, live in the ward and district they seek to represent, read and write English correctly, and hold a high school diploma or its equivalent.9Justia. Louisiana Revised Statutes RS 13-2582 – Justices of the Peace; Qualifications; Election; Term of Office
The lack of a legal training requirement reflects the community-oriented design of the office. These are elected neighbors handling local matters, and hearings run considerably less formally than district court. That informality is part of why any appeal is a full new trial rather than a limited review, and it is part of why the statutes so carefully wall off the categories of cases a JP cannot decide.