A parish court or a city court may exercise jurisdiction over the person to the same extent, and in the same manner, as a district court.
Art. 4849.Jurisdiction Over the Person
Book VIII. Trial Courts of Limited Jurisdiction · Title I. General Dispositions · Chapter 2. Civil Jurisdiction · Enacted 1986 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 4849 gives a parish or city court the same personal jurisdiction over a defendant that a district court has, leaving only the dollar amount and subject-matter limits in the surrounding articles to narrow what these courts can decide.
Full Text of Art. 4849
Amendment History
Acts 1986, No. 156, §1.
Plain-English Summary
Jurisdiction over the person is a court's power to bind a specific defendant to its judgment, distinct from subject matter jurisdiction, which asks whether the court can hear that kind of case at all. Article 4849 addresses the personal side directly: a parish or city court can exercise jurisdiction over a defendant to the same extent and in the same manner as a district court.
That is a meaningful grant. Nothing about being a lower-tier, limited-jurisdiction court shrinks a parish or city court's reach over defendants; the same rules on service, domicile, and long-arm authority that a district court relies on to bind a defendant apply here as well.
What narrows a parish or city court's business is everything covered elsewhere in this chapter: the dollar caps in Articles 4842 and 4843, and the subject-matter exclusions in Article 4847. Personal jurisdiction is not one of the limits. A defendant properly before a parish or city court cannot argue that the court's smaller docket or narrower subject matter means it lacks power over the defendant personally.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a Louisiana parish court's personal jurisdiction over a defendant weaker than a district court's?
No. Article 4849 gives a parish or city court the same personal jurisdiction over a defendant, to the same extent and in the same manner, as a district court.
What is the difference between personal jurisdiction and subject matter jurisdiction in this context?
Personal jurisdiction is the court's power to bind a specific defendant; subject matter jurisdiction is whether the court can hear that kind of case, which is where the dollar caps and category limits in this chapter apply.
Does a defendant's smaller-value case limit how a parish court can serve or bind that defendant?
No. The service and jurisdictional rules for binding a defendant are the same ones a district court uses; only the type and dollar value of the case are limited for a parish or city court.
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: jurisdiction over the person parish court LouisianaArticle 4849 Louisianapersonal jurisdiction city court Louisianasame as district court jurisdiction over defendantparish court service of process authority