§2158. Fees of constables; benefits for employees of constables of the city courts of New Orleans

A. The constables of the city courts of New Orleans shall be entitled to no more than the following fees and compensation of office in all civil matters, and no fees or charges shall be collected by them for any service not specifically provided for in this Subsection:

(1) Receiving, serving, and making returns thereon of any citation and petition on each defendant or person to whom service is directed to be made, fifteen dollars; receiving, serving, and making returns thereon of any citation or rule for possession of premises on each defendant or person to whom service is directed to be made, fifteen dollars.

(2) Service of subpoenas, rules, order of court, or notices on any party to a suit or other proceedings, during the progress of suit or other proceedings therein, after judgment rendered, where return is made by constable, including notice of release of seizure and other notices not herein provided for, and for making returns thereon, seven dollars and fifty cents, including the service and return of judgment debtor rules which shall also be fifteen dollars.

(3) Service of subpoenas duces tecum on each witness and making return thereon, fifteen dollars.

(4) Service of attachment on a witness or any person for contempt of court to be brought into court forthwith or any subsequent time, and for return thereon, fifteen dollars.

(5) Service of a notice of judgment and for return thereon, fifteen dollars.

(6) Service of citation or petition of appeal for each party upon whom service is directed to be made and for making return thereon, fifteen dollars.

(7) Executing writ of attachment, five dollars; each notice of seizure and return thereon in connection with writ of attachment, fifteen dollars.

(8) Making and serving each notice of seizure on each garnishee under writ of fieri facias, attachment, or sequestration, including copy and return, and service of each answer if required, fifteen dollars.

(9) Executing writ of sequestration, or distringas, in each case, fifteen dollars; service of each notice to defendant and return thereon in connection with any writs covered in this Paragraph, fifteen dollars.

(10) Serving writ of injunction, certiorari, mandamus, prohibition, or notice of demand, and making return thereon, in each case, fifteen dollars.

(11) Executing writ of habeas corpus and making return thereon, to be charged in civil cases only, fifteen dollars.

(12) Service of notice of seizure and sale on one party and making copy for recordation in the mortgage office when necessary and required and for making return thereon, for all, fifteen dollars; and for service of each additional notice of seizure and return, fifteen dollars.

(13) Making seizure under writ of fieri facias, making and serving notice of seizure on one party and making copy for recordation in the mortgage office when necessary or required and for return thereon, fifteen dollars; service of each notice of seizure and return thereon, in connection with the execution of the writ of fieri facias, fifteen dollars. Fifteen dollars shall be charged for service of writ of fieri facias, including notice and return, over one hundred dollars. Fifteen dollars shall be charged for service of writ of fieri facias, including notice and return, under one hundred dollars.

(14) Advertising sale under writ of fieri facias, seizure and sale, or other order of court, the rate established by existing laws for judicial advertisement shall prevail, and no more.

(15) Preparing advertisements for newspapers, for each one hundred words or part thereof, twenty dollars.

(16) Keeping property under seizure when stored in warehouse, the usual charge of the warehousekeepers shall be allowed and no more, provided that this shall not be so construed to bar the constable from collecting the costs of insuring effects or for drayage or other incidental expense necessary for the preservation or keeping of the property, and actually paid by him.

(17) For keeping property when a keeper or guardian is required, the constable shall be allowed the actual amount paid the keeper appointed by him, but not to exceed forty dollars, per eight hour shift, for each keeping or any lesser period of time involved in any instance, and in all cases in which the property under seizure is of a nature or kind requiring the constant attention of the constable, he may appoint one or more additional keepers, for which the allowance shall be made on the basis above set forth.

(18) Commission on sales of property made by the constable, ten percent shall be allowed on the price of adjudication of immovable property, and ten percent shall be allowed on the price of adjudication of movable property; however, in any case where the amount necessary to be realized to satisfy any writ under which the property, movable or immovable, is to be offered by the constable is in excess of twenty-five thousand dollars, including interest and costs, the constable and the seizing creditor may, with the approval of the court, agree upon the fee or commission to be paid the constable for making sale, irrespective of the rates hereinabove set forth; this agreement shall be approved by the court prior to offer and adjudication of the property by the constable, and no agreement shall be valid which provides for a fee or commission in any case of less than five hundred dollars.

(19) Commission on monies realized under mesne or final process, the same rates as in case of sale; no commission shall be allowed in cases where nothing is realized by the plaintiff in execution or other writ except as otherwise herein provided.

