Louisiana Notice of Contract & Private Works Act Privilege — Parish Recorder Filing Guide (La. R.S. §§ 9:4811 / 9:4822, 2026)
✓ Verified against Louisiana statutes · Reviewed August 2026 · By Michael Evan — Founder · 50 states · 799 rules
Louisiana mechanics lien deadlines at a glance
Preliminary Notice
None — N/A
Mechanics Lien
60 days — From acceptance / abandonment
Enforcement
1 year — From filing
Manage your Louisiana deadlines and projects — start free → · All Louisiana deadlines & forms
What Is a Louisiana Notice of Contract and How Does the Private Works Act Work?
The Louisiana Notice of Contract is the pre-claim recording governed by La. R.S. § 9:4811 — the procedural entry point into the Louisiana Private Works Act, La. R.S. § 9:4801 et seq. The Notice of Contract is signed by the owner of the immovable property and the general contractor (or the owner alone on an owner-as-prime project) and recorded with the parish recorder of mortgages in the real-property records of the Louisiana parish where the property is located. The recording must precede the commencement of work — no laborer, supplier, or subcontractor may begin furnishing labor or materials before the Notice of Contract is on the public record. Louisiana is a civil-law jurisdiction with Napoleonic Code heritage rather than common-law jurisprudence, and the Private Works Act framework uses civil-law terminology. A 'privilege' under La. Civ. Code art. 3186 is the Louisiana analog to a common-law lien — a real right granted by operation of law to certain creditors against the immovable property where the labor or materials were applied.
Who Files the Notice of Contract and Who Has a Privilege Under the Private Works Act?
The owner and the general contractor jointly file the Notice of Contract under § 9:4811(A) — (B), signed by both parties before work commences and recorded with the parish recorder of mortgages in the Louisiana parish where the immovable is located. On owner-as-prime projects, the owner records the Notice of Contract alone. Subcontractors, materialmen, laborers, and lessors of movables hold privileges under § 9:4801. The Private Works Act extends a privilege to sub-tier claimants who furnish labor or materials to the project — preserved by recording a § 9:4822 Statement of Claim or Privilege within the applicable 60-day (Notice-of-Contract) or 30-day (no-Notice-of-Contract) window. Unlike Texas, California, and Florida, Louisiana does not impose a preliminary notice or monthly notice obligation.
When the Notice of Contract and Statement of Claim Must Be Filed
The owner and general contractor file the Notice of Contract before any laborer, supplier, or subcontractor begins work under § 9:4811(A). Best practice is to record the Notice of Contract on or immediately after the construction-loan closing date — typically together with the § 9:4812 payment bond as a single recording package. The § 9:4822(C) Notice of Termination is the calendar-based trigger that starts the running of the 60-day Statement of Claim window when a Notice of Contract was previously recorded. On Louisiana commercial projects without a recorded Notice of Contract, the § 9:4822(B) thirty-day clock runs from substantial completion or abandonment of the work — a fact-intensive trigger that can be litigated. The § 9:4823(A)(2) one-year suit-to-enforce window runs from the Statement of Claim recording date.
Required Information on the Louisiana Notice of Contract
La. R.S. § 9:4811(A) — (D) prescribe: legal description of the immovable property and street address, owner's name and address, general contractor's name and address (with LSLBC license number where applicable), price of the work, name and address of the § 9:4812 payment bond surety (if required), date work is to commence, and signatures of owner and general contractor. The Notice of Contract must be filed with the parish recorder of mortgages in the Louisiana parish where the property is located before any work commences. Errors in the legal description, owner-of-record identity, contract price, or LSLBC license information can render the Notice of Contract defective for purposes of extending the § 9:4822 deadlines.
How to File, Where to Send, and What It Costs
All Louisiana Notice of Contract filings are made with the parish recorder of mortgages in the real-property records of the parish where the immovable property is located. Recording fees follow La. R.S. § 13:841 — typically $40–$105 for the first page and $5 per additional page. The § 9:4822 Statement of Claim or Privilege is recorded with the same parish recorder of mortgages — not served on the owner by certified mail, and not filed in district court. Recording in the mortgage records places the privilege on the public title chain and gives constructive notice to subsequent purchasers, lenders, and title insurers. Unlike Texas or California, Louisiana does not require certified-mail service of the Statement of Claim on the owner as a condition of validity.
