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Squatters and vacant property in Louisiana: what the law says

Louisiana is one of the few states whose criminal code uses the word "squatter" and then defines it — since 2024, a person with no lease and no right of possession who stays after being told to go is committing criminal trespass. But it is a misdemeanor, and Louisiana limits when an officer may arrest for a misdemeanor without a warrant, so what happens at the door is not settled by the statute alone. Getting them out lawfully runs through a court: a written notice, a summary hearing, a judgment, and then a warrant the sheriff carries out. Nobody is put out of a Louisiana house on your sworn word alone. Every answer below is quoted from the statute it came from.

Every answer on this page is quoted from the statute it came from and linked to the source, so you can read the law yourself. Last checked against the statutes on 2026-07-14.

What to do now — this part is ours, not the law

There is no 30-day rule. Nobody becomes a tenant by standing in your house long enough — not in thirty days, not in ninety. They are not a tenant on day one and they are not a tenant on day ninety. What time does change is how hard they are to remove, and how much of your money it takes. That is a reason to move today, not a deadline you have already missed.

If someone is in the property right now

  1. Do not go in, and do not change the locks. It is the first thing everyone wants to do and it is how the owner becomes the defendant. Read that question above before you touch anything.
  2. Call the police non-emergency line. Ask them to look at it as a criminal trespass rather than a landlord–tenant dispute. Those are different outcomes and the words matter.
  3. Have your proof of ownership in your hand when they arrive — the deed, a recent tax bill, your ID. The officer's whole decision turns on whether he believes you own it.
  4. Photograph everything, and write down every date. When you last saw it empty. When you found them. What was said. Who you called, and when.
  5. Call a lawyer the same day. Not next week. The clock on every route above has already started.
The full checklist — what to record and what to ask →

If it has not happened yet

Everything on this page gets easier the earlier you do it. Photograph the property empty, keep the utility bills, and write down who is allowed inside — before you lock up and walk away. None of that is expensive. All of it is worth more than it looks at 2am.

The checklist for leaving a property vacant →

Is a squatter a tenant — and what rights do they have?

Louisiana’s criminal trespass law defines a squatter as someone with no lease and no right to be there — but it says so for the criminal law, and we could not establish whether the eviction rules treat him as a tenant. Either way he is not nothing: once someone has been in the building for more than a year, they can sue the person who throws them out — and that person is you, deed or no deed.

›Read the law — 3 provisions

If a trespasser counts as a tenant, the owner is routed into housing court and every fast option closes.

1 · La. R.S. 14:63(C)(2)(b) — "squatter" defined (Acts 2024, No. 652)

“(2) For purposes of this Subsection: … (b) "Squatter" means any person who remains in or upon property to which the person lacks a right of possession, ownership, occupancy, or a lease interest.”

READ THE FIRST SEVEN WORDS — THEY ARE THE LIMIT OF WHAT THIS DEFINITION DOES. "For purposes of this Subsection" scopes it to the criminal trespass subsection; it does not say a squatter is not a tenant, and nothing in it speaks to the eviction Title at all. (The ellipsis stands for subparagraph (a) and its items (i)–(iv), which define "remain in or upon property" and include the squatter, a person violating an injunction, and a drone.) What the definition does deny him is a list of four things, and "a lease interest" is one of them — and the same subsection lists the squatter separately from an "occupant, as defined by Code of Civil Procedure Article 4704", so the legislature treated the two as different people. Whether that makes him a tenant for eviction purposes is the next link, and we do not resolve it.

Read it at the source →

2 · La. C.C.P. art. 4704 — definitions used in the eviction Title

“Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, as used in this Title the following terms have the following meanings: 'Lease' means any oral or written lease, and includes a sublease; 'Lessee' includes a sublessee, whether the person seeking to evict is a lessor or sublessor; and an assignee of a lessee; 'Lessor' includes a sublessor, assignee, or transferee; 'Occupant' includes a sharecropper; half hand; day laborer; former owner; and any person occupying immovable property by permission or accommodation of the owner, former owner, or another occupant, except a mineral lessee, owner of a mineral servitude, or a lessee of the owner; 'Owner' includes a lessee; and 'Premises' includes the land and all buildings and improvements thereon leased by a tenant, or possessed by an occupant.”

