How long you have in Louisiana
Every kind of claim has its own window, counted from the day the clock started. Miss it and the court usually cannot hear the claim.
| Kind of claim | Window | Counted from | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid Invoice | 3 years | the day the payment was missed or the agreement was broken | La. Civ. Code art. 3494 |
| Unpaid Loan | 3 years | the day the payment was missed or the agreement was broken | La. Civ. Code art. 3494 |
| Contractor Dispute | 10 years | the day the payment was missed or the agreement was broken | La. Civ. Code art. 3499 |
| Auto Repair | 10 years | the day the payment was missed or the agreement was broken | La. Civ. Code art. 3499 |
| Security Deposit | 10 years | the day the payment was missed or the agreement was broken | La. Civ. Code art. 3499 |
| Other | 10 years | the day the payment was missed or the agreement was broken | La. Civ. Code art. 3499 |
| Property Damage | 2 years | the day the damage happened | La. Civ. Code art. 3493.1 |
| Sale of Goods | 1 year | the day the payment was missed or the agreement was broken | La. Civ. Code art. 2534(A) |
Worked example
If the day the payment was missed or the agreement was broken was 2026-03-15, a window of 3 years runs out on 2029-03-15. That is the same arithmetic the check uses: calendar months, clamped to the end of the month, and no roll forward to the next court day.
More about Louisiana
Common questions
- How long do you have to bring a small claims claim in Louisiana?
- The shortest window is 1 year, counted from the day the payment was missed or the agreement was broken, under La. Civ. Code art. 2534(A). Other kinds of claim run longer; the time-limit page lists each one.
- How long do you have on a property damage claim in Louisiana?
- 2 years, counted from the day the damage happened, under La. Civ. Code art. 3493.1.
- How long do you have on a sale of goods claim in Louisiana?
- 1 year, counted from the day the payment was missed or the agreement was broken, under La. Civ. Code art. 2534(A).
- How much can you claim in small claims court in Louisiana?
- An individual can claim up to $5,000. A business can claim up to $5,000. A public agency can claim up to $5,000. That comes from La. R.S. 13:5202(A).
Verify with your court
Numbers change, and a court can post its own variation. Open Louisiana's small claims page and confirm anything you are about to rely on.
Open the court's small claims pageVerified on 2026-09-05, sources:
Verified on 2026-09-05, sources: Rules effective from 2024-07-01.
- La. Civ. Code art. 3494 · effective 2018-08-01 · A claim to be paid for work or services, for money you lent, or on an open account must be filed within three years of when payment was due.
- La. Civ. Code art. 3499 · effective 1984-01-01 · A claim based on an agreement that no shorter rule covers, such as work paid for and not done or a deposit not returned, must be filed within ten years.
- La. Civ. Code art. 3493.1 · effective 2024-07-01 · A claim for damage someone caused to your property must be filed within two years of the damage. For damage that happened before July 1, 2024 the window was one year, and that window has already closed.
- La. Civ. Code art. 2534(A) · effective 2021-08-01 · A claim that something you bought was defective must be filed within one year of discovering the defect, and never more than two years after delivery. Louisiana did not adopt the uniform four-year sale of goods rule, so treat one year as the window.
FairSquare assembles documents and explains your court's rules. It is not a substitute for advice about your situation.