If a person appointed or confirmed as succession representative fails to qualify for the office within ten days after his appointment or confirmation, on its own motion or on motion of any interested person, the court may revoke the appointment or confirmation, and appoint another qualified person to the office forthwith. The delay allowed herein for qualification may be extended by the court for good cause shown.
Art. 3181.Revocation of Appointment Or Confirmation; Extension of Time to Qualify
Book VI. Probate Procedure · Title III. Administration of Successions · Chapter 3. Revocation of Appointment, and Removal of Succession Representative · Amendment history unavailable · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 3181 lets the court revoke an appointment or confirmation as succession representative when the person named fails to qualify for the office within ten days, appoint a qualified replacement in that person's place, and extend the ten-day qualification deadline for good cause shown.
Full Text of Art. 3181
Plain-English Summary
Chapter 3 draws a line between two ways a succession representative can lose the office, and Article 3181 covers the first: revocation, which addresses a problem at the threshold, before administration begins in earnest.
Being appointed or confirmed as succession representative is not the same as holding the office. Chapter 1 requires the person named to qualify, taking the oath and furnishing any required security, before letters issue. Article 3181 gives that qualification step a deadline: ten days after the appointment or confirmation. If the person named lets that window close without qualifying, the court, on its own motion or on the motion of any interested person, may revoke the appointment or confirmation and appoint another qualified person to the office without delay.
Revocation here targets the court's own initial decision, not any wrongdoing that happened afterward. The named person never completed the steps needed to take office, so the appointment itself needs to be undone and replaced.
The ten-day period is not rigid. Article 3181 lets the court extend the delay for qualification when good cause is shown, giving a named representative more time where circumstances justify it, rather than forcing an automatic revocation the moment the deadline passes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a person appointed succession representative have to qualify?
Ten days after the appointment or confirmation, unless the court extends that period for good cause shown.
What happens if the deadline to qualify passes?
The court, on its own motion or on the motion of any interested person, may revoke the appointment or confirmation and appoint another qualified person to the office without delay.
Can the ten-day deadline be extended?
Yes. Article 3181 lets the court extend the delay allowed for qualification for good cause shown.
How is revocation under Article 3181 different from removal under Article 3182?
Revocation undoes the court's own appointment or confirmation decision when the named person never completes qualification. Removal takes a representative who already holds office out of it for misconduct or a disqualification arising after appointment.
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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