§131.2. Contents of petition for expropriation; place of filing

The right of expropriation granted by this Part shall be exercised in the following manner:

(1) A petition shall be filed by the plaintiff in the district court of the parish in which the property to be expropriated is situated. The court wherein the petition is filed shall have jurisdiction to adjudicate as to all the property involved.

(2) The petition shall contain a statement of the purpose for which the property is to be expropriated, describing the property necessary therefor with a plan of the same, a description of the improvements thereon, if any, and the name of the owner if known.

(3) The petition shall have annexed thereto the following:

(a) A certified copy of a resolution adopted by the governing authority authorizing the taking and declaring that it is necessary or useful for the purposes of this Part.

(b) A certificate signed by the parish engineer or, in his absence, his principal assistant, declaring that he has fixed the right of way in a manner sufficient in his judgment to provide for the public interest, safety, and convenience.

(c) A certificate signed by the director of public works and the parish engineer declaring that the location and design of the proposed improvements are in accordance with the best modern practices adopted in the interest of the safety and convenience of the public.

(d) An itemized statement of the amount of money estimated to be the full extent of the owner's loss for the taking or the damage, or both, as the case may be. It shall be signed by those who made the estimate, showing the capacity in which they acted, and the date on which it was made.

(e) A copy of the written offer to purchase and the return receipt from the letter of notification of intention to expropriate the property, as required by R.S. 19:131.1(A).

Acts 1989, No. 224, §1, eff. June 26, 1989.