Service of citation or other process may be either personal or domiciliary, and except as otherwise provided by law, each has the same effect. Service, whether personal or domiciliary, may be made at any time of day or night, including Sundays and holidays.
Art. 1231.Types of Service; Time of Making
Book II. Ordinary Proceedings · Title II. Citation and Service of Process · Chapter 2. Service On Persons · Amendment history unavailable · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 1231 recognizes personal and domiciliary service as the two forms of service of citation or other process, gives them equal legal effect unless a specific law says otherwise, and allows service to occur at any hour of the day or night, including Sundays and holidays.
Full Text of Art. 1231
Plain-English Summary
Louisiana's Title II gives process servers two tools for delivering citation: personal service, made directly on the person being served, and domiciliary service, left at that person's home with someone else. Article 1231 opens Chapter 2 by establishing that these are, with limited statutory exceptions, interchangeable — a citation served domiciliarily carries the same legal weight as one served personally.
The article also removes any restriction on timing. Service can happen at any hour, day or night, and on Sundays or holidays, unlike some court filings or other legal acts that observe business-day limits. A process server doesn't need to wait for a weekday or daylight to make valid service.
The following articles build out these categories. Articles 1232 and 1233 define personal service and where it may be made; Article 1234 defines domiciliary service. Later articles in Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 apply these same two methods to particular kinds of people and entities.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the two types of service under Louisiana law?
Personal service, made directly on the person to be served, and domiciliary service, left at that person's home with someone else of suitable age and discretion.
Does it matter which type of service is used?
Generally not. Article 1231 gives personal and domiciliary service the same legal effect, except where a specific law provides otherwise.
Can service be made on a Sunday or holiday?
Yes. Article 1231 allows service at any time of day or night, including Sundays and holidays, without the business-day restrictions that apply to some other legal acts.
Source & verification. Article text is reproduced verbatim from
the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure (legis.la.gov). Enacted by the Louisiana Legislature.
Last verified July 30, 2026.
· Official source
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