In parishes for which a public administrator has been appointed, he shall be appointed administrator of all successions of which, under Article 3121, an attorney at law in other parishes may be appointed administrator. All provisions of law relating to the administrator of a succession apply to the public administrator, except as otherwise provided by R.S.9:1581 through 9:1589.
Art. 3122.Public Administrator As Administrator of Vacant Successions In Certain Parishes
Book VI. Probate Procedure · Title III. Administration of Successions · Chapter 1. Qualification of Succession Representatives · Last amended 1974 · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 3122 requires a parish's public administrator, where one has been appointed, to serve as administrator of the vacant successions that Article 3121 would otherwise assign to a rotating-list attorney, subjecting that public administrator to the same succession law except where the Revised Statutes governing that office say otherwise.
Full Text of Art. 3122
Amendment History
Amended by Acts 1961, No. 23, §1; Acts 1974, No. 530, §1.
Plain-English Summary
Some Louisiana parishes have a public administrator, an official whose office exists specifically to handle successions that would otherwise be vacant. Article 3122 channels the work Article 3121 describes toward that official instead of toward a private attorney whenever such an office exists in the parish.
In those parishes, the public administrator is appointed administrator of every succession that Article 3121 would send to a rotating-list attorney elsewhere. The public administrator is not exempt from the ordinary law governing succession administration; every provision that applies to an administrator applies here too, including the duty to furnish security.
The one carve-out is the set of statutes dedicated to the public administrator's office itself, found at Revised Statutes 9:1581 through 9:1589. Where those statutes speak specifically to how a public administrator operates, they control over the general succession-law provisions that would otherwise apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a public administrator in Louisiana?
An official appointed in certain parishes specifically to administer vacant successions, taking on the role that Article 3121 otherwise assigns to a rotating-list attorney.
Does Article 3121's attorney-rotation system apply in parishes with a public administrator?
No. Article 3122 directs the public administrator to serve as administrator of those vacant successions instead, and Article 3121 itself says it does not apply where a public administrator has been appointed.
Where can I find the specific rules governing a public administrator's duties?
In Revised Statutes 9:1581 through 9:1589, which govern the office and control over the general succession-law provisions where the two conflict.
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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