A CLAIM ABOUT OUR OWN SEARCH, NOT ABOUT THE LAW: this definition of "occupant" is written around a person occupying "by permission or accommodation of the owner", and a squatter is by definition there without permission. We looked for a Louisiana appellate decision resolving whether a pure squatter is an "occupant" who may be evicted under this Title, and we found none we could fetch on 2026-07-14. Note that R.S. 14:63(C)(2)(a)(i) plainly contemplates an occupant being served under Articles 4702 and 4703. We do not resolve it; ask a Louisiana lawyer which route fits your facts.

Read it at the source →

3 · La. C.C.P. art. 3658 — what a possessory action requires

“To maintain the possessory action the plaintiff shall allege and prove all of the following: (1) The plaintiff had possession or precarious possession of the immovable property or real right therein at the time the disturbance occurred. (2) The plaintiff and his ancestors in title, or the person for whom the plaintiff possesses precariously and that person’s ancestors in title, had such possession quietly and without interruption for more than a year immediately prior to the disturbance, unless evicted by force or fraud. (3) The disturbance was one in fact or in law, as defined in Article 3659. (4) The possessory action was instituted within a year of the disturbance.”

This is not a tenant’s right and it is not ownership. It is the right to be left alone until a court says otherwise, and it attaches to possession rather than to title — which is why the year matters, and why an owner who takes matters into his own hands can end up the defendant.

Read it at the source →

These are the provisions, in order. We have not drawn a conclusion from them — that is not ours to draw.

Can I just change the locks?

No. Do not change the locks. In Louisiana a court orders the removal and the sheriff carries it out on the court’s warrant — the owner does none of it. And someone who has been in the building over a year can sue the person who put them out, and that suit turns on who was in possession, not on who owns the place.

›Read the law — 3 provisions

Lawful in a handful of states, a crime in most. Getting this wrong turns the victim into the defendant.

1 · La. C.C.P. art. 4731(A) — rule to show cause why possession should not be delivered

“If the lessee or occupant fails to comply with the notice to vacate required under this Title, or if the lessee has waived his right to notice to vacate by written waiver contained in the lease, and has lost his right of occupancy for any reason, the lessor or owner, or agent thereof, may cause the lessee or occupant to be cited summarily by a court of competent jurisdiction to show cause why he should not be ordered to deliver possession of the premises to the lessor or owner. The rule to show cause shall state the grounds upon which eviction is sought.”

Read it at the source →

2 · La. C.C.P. art. 4731(B) — taking possession on a reasonable belief of abandonment

“After the required notice has been given, the lessor or owner, or agent thereof, may lawfully take possession of the premises without further judicial process, upon a reasonable belief that the lessee or occupant has abandoned the premises. Indicia of abandonment include a cessation of business activity or residential occupancy, returning keys to the premises, and removal of equipment, furnishings, or other movables from the premises.”

READ WHAT IT IS GATED ON, AND WHO DECIDES IT. Every indicium the article lists is a sign that the person has GONE: business or residential occupancy has ceased, the keys came back, the furniture is out. It is not a permission to remove a person who is standing in the doorway, and the belief has to be a REASONABLE one — which is judged afterwards, by a court, at your expense, and not by you on the night. The next link is what happens if you read this wrong.

Read it at the source →

3 · La. C.C.P. art. 3658 — the possessory action

“To maintain the possessory action the plaintiff shall allege and prove all of the following: (1) The plaintiff had possession or precarious possession of the immovable property or real right therein at the time the disturbance occurred. (2) The plaintiff and his ancestors in title, or the person for whom the plaintiff possesses precariously and that person’s ancestors in title, had such possession quietly and without interruption for more than a year immediately prior to the disturbance, unless evicted by force or fraud. (3) The disturbance was one in fact or in law, as defined in Article 3659. (4) The possessory action was instituted within a year of the disturbance.”

