Court costs are generally the fees required to be paid to courts and their officers and are often included in filing fees—fees that must be paid when a litigant files a document with the court, such as a plaintiff’s complaint or petition, or a defendant’s counterclaim. Court costs are often assessed against the losing party in a lawsuit, and the winning or prevailing party is said to be entitled to recover costs of court. Other costs, such as deposition costs for the court reporter and transcription costs may be recoverable by a prevailing party under the broader concept of recoverable costs or taxable costs—in other words, costs that may be taxed against the losing party. Court costs generally do not include attorney fees or expert fees. The specific costs that may be recovered in litigation are often specified in the rules of civil procedure for the relevant state or federal jurisdiction.

In Louisiana (LA), court costs encompass various fees associated with the use of the court system, including filing fees that litigants must pay when submitting documents to the court. These costs can include fees for filing a lawsuit, serving documents, and other procedural expenses. Louisiana law typically allows the prevailing party in a lawsuit to recover court costs from the losing party. This means that the winning party can request that the court order the losing party to pay for certain expenses incurred during the litigation process. However, court costs do not cover attorney fees or expert witness fees unless a statute or contract specifically provides for the recovery of such fees. The specific costs that can be recovered and the procedures for doing so are detailed in the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure and other relevant statutes. It's important to note that while deposition and transcription costs may be recoverable as taxable costs, the ability to recover these costs can depend on various factors, including whether they were necessary and reasonable.