Connection to the Louisiana Privilege Under the Private Works Act
The § 9:4811 Notice of Contract is a pre-claim trigger — it does not by itself create or perfect a privilege. The actual claim is the § 9:4822 Statement of Claim or Privilege, recorded with the parish recorder of mortgages within 60 days of the Notice of Termination (when a Notice of Contract was recorded) or 30 days from substantial completion or abandonment (when no Notice of Contract was recorded). After the Statement of Claim is recorded, suit to enforce the privilege must be filed in Louisiana District Court within one (1) year of the recording under La. R.S. § 9:4823(A)(2). Failure to file the enforcement suit timely results in extinction of the privilege by operation of law — the recorded Statement of Claim is automatically canceled.
Louisiana Payment Bond Requirement Under § 9:4812
Under La. R.S. § 9:4812, on a private project where the price exceeds $25,000 and a Notice of Contract is filed, the general contractor must furnish a payment bond in an amount not less than 100% of the contract price. The bond runs in favor of all sub-tier claimants (subcontractors, materialmen, laborers, lessors of movables) and is recorded with the parish recorder of mortgages along with the Notice of Contract. When a compliant § 9:4812 payment bond is in place, sub-tier claimants have direct bond-claim rights against the surety in addition to the recorded privilege against the immovable property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who files a Louisiana Notice of Contract and where?
Under § 9:4811(A), the owner and the general contractor jointly sign a written Notice of Contract and record it with the parish recorder of mortgages in the Louisiana parish where the immovable property is located, before any work commences. The Notice of Contract is voluntary on private work — but recording it extends the § 9:4822 Statement of Claim window from 30 days to 60 days and replaces the fact-intensive substantial-completion trigger with the calendar-based Notice-of-Termination trigger.
When must a Louisiana subcontractor file a Statement of Claim under § 9:4822?
Within 60 days of the owner's filing of a § 9:4822(C) Notice of Termination (when a Notice of Contract was previously recorded), or within 30 days of substantial completion or abandonment (when no Notice of Contract was recorded). The Statement of Claim is recorded with the parish recorder of mortgages in the parish where the immovable property is located.
What is a Louisiana Notice of Termination under § 9:4822(C)?
A written instrument the owner files with the parish recorder of mortgages once the work is substantially complete, abandoned, or the general contract has terminated. Filing the Notice of Termination starts the running of the 60-day (or 30-day) Statement of Claim filing window. It is a powerful owner-protection tool that converts the fact-intensive substantial-completion inquiry into a clean calendar trigger.
What information must the Notice of Contract contain?
Legal description of the immovable property, street address, owner's name and address, general contractor's name and address (with LSLBC license number where applicable), price of the work, name and address of the § 9:4812 payment bond surety (if required), date work is to commence, and signatures of owner and general contractor under § 9:4811(A) — (D). Recording must precede any sub-tier labor or material on the project.
How does the Notice of Contract connect to the actual privilege?
The Notice of Contract is a pre-claim trigger — it does not by itself create or perfect a privilege. The actual claim is the § 9:4822 Statement of Claim or Privilege, recorded within the 60-day or 30-day window. After recording, suit to enforce the privilege must be filed in Louisiana District Court within 1 year under § 9:4823(A)(2). Failure to file within the year automatically extinguishes the privilege by operation of law.
What is the Louisiana payment bond requirement under § 9:4812?
On a private project where the price exceeds $25,000 and a Notice of Contract is filed, the general contractor must furnish a payment bond in an amount not less than 100% of the contract price. The bond runs in favor of all sub-tier claimants and is recorded with the parish recorder of mortgages along with the Notice of Contract. Sub-tier claimants have direct bond-claim rights against the surety in addition to the recorded privilege against the immovable.
Does Louisiana have a preliminary notice requirement?
No. Unlike Texas, California, and Florida, the Louisiana Private Works Act does not impose a monthly or pre-claim preliminary notice obligation on subcontractors and suppliers. A Louisiana sub-tier claimant preserves the privilege simply by furnishing labor or materials to the project and then recording a § 9:4822 Statement of Claim or Privilege within the applicable 60-day or 30-day window.