(20) Mileage when traveling outside of the parish of Orleans, the same mileage as is allowed sheriffs of other parishes.

(21) Making return on writ, whether or not sale has been made, fifteen dollars.

(22) Each act of sale of real property, forty-five dollars, plus the cost of registering the act in the conveyance office and recording it in the office of the recorder of mortgages and recording it in the office of the clerk of either the First or Second City Court of the city of New Orleans, and all necessary costs.

(23) Each proces verbal of sale of movable or immovable property shall bear a charge to be fixed by the constable in his discretion, but this price shall not exceed thirty dollars.

(24) Executing writ of possession or writ of ejectment, fifteen dollars; if the defendant or occupants do not vacate the premises named in the writ upon service of notice to vacate, and the constable is required to do anything further to obtain possession, he shall be entitled to an additional fee of fifteen dollars; but nothing herein shall be construed to bar the constable from charging and collecting for cost of labor or other costs and expenses actually paid or incurred by him in order to obtain possession of the premises described in the writ.

(25) The constable is entitled to receive a fee or commission as in case of sale in all cases where he has in his possession for execution a writ of fieri facias, a writ of seizure and sale, or any conservatory, or other writ, under which property is, or may be seized: (a) where there has been an adjudication which is completed as a result of instructions given by plaintiff in writ, or for any other reason, or (b) where plaintiff in writ receives cash or other consideration, or both, pursuant to judgment rendered in suit in which the writ issues, without the necessity of judicial sale, or (c) where the suit in which the writ is issued is discontinued by plaintiff in writ, or (d) where, at the request of the plaintiff in writ, the writ is recalled or dissolved or its further execution discontinued, or (e) where the parties in interest make an amicable settlement, or compromise, or enter into any other agreement under the terms of which the writ is recalled or dissolved or its further execution discontinued; but in the discretion of the constable, and under circumstances satisfactory to him, he may modify or reduce any fee or commission due and payable under this Paragraph. The fees or commissions provided for in this Paragraph shall be due and payable in every case by the plaintiff in writ, and shall be due and payable under circumstances above set forth, even though there has only been a constructive seizure or where property seized under any of the writs hereinabove enumerated shall have been released on bond. In a case where there has been amicable settlement, by compromise or otherwise, but no judgment rendered, this fee or commission shall be due and payable in solido by all parties to compromise agreement, or settlement, who may be proceeded against by the constable by rule, to be tried in a summary manner in term time or in vacation; and

(26) For any services rendered or duties performed by the constable not otherwise herein provided for, he shall be entitled to a fee or commission to be determined by agreement with the parties in interest or fixed by the court on a rule to be filed by either party, and tried in a summary manner in term time or vacation.

(27) REPEALED BY ACTS 1995, NO. 534, §2.

B. From the fees collected by him, the constable of the first city court of the city of New Orleans shall provide employee benefits as he deems necessary and proper for the operation of this office including, but not limited to, permanent membership in a municipal employee retirement system such as the employees' retirement system of the city of New Orleans.

C. The constables of the city courts of New Orleans shall have control over all fees, charges, and commissions collected by their respective offices as well as all disbursements made therefrom as authorized by R.S. 33:1736 et seq. The constable of the first city court shall cause to be conducted an audit of all such fees, charges, and commissions collected and disbursements made therefrom, and the books and accounts relating thereto, in accordance with R.S. 24:513(J)(1)(c), and shall file the same with the office of the legislative auditor where it shall be available for public inspection.

D. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection A to the contrary, a constable of the First or Second City Court of the city of New Orleans may charge and collect a fee equal to the fee the civil sheriff of the parish of Orleans is authorized to charge and collect for the identical service. The provisions of this Subsection shall not authorize a constable to provide additional services other than those services authorized by the provisions in Subsection A of this Section.

Acts 1960, No. 32, §3, eff. Jan. 1, 1961. Amended by Acts 1966, No. 66, §1; Acts 1969, No. 117, §2; Acts 1970, No. 148, §1; Acts 1975, No. 795, §1; Acts 1978, No. 299, §1; Acts 1980, No. 114 §1; Acts 1983, No. 302, §1; Acts 1985, No. 529, §1; Acts 1992, No. 8, §1, eff. May 18, 1992; Acts 1995, No. 534, §§1, 2; Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 135, §1.