A. A party or his attorney may state the claim, exceptions, defenses, or other pleas orally to the justice of the peace or the clerk of court. No written pleadings shall be required. B. A party may file written pleadings if he so desires, but additional fees resulting from written pleadings not required shall not be imposed upon the party cast as costs of court. C. A defendant shall include in his answer, whether oral or in writing, all of the exceptions upon which he intends to rely.
Art. 4917.Pleadings; Justice of the Peace Courts; District Courts With Concurrent Jurisdiction
Book VIII. Trial Courts of Limited Jurisdiction · Title II. Procedure In Trial Courts of Limited Jurisdiction · Chapter 2. Civil Jurisdiction For Justice of the Peace Courts · Enacted 1986 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 4917 lets a party or attorney state a claim, exception, defense, or other plea orally to the justice of the peace or clerk of court, requires no written pleadings at all, permits them if a party wants them, and requires a defendant's answer to include every exception the defendant intends to raise.
Full Text of Art. 4917
Amendment History
Acts 1986, No. 156, §1.
Plain-English Summary
Parish and city courts already dispense with a heap of formality in how a case gets pleaded, but justice of the peace courts go further. Article 4917 lets a party, or the party's attorney, state a claim, an exception, a defense, or any other plea out loud to the justice of the peace or the clerk of court instead of drafting it on paper. No written pleading is required at any stage.
A party who wants the structure of a written pleading can still have it: Article 4917 lets anyone file one who prefers that route. But the article protects the party who does not, by barring the added fees a written pleading generates from being taxed as costs against whichever party loses the case. Choosing to write things down should not raise the price of losing for the other side.
One formality survives the oral track. Whether the defendant's answer is spoken or written, Article 4917 requires it to include every exception the defendant means to rely on. A defendant cannot hold an exception back for later; whatever objections exist have to surface at the answer stage, oral or not.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to file written pleadings in justice of the peace court?
No. Article 4917 lets a party or attorney state a claim, exception, defense, or other plea orally to the justice of the peace or the clerk of court instead.
Can I still file written pleadings in justice of the peace court if I want to?
Yes. A party may choose to file written pleadings, but the added fees that generates cannot be taxed as costs against the losing party.
If my answer is oral, do I still have to raise all my defenses at once?
Yes. Article 4917 requires a defendant's answer, whether spoken or written, to include every exception the defendant intends to rely on.
How does pleading in justice of the peace court differ from parish or city court?
Parish and city courts already simplify pleading requirements, but justice of the peace courts go further by permitting oral pleadings and requiring no written filing at all.
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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