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Will requirements in Louisiana

Louisiana is the only US state whose inheritance law comes from the civil-law tradition. A standard Louisiana will (a notarial testament) is signed before a notary and two witnesses, all present together. Louisiana also reserves part of your estate for certain children, no matter what the will says.

Jurisdiction fact sheetLouisiana
Minimum age
16
Witnesses
2, signing together with you
Notarization
Required
Legal tradition
Civil law, the only US state
Handwritten (olographic) wills
Recognized
Electronic wills
Not recognized
Forced heirship
Yes, part of the estate is reserved
Property system
Community property
Last legal review: April 2026Myend vetted jurisdiction rule set

Why Louisiana is different

Every other state builds its inheritance law on English common law. Louisiana builds on the civil law of France and Spain, and it never changed course. That is not a quirk of drafting. It is a different starting idea about what a family owes its members.

The clearest expression of it is forced heirship. Louisiana reserves a portion of your estate for children under 24, and for children of any age who cannot care for themselves because of a permanent disability. Those children are forced heirs, and their share is protected from the will rather than granted by it. In the other fifty states you may disinherit an adult child entirely. Here, the law answers first.

The form of the will follows the same logic. A notarial testament is signed by you, two witnesses, and a notary, all present at the same time, with an attestation clause read and signed at the foot of the document. The ceremony is stricter because the document carries more weight.

Where Myend stands

Myend’s will builder follows common-law rules, and we will not ship a document to Louisiana that Louisiana would not honor. A dedicated Louisiana will is on the way. Join the waitlist in the app and we will tell you the day it is ready.

Until then, this page is the honest version of what we know: the rules are here, the citations are here, and the product is not pretending.

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Common questions

Can I make my Louisiana will with Myend today?
Not yet. The will builder supports common-law states. Louisiana is in development, and the waitlist in the app is how you hear first.
What is a notarial testament?
The standard Louisiana will. You sign it in front of two witnesses and a notary, all present together, with a declaration at the end of the document.
Who are forced heirs?
Children under 24, and children of any age who are permanently unable to care for themselves. Louisiana reserves part of the estate for them.
How old do I have to be?
Sixteen. Louisiana sets the youngest testamentary age in the country after Georgia.
Does a will from another state work in Louisiana?
A will validly made where you lived at the time is generally recognized, but Louisiana forced heirship still applies to your Louisiana estate. This is a good question for a Louisiana lawyer.

Sources and review

Legal sources
  • La. Civ. Code art. 1476Capacity: minimum age of sixteen
  • La. Civ. Code art. 1577Form of the notarial testament
  • La. Civ. Code art. 1493Forced heirs

Generated from Myend's vetted jurisdiction rule set. Last legal review: April 2026. General information, not legal advice.

Neighboring states

Cross any Louisiana border and the common law resumes.

Texas2 witnesses, no notary required, handwritten wills recognized.
MississippiCommon law property state.
ArkansasCommon law property state.

Be first in line for the Louisiana will

Join the waitlist in the app and we will tell you the day the Louisiana will is ready. Everything else in your plan works today.

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