Book IV. Execution of Judgments · Title II. Money Judgments · Chapter 1. Writ of Fieri Facias · Amendment history unavailable · Last verified July 30, 2026
A writ of fieri facias does not stay valid forever. Article 2294 gives it a one-year shelf life: the sheriff must seize something within twelve months of the date the clerk issued the writ. That deadline pushes creditors to act on writs they request rather than leaving them outstanding, and it gives debtors and the public record a measure of certainty instead of an unexecuted writ hanging indefinitely.
Two outcomes follow at the one-year mark. If no seizure was made, the sheriff returns the writ, reporting that no action was taken and closing that writ out. If a seizure was made within the year, the sheriff can keep going: the sale can proceed even if it ends up happening after the year has technically run, since what matters is that the seizure itself occurred in time, and the sheriff then makes a return describing the completed sale.
A writ that lapses without a seizure does not end the creditor's ability to collect. Article 2297 lets the creditor request an alias writ once the first one is returned unsatisfied, restarting the process against property the debtor may hold or later acquire.
One year from the date it was issued. A seizure must be made within that year, or the sheriff has to return the writ as unexecuted.
The seizure is timely, and the sheriff can proceed with the sale even though it may take place after the year has run, then make a return describing that completed process.
It means reporting back to the clerk who issued the writ on what happened, either that no seizure was made within the year or, if one was made, how the resulting sale was carried out.
Yes. Once an unsatisfied writ is returned, Article 2297 lets the creditor obtain another writ of fieri facias, sometimes called an alias fi fa, to try again.