A CLAIM ABOUT OUR OWN SEARCH, NOT ABOUT THE LAW: on 2026-07-14 we read C.C.P. arts. 4701, 4702, 4704, 4731, 4732, 4733 and 4735 in full on the Legislature’s own server, and we found no Louisiana statute expressly making a lockout of a non-tenant a crime the way some states do. That is not the same as a lockout being lawful — Article 4731 puts the owner in court, and Article 3658 hands a year-long possessor a lawsuit. Untested is not permitted, and the person who finds out which it is will be the defendant. DeedProof does not advise on this and never will.

Read it at the source →

These are the provisions, in order. We have not drawn a conclusion from them — that is not ours to draw.

If police do act, what is the charge — and can they arrest for it?

Depends. Louisiana wrote squatters into its criminal trespass law by name, and staying after a lawful possessor tells you to go is a crime — but only a misdemeanor. And Louisiana limits arrest without a warrant for a misdemeanor to one the officer sees, made immediately or on close pursuit, while a different paragraph of the same article speaks more broadly. Which of those an officer relies on for someone found living in a vacant building is not settled, and it is the question your whole night turns on. Ask a Louisiana lawyer, and have your deed in your hand when you call the police.

›Read the law — 4 provisions

A charge that only supports a citation does not remove anyone from a house. This is the link that killed the previous market.

1 · La. R.S. 14:63(C)(1), (C)(2)(a)(i)–(ii) — criminal trespass; squatters (Acts 2024, No. 652)

“C.(1) No person shall remain in or upon property, movable or immovable, owned by another without express, legal, or implied authorization. (2) For purposes of this Subsection: (a) "Remain in or upon property", in addition to its common meaning, signification, and connotation, includes: (i) The continued presence of an occupant, as defined by Code of Civil Procedure Article 4704, for longer than five days after being served with written notice to vacate in accordance with Code of Civil Procedure Article 4702 or 4703. (ii) The continued presence of a squatter who has been directed to vacate by a lawful possessor either verbally, by written notice, or by posting of conspicuous signage advising that the property is privately owned and unlawful trespass is prohibited.”

Note the trigger in item (ii): the squatter must have been "directed to vacate by a lawful possessor" — verbally, in writing, or by conspicuous signage. Note also subsection D: "It shall be an affirmative defense to a prosecution for a violation of Subsection A, B, or C of this Section, that the accused had express, legal, or implied authority to be in the movable or on the immovable property." A lease produced at the door is that defence, asserted.

Read it at the source →

2 · La. R.S. 14:63(G)(1)–(3) — penalties

“G. The following penalties shall be imposed for a violation of this Section: (1) For the first offense, the fine shall be not less than one hundred dollars and not more than five hundred dollars, or imprisonment for not more than thirty days, or both. (2) For the second offense, the fine shall be not less than three hundred dollars and not more than seven hundred fifty dollars, or imprisonment for not more than ninety days, or both. (3) For the third offense and all subsequent offenses, the fine shall be not less than five hundred dollars and not more than one thousand dollars, or imprisonment for not less than sixty days and not more than six months, or both, and forfeiture to the law enforcement authority of any property seized in connection with the violation.”

THIS IS THE LINK THAT KILLED THE LAST MARKET, AND IT IS WHY WE PRINT IT. An offence that only supports a citation removes nobody from a house. Louisiana grades this by exposure rather than by class letter — read it against the next link.

Read it at the source →

3 · La. R.S. 14:2(A)(4), (A)(6) — "felony"; "misdemeanor"

“(4) "Felony" is any crime for which an offender may be sentenced to death or imprisonment at hard labor. … (6) "Misdemeanor" is any crime other than a felony.”

The ellipsis stands for the intervening paragraph (5) of the same definitions section, which is not about grading. R.S. 14:63 provides no sentence at hard labour, so on its face it falls on the misdemeanor side of this line.

