When the court orders the taking of an inventory of the property of the succession, it shall appoint a notary of each parish in which the deceased left property to take the inventory of such property in that parish.
Art. 3131.Notary Appointed For Inventory In Each Parish
Book VI. Probate Procedure · Title III. Administration of Successions · Chapter 1. Qualification of Succession Representatives · Amendment history unavailable · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 3131 requires the court, whenever it orders an inventory of succession property taken, to appoint a notary in each parish where the decedent left property to conduct the inventory of the property located there.
Full Text of Art. 3131
Plain-English Summary
Louisiana gives estates two ways to catalog what a decedent owned: a formal inventory, which is what this article and the several after it describe, and a sworn descriptive list under Article 3136, a faster and less costly alternative used when the parties agree the inventory process is not needed.
Article 3131 opens the inventory process by identifying who conducts it. Whenever the court orders an inventory taken, whether at the outset of an administration under Article 3094 or on appointing a provisional administrator under Article 3113, it appoints a notary for the purpose, one for each parish in which the decedent left property.
That parish-by-parish structure matters because a decedent's property is often not confined to a single parish. Rather than sending one notary traveling across the state, the article lets the inventory of property in each parish be handled locally, by a notary appointed to cover that parish specifically.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a succession inventory in Louisiana?
A formal, itemized catalog and valuation of a decedent's property, conducted by a notary and sworn appraisers, as an alternative to the sworn descriptive list allowed under Article 3136.
Who conducts the inventory of succession property?
A notary appointed by the court for that purpose, one for each parish in which the decedent left property.
What happens if the decedent owned property in more than one parish?
The court appoints a notary in each parish where property was left, so the inventory of the property in each parish can be taken locally.
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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