La. Ch. Code art. 321
This is the official text of La. Ch. Code art. 321, part of Louisiana’s Children's Code — governs child custody, child protection, and juvenile justice in Louisiana.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
Partial reimbursement by indigent adults
Official statutory text
A. To the extent that a person is financially able to provide for an attorney, other necessary services and facilities of representation, and court costs, the court shall order him to pay for these items. The court may order payment in installments or in any manner which it believes reasonable and compatible with the person's financial ability.
B. Any payments shall be transmitted to and become a part of the public defender fund of the district in which the proceeding is pending.
C. When a person, who was initially determined to be indigent and was appointed counsel, subsequently hires private counsel, the court shall conduct a contradictory hearing to determine:
(1) Whether he was in fact indigent when counsel was previously appointed.
(2) What charges were incurred in retaining counsel.
(3) What expenses have been incurred by the district public defender or other appointed counsel.
D. Upon determining the expenses incurred, the court may hold the person liable to the district public defender or other appointed counsel for reimbursement of all or part of those expenses. A judgment for the amount owed may be recorded in the mortgage records and may be enforced as provided by law.
E. If the court finds that the parents are financially able, it may order them to reimburse the appointed counsel or district public defender's office for some or all of the costs of representing the child that are incurred before retained counsel has enrolled as counsel of record.
Acts 1991, No. 235, §3, eff. Jan. 1, 1992; Acts 2007, No. 307, §9; Acts 2010, No. 593, §1.
B. Any payments shall be transmitted to and become a part of the public defender fund of the district in which the proceeding is pending.
C. When a person, who was initially determined to be indigent and was appointed counsel, subsequently hires private counsel, the court shall conduct a contradictory hearing to determine:
(1) Whether he was in fact indigent when counsel was previously appointed.
(2) What charges were incurred in retaining counsel.
(3) What expenses have been incurred by the district public defender or other appointed counsel.
D. Upon determining the expenses incurred, the court may hold the person liable to the district public defender or other appointed counsel for reimbursement of all or part of those expenses. A judgment for the amount owed may be recorded in the mortgage records and may be enforced as provided by law.
E. If the court finds that the parents are financially able, it may order them to reimburse the appointed counsel or district public defender's office for some or all of the costs of representing the child that are incurred before retained counsel has enrolled as counsel of record.
Acts 1991, No. 235, §3, eff. Jan. 1, 1992; Acts 2007, No. 307, §9; Acts 2010, No. 593, §1.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Dealing with a child custody matter in Louisiana?
See all Louisiana Child Custody lawyers
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.