Read it at the source →

4 · La. C.Cr.P. art. 213(A)(1)–(3) — arrest by officer without warrant; when lawful

“A. A peace officer may, without a warrant, arrest a person when any of the following occur: (1) The person to be arrested has committed an offense in his presence, and if the arrest is for a misdemeanor, it must be made immediately or on close pursuit. (2) The person to be arrested has committed a felony, although not in the presence of the officer. (3) The peace officer has reasonable cause to believe that the person to be arrested has committed an offense, although not in the presence of the officer.”

THESE ARE THE PROVISIONS, IN ORDER. WE HAVE DRAWN NO CONCLUSION FROM THEM. Paragraph (1) and paragraph (3) point in different directions on a misdemeanor an officer did not see begin, and which of them governs a person found living in a vacant building is not a question we are competent to answer or entitled to. It is also the question the whole encounter turns on. Read them, and ask a Louisiana lawyer.

Read it at the source →

These are the provisions, in order. We have not drawn a conclusion from them — that is not ours to draw.

What decides whether police arrest or walk away?

Permission, and who had the right to grant it. Louisiana’s squatter law only applies if the person with the legal right to the property told them to leave — and the person inside gets to argue somebody with authority let them in. So the officer in the doorway has to decide who really owns the building, with a lease in one hand and your word in the other, and nothing in the statute to check either against.

DeedProof solves this

We verify you own the property and file your notarized statement where police can check it. How it works →

›Read the law — 2 provisions

Every other question here is downstream of this one. The whole encounter, in one decision, made in a doorway in the dark.

1 · La. R.S. 14:63(C)(2)(a)(ii) — the trigger, and whose word starts it

“The continued presence of a squatter who has been directed to vacate by a lawful possessor either verbally, by written notice, or by posting of conspicuous signage advising that the property is privately owned and unlawful trespass is prohibited.”

Everything in that sentence hangs on the words "lawful possessor". The statute does not say how anyone at the door establishes that the person doing the directing is one.

Read it at the source →

2 · La. R.S. 14:63(D) — the affirmative defense

“It shall be an affirmative defense to a prosecution for a violation of Subsection A, B, or C of this Section, that the accused had express, legal, or implied authority to be in the movable or on the immovable property.”

A CLAIM ABOUT OUR OWN SEARCH, NOT ABOUT THE LAW: on 2026-07-14 we read R.S. 14:63 in full, and C.C.P. arts. 4701, 4702, 4704, 4731, 4732, 4733 and 4735 in full, on the Louisiana Legislature’s own server. We looked for any provision telling an officer, a clerk, a judge or a sheriff how to establish that the person claiming to be the owner actually holds the title — a deed check, a registry, a records lookup, anything. We found no such provision. Confirm it against the official code before relying on it.

Read it at the source →

These are the provisions, in order. We have not drawn a conclusion from them — that is not ours to draw.

What is the lawful way to get them out?

A five-day written notice, then a summary hearing, then a judgment, then a warrant the sheriff carries out. Louisiana’s eviction track is fast on paper: the court can hear it three days after the papers are served and rules the same day, and the person has twenty-four hours to leave before the sheriff is sent.

›Read the law — 3 provisions

The route sets the real cost. A summary track is weeks; a full civil suit is months.

1 · La. C.C.P. art. 4702 — notice to occupant other than tenant to vacate

“When an owner of immovable property wishes to evict the occupant therefrom, after the purpose of the occupancy has ceased, the owner or his agent, shall first cause a written notice to vacate the property to be delivered to the occupant. This notice shall allow the occupant five days from its delivery to vacate the premises.”

Article 4701 is the parallel provision for a LESSEE whose lease has ended, and it also sets five days. Which article fits depends on what the person in your building is, and Article 4704 defines "occupant" around permission — see the first question on this page.

Read it at the source →

2 · La. C.C.P. art. 4732 — trial of rule; judgment of eviction

“A. The court shall make the rule returnable not earlier than the third day after service thereof, at which time the court shall try the rule and hear any defense which is made. B. If the court finds the lessor or owner entitled to the relief sought, or if the lessee or occupant fails to answer or to appear at the trial, the court shall render immediately a judgment of eviction ordering the lessee or occupant to deliver possession of the premises to the lessor or owner. The judgment of eviction shall be effective for not less than ninety days.”

