Louisiana Marshal Fees for Judgment Enforcement: What You'll Pay to Collect

Enforcement Is Not Free — You Pay First

Winning a small claims judgment in Louisiana does not mean the court hands you a check. You have to enforce it yourself, and every enforcement action requires the judgment creditor to advance fees upfront. These fees are legally recoverable from the debtor, but you bear the out-of-pocket cost until the money actually comes in.

The executing officer depends on which court rendered your judgment. City court judgments go through the city marshal. JP court judgments go through the ward constable. District court judgments go through the parish sheriff. All three charge service and execution fees.

Typical Fee Ranges by Enforcement Action

Fee schedules vary by parish and court, but here are representative ranges based on current Louisiana statutory rates and court guidelines:

Writ of Fieri Facias (seizure and sale)

• Clerk issuance fee: $50–$100
• Marshal/constable service deposit: $300–$1,500+ for physical property seizures (covers towing, storage, advertising, and appraiser costs)
• The deposit amount scales with the type and value of property being seized

Wage garnishment

• Court filing fee for the garnishment petition and interrogatories: $100–$180
• Statutory employer attorney fee deposit: $15–$20 (paid to the employer upon service under La. R.S. 13:3921)
• Marshal/constable service fee for serving the employer

Bank garnishment

• Filing and service costs similar to wage garnishment: $100–$180 advance deposit
• No employer attorney fee, but some banks charge their own processing fee that may reduce the seized amount

Judgment debtor examination

• Motion filing fee: $60–$120
• Service of the order on the debtor (personal service required under La. C.C.P. art. 2453)
• Court reporter fees if the hearing is transcribed

Judicial mortgage recording

• Parish clerk of court recording fee: $100–$200 per parish
• Cost of obtaining a certified copy of the judgment from the rendering court

Which Officer Handles Your Case

If the debtor's assets are outside your officer's territorial jurisdiction, you must transfer the judgment to a court in the target parish and work with that parish's sheriff. That adds another certified-copy fee and potentially a filing fee in the new court.

Are These Fees Recoverable?

Yes. Under Louisiana law, court costs advanced by the judgment creditor for enforcement are taxed against the judgment debtor. Every fee you pay to garnish wages, serve a writ, or conduct a debtor examination gets added to the total the debtor owes.

The catch: you only recover those costs if the debtor actually has assets to seize. If the debtor is judgment-proof — no wages, no bank accounts, no property — your advance deposits may not come back for years, if ever.

Keeping Costs Down on a Small Judgment

For a judgment of $1,000 or $2,000, spending $300 on a property seizure deposit might not make sense. Wage garnishment is often the most cost-effective starting point because the filing fee is lower and the withholding continues automatically until the judgment is satisfied.

If you know the debtor owns real estate, recording a judicial mortgage ($100–$200) is a low-cost way to secure the debt for up to 10 years without an immediate seizure. The debtor cannot sell or refinance the property without addressing your lien.

A judgment debtor examination ($60–$120) is worth the investment when you do not know what assets the debtor has. The court compels them to disclose bank accounts, employer information, and property under oath.

Planning Your Enforcement Budget

Before filing anything, tally the advance costs against your judgment amount. Our Louisiana judgment collection guide includes a fee breakdown for each enforcement tool and a decision matrix to help you pick the approach that makes financial sense for your specific situation.

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