The sheriff shall collect the fines which persons found guilty of contempt of court are sentenced to pay, and pay them over to the official entitled by law to receive them. He shall take into custody and imprison individuals found guilty of contempt of court and sentenced to imprisonment in the parish jail.
Art. 330.Collection of Fines From, and Imprisonment Of, Persons Found Guilty of Contempt of Court
Title I. Courts · Chapter 6. Sheriffs · Amendment history unavailable · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 330 directs the sheriff to collect fines imposed on people found guilty of contempt of court and pay them to the official entitled by law to receive them, and to take into custody and imprison in the parish jail anyone sentenced to imprisonment for contempt.
Full Text of Art. 330
Plain-English Summary
A court can punish contempt — disobeying a court order or disrupting proceedings — with a fine, imprisonment, or both. Article 330 assigns the enforcement mechanics of that punishment to the sheriff rather than leaving it to the court itself to collect money or take someone into custody.
On the fine side, the sheriff collects what a person found guilty of contempt is sentenced to pay and turns it over to whatever official the law designates to receive it. On the imprisonment side, he takes the person into custody and confines them in the parish jail for the sentence imposed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who enforces a contempt fine in Louisiana courts?
The sheriff, who collects the fine and pays it to the official entitled by law to receive it.
What happens if someone is sentenced to jail for contempt of court?
The sheriff takes the person into custody and imprisons them in the parish jail for the sentence imposed.
Does the sheriff decide who is held in contempt?
No. The court decides the contempt finding and sentence; Article 330 covers collecting the fine and carrying out the custody that follows.
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
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