La. Ch. Code art. 733
This is the official text of La. Ch. Code art. 733, 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.
Instanter orders of custody
Official statutory text
A. A peace officer, probation officer, district attorney, or other person designated by the court may file a verified complaint alleging facts showing that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the family is in need of services and that emergency removal of the child from his home is necessary to secure the child's protection or control.
B. If the court determines that the child's welfare cannot be safeguarded without removal, the court may issue an instanter order directing that the child be taken into custody.
C. The order shall specify the place of the child's prehearing placement in accordance with Article 737.
D. An instanter order may be executed by any peace officer having territorial jurisdiction over the child or any other person designated by the court.
E. Any peace officer having territorial jurisdiction over the child or any other person designated by the court may serve a summons upon a caretaker to appear at court for a hearing. A copy of the summons shall be filed in the record as proof of service.
Acts 1991, No. 235, §7; Acts 1999, No. 1313, §1.
B. If the court determines that the child's welfare cannot be safeguarded without removal, the court may issue an instanter order directing that the child be taken into custody.
C. The order shall specify the place of the child's prehearing placement in accordance with Article 737.
D. An instanter order may be executed by any peace officer having territorial jurisdiction over the child or any other person designated by the court.
E. Any peace officer having territorial jurisdiction over the child or any other person designated by the court may serve a summons upon a caretaker to appear at court for a hearing. A copy of the summons shall be filed in the record as proof of service.
Acts 1991, No. 235, §7; Acts 1999, No. 1313, §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.