A. When any person applies to be appointed as tutor, the court shall order either the taking of an inventory and an appraisal of the minor's property or the preparation of a detailed descriptive list of his property in accordance with Article 4462. B. If an inventory is ordered, it shall be begun not later than ten days after the order is signed. The court shall appoint a notary of each parish in which property of the minor has a situs to take the inventory of such property in that parish.
Art. 4101.Inventory and Appraisement Or Descriptive List
Book VII. Special Proceedings · Title VI. Tutorship · Chapter 3. Inventory of Minor's Property · Enacted 1983 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 4101 requires the court, when anyone applies to be appointed tutor, to order either an inventory and appraisal of the minor's property or, under the small tutorship rules, a detailed descriptive list, and, if an inventory is ordered, to appoint a notary in each parish where the minor's property is located to begin it within ten days.
Full Text of Art. 4101
Amendment History
Acts 1983, No. 344, §1.
Plain-English Summary
Before a tutor takes charge of a minor's property, someone needs to write down what that property is. Article 4101 opens Chapter 3 by requiring the court, whenever a person applies to be appointed tutor, to order that step: either a full inventory with appraisal or, where the small tutorship provisions of Article 4462 apply, a simpler detailed descriptive list.
An inventory is the more formal option — a notary goes through the minor's property, item by item, with values assigned. A descriptive list is a lighter alternative, a catalog without the same appraisal formality, available for smaller tutorships where the cost and effort of a full inventory would be disproportionate to the property involved. Both options track the same choice Louisiana uses to catalog a decedent's property in a succession, applied here to what belongs to the minor.
When the court orders an inventory, it has to move quickly: the inventory must begin no later than ten days after the order is signed. The court appoints a notary for each parish where the minor's property has a situs, so property spread across more than one parish gets covered by more than one notary working in parallel rather than a single notary traveling the state.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens to a minor's property when someone applies to be tutor?
The court orders either an inventory and appraisal of the property or, in a qualifying small tutorship, a detailed descriptive list, under Article 4101.
What is the difference between an inventory and a descriptive list for a minor's property?
An inventory is a formal, notary-led appraisal of the minor's property item by item; a descriptive list is a simpler catalog available under the small tutorship rules, without the same appraisal process.
How quickly must an inventory begin once the court orders one?
No later than ten days after the order is signed.
What if the minor's property is located in more than one parish?
The court appoints a notary for each parish where the minor's property has a situs, so the inventory can proceed in each parish.
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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