Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
Art. 5058.References to Code Articles Or Statutory Sections
Book IX. Miscellaneous Provisions and Definitions · Title I. Miscellaneous Provisions · Chapter 1. Rules of Construction · Amendment history unavailable · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 5058 provides that an unqualified reference within the Code to a book, title, chapter, section, or article means a division of this Code, and that a reference to an article or statutory section applies to all of its prior and subsequent amendments.
Full Text of Art. 5058
(1) A reference in this Code to a book, title, chapter, section, or article, without further designation, means a book, title, chapter, section, or article of this Code; and
(2) A reference in this Code to an article of a code, or to a statutory section, applies to all prior and subsequent amendments thereof.
Plain-English Summary
Cross-references run throughout the Code of Civil Procedure, and Article 5058 settles two questions about how to read them. First, when an article refers to a book, title, chapter, section, or article without saying which code it belongs to, that reference means a division of this Code of Civil Procedure itself, not some other Louisiana code or statute, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
Second, and with broader reach, a reference to an article of a code or to a statutory section is not frozen to the version of that provision in effect when the referencing article was written. It applies to all prior and subsequent amendments of the provision referenced. A cross-reference to another article stays current automatically as the legislature revises that article over time, rather than pointing to a snapshot that could grow outdated the moment either provision is amended.
That second rule carries real weight across a Code built from decades of amendments. Without it, every cross-reference would need updating each time the legislature touched the article it points to. With it, the reference tracks the current, amended text on its own.
Frequently Asked Questions
When an article of the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure refers to "this chapter," which chapter does it mean?
A chapter of the Code of Civil Procedure itself. Article 5058 treats an unqualified reference to a book, title, chapter, section, or article as referring to a division of this Code, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
Does a cross-reference to another article point to the version that existed when it was written?
No. Article 5058 provides that a reference to an article or statutory section applies to all of its prior and subsequent amendments, so the cross-reference tracks the current text automatically.
Why does it matter that cross-references automatically update with amendments?
Because the Code has been amended many times since 1960. Article 5058 keeps every cross-reference current without requiring the legislature to revise every article that points to a provision each time that provision changes.
Could "this article" in the Code of Civil Procedure ever refer to a statute outside the Code?
Only if the context clearly indicates that reading. Article 5058's default rule treats such references as pointing to this Code, not an outside statute.
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: cross reference interpretation Louisiana Code of Civil ProcedureArticle 5058 Louisianareference to this code meaningamendments to referenced articles Louisianahow cross references work in Louisiana statutes