Note "not earlier than the third day after service" — that is a floor, not a ceiling, and nothing in the article sets an outer limit on when the rule is actually heard.

Read it at the source →

3 · La. C.C.P. art. 4733 — warrant for possession if judgment of eviction not complied with

“If the lessee or occupant does not comply with the judgment of eviction within twenty-four hours after its rendition, the court shall issue immediately a warrant directed to and commanding its sheriff, constable, or marshal to deliver possession of the premises to the lessor or owner.”

Read it at the source →

These are the provisions, in order. We have not drawn a conclusion from them — that is not ours to draw.

How long does it take, and what does it cost?

Weeks, if nobody fights it — five days’ notice, a hearing no earlier than three days after service, a judgment the same day, and twenty-four hours to go. What stretches it is an appeal that freezes the eviction while it runs, and Louisiana makes that hard: the person has to have answered under oath with a real defence, and file the appeal and the bond within twenty-four hours of losing. We give no dollar figure, because we could not read a published Louisiana fee schedule.

›Read the law — 3 provisions

The two numbers every owner wants, and the one nobody warns them about: you do not get it back.

1 · La. C.C.P. art. 4702 — the five-day notice

“This notice shall allow the occupant five days from its delivery to vacate the premises.”

Read it at the source →

2 · La. C.C.P. art. 4732(A)–(B) — the hearing and the judgment

“A. The court shall make the rule returnable not earlier than the third day after service thereof, at which time the court shall try the rule and hear any defense which is made. B. If the court finds the lessor or owner entitled to the relief sought, or if the lessee or occupant fails to answer or to appear at the trial, the court shall render immediately a judgment of eviction ordering the lessee or occupant to deliver possession of the premises to the lessor or owner.”

NO DOLLAR FIGURE APPEARS ON THIS PAGE, and that is deliberate. The Code names no filing fee, and Louisiana sets civil filing and sheriff service fees court by court and parish by parish. Every fee figure on this site appears verbatim in a document we fetched or it does not appear.

Read it at the source →

3 · La. C.C.P. art. 4735 — appeal; bond

“An appeal does not suspend execution of a judgment of eviction unless the defendant has answered the rule under oath, pleading an affirmative defense entitling him to retain possession of the premises, and the appeal has been applied for and the appeal bond filed within twenty-four hours after the rendition of the judgment of eviction. The amount of the suspensive appeal bond shall be determined by the court in an amount sufficient to protect the appellee against all such damage as he may sustain as a result of the appeal.”

Read what it takes to stop the clock: an answer UNDER OATH pleading an affirmative defence, plus the appeal and the bond, all inside twenty-four hours. A person holding a forged lease has the sworn answer ready — that is what the lease is for.

Read it at the source →

These are the provisions, in order. We have not drawn a conclusion from them — that is not ours to draw.

Can a sheriff remove them on the owner's affidavit alone, with no court?

No. In Louisiana the sheriff moves on a court’s warrant, and the court issues that warrant only after it has rendered a judgment of eviction. There is no route here where a sworn page from you puts somebody out of a building without a judge seeing it.

›Read the law — 2 provisions

Where a state has passed this, it hands the owner the whole mechanism for free. This field tracks the existential risk.

1 · La. C.C.P. art. 4732 — the court renders the judgment

“A. The court shall make the rule returnable not earlier than the third day after service thereof, at which time the court shall try the rule and hear any defense which is made. B. If the court finds the lessor or owner entitled to the relief sought, or if the lessee or occupant fails to answer or to appear at the trial, the court shall render immediately a judgment of eviction ordering the lessee or occupant to deliver possession of the premises to the lessor or owner.”

Read it at the source →

2 · La. C.C.P. art. 4733 — the warrant for possession

“If the lessee or occupant does not comply with the judgment of eviction within twenty-four hours after its rendition, the court shall issue immediately a warrant directed to and commanding its sheriff, constable, or marshal to deliver possession of the premises to the lessor or owner.”

