Art. 3136.Descriptive List of Property In Lieu of Inventory
Book VI. Probate Procedure · Title III. Administration of Successions · Chapter 1. Qualification of Succession Representatives · Last amended 2024 · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 3136 lets the person who would otherwise request a formal inventory instead file a sworn, detailed descriptive list of all succession property -- showing each item's location and fair market value at death -- without needing judicial authority to make that choice.
Full Text of Art. 3136
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A. Whenever an inventory of succession property otherwise would be required by law, the person at whose instance the inventory would be taken may file in the succession proceeding, in lieu of an inventory complying with Articles 3131 through 3135, a detailed descriptive list of all succession property. This list shall be sworn to and subscribed by the person filing it, shall show the location of all items of succession property, and shall set forth the fair market value of each item thereof at the date of the death of the deceased.
B. The privilege of filing a descriptive list of succession property, in lieu of an inventory thereof, may be exercised without judicial authority.
Amendment History
Amended by Acts 2024, No. 371, §1, eff. 8/1/2024. Amended by Acts 1972, No. 326, §2, eff. 1/1/1973.
Plain-English Summary
A full notarial inventory, with its notary, appraisers, and witnesses, is not always worth the time and expense it takes. Article 3136 gives the person who would otherwise have to request an inventory a simpler alternative: filing a detailed descriptive list of succession property in the succession proceeding instead.
The descriptive list has to be sworn to and subscribed by the person filing it, and it must show where every item of succession property is located and its fair market value as of the date of the decedent's death. It substitutes for the inventory Articles 3131 through 3135 describe, covering the same substantive ground through a document one person can prepare and sign rather than a formal proceeding involving a notary and appraisers.
Part B removes any doubt about whether court permission is needed first: the privilege of filing a descriptive list in place of an inventory can be exercised without judicial authority. The person entitled to request an inventory chooses the list instead, on their own.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a descriptive list, and how is it different from a formal inventory?
A descriptive list is a sworn, itemized list of succession property, showing each item's location and fair market value at death, prepared and signed by one person without the notary, witnesses, and appraisers a formal inventory requires.
Do I need the court's permission to file a descriptive list instead of an inventory?
No. Article 3136(B) says the privilege of filing a descriptive list in lieu of an inventory may be exercised without judicial authority.
What must a descriptive list of succession property include?
The location of every item of succession property and its fair market value as of the date of the decedent's death, all sworn to and subscribed by the person filing it.
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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