Personal service is made when a proper officer tenders the citation or other process to the person to be served.
Art. 1232.Personal Service
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 1232 defines personal service as occurring when a proper officer tenders the citation or other process directly to the person being served.
Full Text of Art. 1232
Plain-English Summary
Personal service is the most direct method Louisiana law allows: a process server — described in the Code as a "proper officer," typically a sheriff's deputy or a private process server appointed for the purpose — hands or tenders the citation straight to the person named in it. Nothing intervenes between the officer and the defendant.
Tender is the operative word. The officer doesn't need the person to sign anything or physically accept the papers for service to count; offering the citation to the person, in a way that makes clear what's being delivered, satisfies the article. A person who refuses to take the papers or walks away doesn't defeat service as long as the officer made a proper tender.
Article 1233 rounds out the picture by addressing where personal service can happen, and Article 1234 covers the alternative — domiciliary service — for situations where the person to be served can't be reached directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes service "personal" rather than domiciliary?
Personal service happens when the officer tenders the citation directly to the person named in it, rather than leaving it at that person's home with someone else.
Does the person being served have to accept the papers for service to count?
No. A proper tender by the officer is what matters; refusing to physically take the documents doesn't defeat service once the officer has offered them.
Who can perform personal service in Louisiana?
A "proper officer," which typically means a sheriff's deputy or a private process server authorized to make service under Louisiana law.
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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