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Louisiana2026Enacted

HB227

Allowing Court Filings on Letter-Size Paper

Last scannedAug 25, 2026, 3:26 AM

In one sentence

This law allows attorneys to file court documents using standard letter-size paper instead of requiring the larger legal-size paper.

What it does

  • Allows filings made by attorneys starting January 1, 2026, to be submitted on either letter size or legal size paper.
  • Requires that all attorney filings be submitted in person as paper copies or sent electronically through a system established by the clerk of court or the Louisiana Clerks' Remote Access Authority.
  • Sets rules to keep private information out of public records by banning full social security numbers, tax IDs, driver's license numbers, financial account numbers, and birth dates from filings.
  • Requires clerks of court to adopt a system for electronic filing and storage of pleadings, documents, or exhibits.

Who it affects

  • Attorneys who file pleadings or documents in Louisiana courts
  • Clerks of court who manage filing systems

Limits and unknowns

  • This law only applies to filings made by attorneys, not necessarily those filed by individuals without lawyers.
  • Documents introduced and filed during an actual hearing or trial are excluded from the electronic storage requirement in criminal cases.
  • The specific details of how clerks establish their systems are determined locally.

Plain language

Terms to know

Letter size paper
Standard office paper that measures 8.5 inches by 11 inches.
Legal size paper
Larger paper often used in courts that measures 8.5 inches by 14 inches.
Filing
The act of giving a legal document to the court clerk for official record.

Official record

Sources

Validated
Official bill pageIntroduced textOfficial digestCurrent bill textStored full record

Official summary

CIVIL/PROCEDURE: Provides that filings may be made on letter size rather than legal size paper

Official activity

Bill history

  1. Effective date: 08/01/2026.H
  2. Becomes Act No. 927 without the Governor's signature.H
  3. Sent to the Governor for executive approval.H
  4. Signed by the President of the Senate.S
  5. Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.H
  6. Received from the Senate without amendments.H
  7. Rules suspended. Read by title, passed by a vote of 37 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.S
  8. Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.S
  9. Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.S
  10. Reported favorably.S
  11. Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Judiciary A.S
  12. Received in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.S
  13. Read third time by title, amended, roll called on final passage, yeas 91, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.H
  14. Scheduled for floor debate on 04/29/2026.H
  15. Read by title, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.H
  16. Reported favorably (17-0).H
  17. Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Judiciary.H
  18. First appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/20/2026.H
  19. Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Judiciary.H
  20. Prefiled.H

Changes

Amendments

1 stored

House Floor Amendment #4740 Ventrella Adopted

This amendment removes requirements for people to include their full dates and date of birth when filing documents.