§5530. Fees in civil matters

A. Sheriffs shall be entitled to no more than the following fees and compensation of office in all civil matters:

(1) For all service and returns of legal documents, notices, and subpoenas - thirty dollars.

(2) For execution of all writs and court orders - thirty dollars; for each notice of seizure and sale and returns thereon - thirty dollars; for return of any writ - thirty dollars.

(3) For advertising sale under writ of fieri facias, seizure and sale, or other order of court, the rates established by existing laws for judicial advertisements and no more.

(4) For preparing advertisement for newspapers, for each one hundred words or part thereof - thirty dollars.

(5) For keeping property under seizure when stored in warehouse, the usual charge of warehousekeepers shall be allowed and no more. The sheriffs may collect the costs of insurance affected or of drayage or other incidental expenses necessary for preservation or keeping of property and actually paid by them.

(6) For keeping property when a keeper or guardian is required, the sheriffs shall be allowed the actual amount paid the keeper appointed by them but not to exceed sixty dollars for each eight hours of keeping; and in all cases in which the property under seizure is of a nature requiring the constant attention of the sheriffs, they may appoint one or more additional keepers for which allowance shall be made on the basis above set forth.

(7)(a) For commission on sales of property made by the sheriffs, three percent shall be allowed on the price of adjudication of immovable property, and six percent shall be allowed on the price of adjudication of movable property. As used herein, "the price of adjudication" shall mean the amount of the successful bid price at the sale conducted by the sheriff.

(b) When the amount necessary to be realized to satisfy any writ under which the property, movable or immovable, is to be offered for sale by the sheriffs is in excess of fifty thousand dollars, including interest and costs, the sheriffs and the seizing creditor may, with the approval of the court, agree upon the fee or commission to be paid to the sheriffs for making the sale, irrespective of the rates hereinabove set forth, prior to the offer and adjudication of the property by the sheriffs.

(c) No agreement shall be valid which provides for a fee or commission in any case of less than fifteen hundred dollars.

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

(9) For traveling each mile necessary in going to make and returning from service of any process of court, a mileage allowance based upon the mileage rate established by the division of administration for the use of state owned vehicles and all actual expenses incurred in the service of the process, but such mileage shall not be charged for a greater distance than that of the residence or domicile of the party on whom service is made, and when service is made upon different parties in the same case by the same officer on the same day or official tour, only one mileage shall be charged. This Section shall not be construed to prevent the officer from charging mileage as above provided in each separate suit.

(10) For each deed of conveyance of immovable property, fifty dollars in addition to the cost of registering the deed in the conveyance office and of recording it in the office of the clerk of the district court.

(11) For each proces verbal of the sale of movable or immovable property, thirty dollars.

(12)(a) For executing writ of possession or writ of ejectment - thirty dollars.

(b) For service of each notice to vacate on defendant or occupants - thirty dollars.

(c) If the defendant or occupants do not vacate the premises named in the writ upon service of notice to vacate and the sheriffs are required to do anything further to obtain possession, they shall be entitled to an additional fee of thirty dollars.

(d) Nothing herein shall be construed to bar the sheriffs from charging and collecting for costs of labor and other costs and expenses actually paid or incurred by them in order to obtain possession of the premises described in the writ.

(13)(a) In all cases where the sheriffs have in their 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:

(i) When there has been an adjudication which is not completed as a result of instructions given by the plaintiff in writ or for any other reason.

(ii) When the plaintiff in writ receives cash, other consideration, or both pursuant to judgment rendered in suit in which the writ issued without the necessity of judicial sale.

(iii) When the suit in which the writ issued is discontinued by the plaintiff in writ.

(iv) When at the request of the plaintiff in writ the writ is recalled or dissolved or its further execution discontinued.

(v) When 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, the sheriffs shall be entitled to receive a fee or commission as in the case of a sale.

(b) But in the discretion of the sheriffs and under circumstances satisfactory to them, they may modify or reduce any fee or commission due and payable under the provisions of this Paragraph. However, if the property is the debtor's homestead exempt residence and there has been a settlement or compromise between the parties, the fee or commission shall be calculated on the amount of the settlement or compromise.

(c) The fees or commission 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 the circumstances above set forth even though there has only been a constructive seizure or where property seized under any of the writs hereinabove enumerated has been released on bond.

(d) In a case where there has been an amicable settlement by compromise or otherwise, but no judgment has been rendered, the fee or commission shall be due and payable in solido by all parties to the compromise agreement or settlement who may be proceeded against by the sheriffs by rule to be tried in a summary manner in term time or in vacation.

(e) In the event a defendant in seizure files for bankruptcy before a sheriff's sale and a stay order is issued cancelling the sale, the plaintiff in the suit shall be liable for all costs, other than commissions, incurred while the property was under seizure.

(14) For any services rendered or duties performed by the sheriffs not otherwise herein specially provided for, they shall be entitled to a fee or commission to be determined by agreement with the parties in interest or fixed by the court by rule tried in a summary manner in term time or in vacation.

B. These costs shall be due and collectible as provided for clerks of the district courts in ordinary suits and when realized on any process of court by collections or sales, except in those parishes where the sheriffs collect their fees independently of the clerks.

C. The fees or commissions provided for in this Section may be taxed as costs of court pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure Article 1920.

Amended by Acts 1952, No. 256, §1; Acts 1964, No. 283; Acts 1970, No. 468, §1; Acts 1971, No. 119, §1; Acts 1972, No. 309; Acts 1974, No. 658, §1; Acts 1977, No. 96, §1; Acts 1978, No. 536, §1; Acts 1980, No. 134, §1; Acts 1981, No. 629, §1; Acts 1983, No. 255, §1; Acts 1984, No. 134, §1; Acts 1987, No. 571, §1; Acts 1988, No. 413, §1, eff. July 10, 1988; Acts 1990, No. 678, §1; Acts 1992, No. 738, §1; Acts 1999, No. 428, §1; Acts 2000, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 11, §1, eff. July 1, 2000; Redesignated from R.S. 33:1428 pursuant to Acts 2011, No. 248, §3; Acts 2017, No. 135, §1.