A CLAIM ABOUT OUR OWN SEARCH, NOT ABOUT THE LAW: on 2026-07-14 we read C.C.P. arts. 4701, 4702, 4704, 4731, 4732, 4733 and 4735 in full on the Legislature’s own server, and R.S. 14:63 in full. We looked for any Louisiana provision under which a sheriff removes an occupant on the owner’s affidavit alone, with no judgment — the kind of statute Florida, Texas and Georgia have passed. We found none. We did not undertake a survey of bills pending in the Legislature, and we make no claim about what a future session may do.

Read it at the source →

These are the provisions, in order. We have not drawn a conclusion from them — that is not ours to draw.

How long before they can claim they own it?

Thirty years — or ten, if they hold a piece of paper that looks like a title and they genuinely believed it. Louisiana calls it acquisitive prescription, and the years are only half of it: the possession has to be actual, continuous, uninterrupted, peaceable, public and unequivocal for the whole period.

›Read the law — 4 provisions

The thing an owner of an empty building actually fears. Pure state statute.

1 · La. Civ. Code art. 3486 — immovables; prescription of thirty years

“Ownership and other real rights in immovables may be acquired by the prescription of thirty years without the need of just title or possession in good faith.”

Read it at the source →

2 · La. Civ. Code art. 3475 — requisites for the acquisitive prescription of ten years

“The requisites for the acquisitive prescription of ten years are: possession of ten years, good faith, just title, and a thing susceptible of acquisition by prescription.”

Both of the ten-year requisites are defined further on in the same chapter, and neither is satisfied by a document the holder knows to be false. This is the provision that makes a bad piece of paper dangerous to a building nobody visits.

Read it at the source →

3 · La. Civ. Code art. 3476 — attributes of possession

“The possessor must have corporeal possession, or civil possession preceded by corporeal possession, to acquire a thing by prescription. The possession must be continuous, uninterrupted, peaceable, public, and unequivocal.”

Read the words rather than the years — the clock does not start because a building sat empty. It starts on possession of this kind, and it has to stay that way for the whole period. The next link narrows it again.

Read it at the source →

4 · La. Civ. Code art. 3487 — restriction as to extent of possession

“For purposes of acquisitive prescription without title, possession extends only to that which has been actually possessed.”

Read it at the source →

These are the provisions, in order. We have not drawn a conclusion from them — that is not ours to draw.

This page is the law. What it costs you in Louisiana — the filing fee, the sheriff’s bill, the months, and whether you ever see the money again.

Your deed proves you own it. It does not prove you never rented it.

That is the officer’s real question, and the lease in their hand does not contradict your deed. You can swear it is a forgery — but a statement you write the morning after, against a lease dated last year, is worth very little. The version that counts has to already exist.

How DeedProof verifies owners and files the affidavit in advance →

› Every source on this page (14)

La. R.S. 14:63(D) — the affirmative defenseLa. C.C.P. art. 4704 — definitions used in the eviction TitleLa. C.C.P. art. 3658 — the possessory actionLa. C.C.P. art. 4731(B) — taking possession on a reasonable belief of abandonmentLa. R.S. 14:2(A)(4), (A)(6) — "felony"; "misdemeanor"La. C.Cr.P. art. 213(A)(1)–(3) — arrest by officer without warrant; when lawfulLa. C.C.P. art. 4702 — the five-day noticeLa. C.C.P. art. 4732 — the court renders the judgmentLa. C.C.P. art. 4733 — the warrant for possessionLa. C.C.P. art. 4735 — appeal; bondLa. Civ. Code art. 3486 — immovables; prescription of thirty yearsLa. Civ. Code art. 3475 — requisites for the acquisitive prescription of ten yearsLa. Civ. Code art. 3476 — attributes of possessionLa. Civ. Code art. 3487 — restriction as to extent of possession

DeedProof is not a law firm and this page is not legal advice. We cite primary sources; we do not interpret them for your situation. Laws change — confirm current requirements with the relevant government office or a licensed attorney.