Art. 74.2.Custody Proceedings; Support; Forum Non Conveniens
Title I. Courts · Chapter 2. Venue · Last amended 2025 · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 74.2 sets venue for custody proceedings, custody modifications, and child-support actions and modifications, and gives the court its own forum non conveniens power to transfer a custody or support case for the convenience of the parties and witnesses.
A. A proceeding to obtain the legal custody of a child or to establish an obligation of support may be brought in the parish where a party is domiciled or in the parish of the last matrimonial domicile.
B. A proceeding for change of custody may be brought in the parish where the person awarded custody is domiciled or in the parish where the custody decree was rendered. If the person awarded custody is no longer domiciled in the state, the proceeding for change of custody may be brought in the parish where the person seeking a change of custody is domiciled or in the parish where the custody decree was rendered.
C. A proceeding for modification of support may be brought in any of the following:
(1)The parish where the person awarded support is domiciled if the award has been registered in that parish pursuant to the provisions of Article2785 et seq., regardless of the provisions of Article2786(A) relative to the domicile of the parties.
(2)The parish where the support award was rendered if it has not been registered and confirmed in another court of this state, pursuant to the provisions of Article2785 et seq.
(3)The parish where the support award was last registered if registered in multiple courts of this state.
(4)Any of the following, if the person awarded support is no longer domiciled in the state:
(a)The parish where the other person is domiciled.
(b)The parish where the support award was rendered if not confirmed in another court of this state pursuant to Article2785 et seq.
(c)The parish where the support order was last confirmed pursuant to the provisions of Article2785 et seq.
D. A proceeding to register a child support, medical support, and income assignment order, or any such order issued by a court of this state for modification, may be brought in the parish where the person awarded support is domiciled.
E. For the convenience of the parties and the witnesses and in the interest of justice, a court, upon contradictory motion or upon its own motion after notice and hearing, may transfer the custody or support proceeding to another court where the proceeding may have been brought.
Article 74.2 gathers the venue rules for family-law proceedings involving children. A proceeding to obtain custody or to establish a support obligation may be brought where a party is domiciled or in the parish of the family's last matrimonial domicile. A proceeding to change custody follows the custodial parent: it may be brought where that parent is domiciled or where the custody decree was rendered, and if the custodial parent has since left the state, the person seeking the change may instead sue in his or her own domicile parish or in the parish that issued the decree.
Support modification carries several layered options that depend on whether and where the support award has already been registered with a court, tracking Louisiana's procedure for registering out-of-parish or out-of-state support orders. In general, venue follows the domicile of the person awarded support, the parish that issued the award, or the parish of the most recent registration, with adjusted options if the person awarded support has since left Louisiana. Registering a child support, medical support, or income assignment order for modification runs to the parish where the person awarded support is domiciled.
Subsection E gives the court a built-in transfer power, similar in spirit to forum non conveniens: for the convenience of the parties and witnesses and in the interest of justice, a court may transfer a custody or support proceeding to another court where it might have been brought, either on a contradictory motion — one the opposing party has notice of and may contest — or on the court's own motion after notice and a hearing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I file for child custody in Louisiana?
In the parish where a party to the proceeding is domiciled, or in the parish of the family's last matrimonial domicile.
Where do I file to modify a custody decree?
Generally where the custodial parent is domiciled or where the original custody decree was rendered. If the custodial parent no longer lives in Louisiana, the party seeking the change may instead file in his or her own domicile parish or where the decree was issued.
Where do I file to modify a child support award?
It depends on whether and where the award has been registered. Venue generally follows the domicile of the person receiving support, the parish that issued the award, or the parish of the most recent registration, with different options if that person has moved out of state.
Can a court move a custody or support case to another parish on its own?
Yes. Article 74.2(E) lets the court transfer the proceeding for the convenience of the parties and witnesses and in the interest of justice, on a contradictory motion or on its own motion after notice and a hearing.
Source & verification. Article text is reproduced verbatim from
the vLex (Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure, 2026 Edition). Enacted by the Louisiana Legislature.
Last verified July 30, 2026.
· Official source
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