Except as otherwise provided in Article1291, the sheriff may exercise his civil functions only in the parish for which he was elected.
Art. 322.Exercises Civil Functions Only In Own Parish; Exception
Title I. Courts · Chapter 6. Sheriffs · Amendment history unavailable · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 322 confines a sheriff's civil authority to the parish that elected him, so he generally cannot serve process or execute a writ inside another parish's borders except for a narrow exception the Code provides elsewhere.
Full Text of Art. 322
Plain-English Summary
Louisiana organizes sheriffs by parish, and Article 322 keeps that structure intact for civil work: a sheriff's power to serve papers, seize property, or otherwise act under the Code stops at his own parish line. A defendant, debtor, or piece of property located in a neighboring parish falls outside his reach for civil purposes, with one narrow exception the Code carves out at Article 1291.
This territorial limit matters when a case touches more than one parish. If the person to be served or the property to be seized sits in a different parish, the usual path is to have that parish's own sheriff carry out the task, rather than sending the original parish's sheriff across the line.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a sheriff serve papers or seize property outside his own parish?
Generally no. Article 322 limits a sheriff's civil functions to the parish for which he was elected, subject to the narrow exception in Article 1291.
What happens if the person to be served lives in a different parish?
The usual approach is to have the sheriff of that other parish carry out the service or execution, since the original sheriff's civil authority does not extend there.
Does this parish limit apply to a sheriff's criminal duties too?
Article 322 addresses civil functions only; it does not speak to a sheriff's criminal-law authority.
Why does Louisiana tie a sheriff's civil authority to parish lines?
Louisiana's court and law-enforcement structure is organized parish by parish, and Article 322 carries that local structure into civil process and execution.
Source & verification. Article text is reproduced verbatim from
the vLex (Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure, 2026 Edition). Enacted by the Louisiana Legislature.
Last verified July 30, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: sheriff parish jurisdiction limitcross parish service of process louisianacan a sheriff serve outside his parishla cpp article 322