A person desiring a judicial partition of property shall petition for it in a court of competent jurisdiction. The partition proceeding shall be brought in the venue provided by Article 80(2) if the property sought to be partitioned is immovables, or both movables and immovables; or in the parish where some of the property is situated, if it consists only of movables. Except as otherwise provided by law, a partition proceeding is subject to the rules regulating ordinary proceedings.
Art. 4603.Same; Procedure; Venue
Book VII. Special Proceedings · Title IX. Partition Between Co-Owners · Chapter 1. General Dispositions · Amendment history unavailable · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 4603 directs a co-owner seeking a judicial partition to petition a court of competent jurisdiction, sets the applicable venue for property that includes immovables versus property that is only movables, and subjects the proceeding to the rules for ordinary proceedings except where another law provides differently.
Full Text of Art. 4603
Plain-English Summary
A judicial partition begins the way most Louisiana civil actions do: with a petition. Article 4603 tells a co-owner who wants a court-ordered partition to file that petition in a court of competent jurisdiction, and it fixes the parish where the case belongs.
Venue depends on what kind of property is at stake. If the property sought to be partitioned includes immovables, whether alone or mixed with movables, the case follows the venue rule for actions involving immovable property found elsewhere in the Code. If the property consists only of movables, the proceeding belongs in the parish where some of that property is located.
Beyond the petition and venue rules, Article 4603 folds the partition proceeding into the general rules for ordinary proceedings, the same framework that governs a typical civil lawsuit in Louisiana, unless some other law calls for a different procedure. That keeps the partition action from needing its own free-standing set of pleading and trial rules beyond what this title adds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I file a partition lawsuit in Louisiana?
In a court of competent jurisdiction, in the parish set by Article 4603's venue rule: the venue for actions involving immovable property if the property being partitioned includes immovables, or the parish where some of the movable property is located if the property consists only of movables.
What kind of court procedure applies to a partition action?
Article 4603 subjects a partition proceeding to the rules regulating ordinary proceedings, the same general framework used for a typical civil lawsuit, except where another law provides otherwise.
Does it matter whether the co-owned property is movable or immovable for venue purposes?
Yes. Property that includes immovables follows the venue rule for immovable-property actions, while property consisting only of movables is partitioned in the parish where some of it is located.
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
Also known as: Louisiana partition venue rulesArticle 4603 Louisianawhere to file a partition suit Louisianapartition petition procedure Louisianaordinary proceeding rules partition