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How to stop a foreclosure in Louisiana

In Louisiana you can try to stop or delay a sheriff's sale by working out a deal with your servicer, paying what is owed, or asking the district court to stop the seizure. The court routes have short, strict deadlines and some need a bond, so get legal help as soon as the notice of seizure arrives. None of these is guaranteed to work in your case.

Ask for help in Louisiana Free HUD counselor: (800) 569-4287

Reviewed against Louisiana law and official sources on October 12, 2026. General information, not legal advice.

Ways to stop or delay a foreclosure in Louisiana

  • Apply for loss mitigation with a counselor's help

    As early as possible; more than 37 days before the sale for federal review protection

    The notice of seizure itself says you may be able to bring your account current through a loss mitigation agreement and that counseling is free. A HUD-approved counselor found through the Louisiana Housing Corporation can help you send a complete application to your servicer.

    La. R.S. 13:3852(B)

  • Ask for a reinstatement quote

    Before the sale, within any deadline your mortgage or servicer sets

    The notice of seizure says you may be able to pay all past due payments plus allowed costs within the time permitted by law for reinstatement. No Louisiana statute sets that time, so ask your servicer in writing for a reinstatement figure and deadline.

    La. R.S. 13:3852(B)

  • Pay the amount owed before the auction

    Any time before the home is adjudicated (sold) to a bidder

    Louisiana law lets you prevent the sale by paying the sheriff the amount of the judgment with interest and costs before adjudication. This is usually the full balance, not just the missed payments.

    La. C.C.P. arts. 2340, 2724

  • Ask the court for a preliminary injunction

    Filed and heard before the sale date

    You can ask the district court to arrest the seizure and sale if the debt is paid or unenforceable or the executory process rules were not followed. A temporary restraining order is not allowed for a home, so the injunction hearing must happen before the sale. Security is usually required, but not for certain grounds such as a debt already paid or a forged mortgage.

    La. C.C.P. arts. 2751 to 2754

  • Take a suspensive appeal

    Within 15 days of service of the notice of seizure

    An appeal of the order for seizure and sale stops the sale, but the security must exceed the balance due by one half. For most families this costs too much, so talk to a lawyer about whether an injunction fits better.

    La. C.C.P. art. 2642(B)

  • Challenge the attorney's fees being charged

    By a rule to show cause filed at least 10 days (not counting holidays) before the sale

    A claim that the attorney's fees are unreasonable cannot be the basis for an injunction. It must be raised by this separate rule before the sale or later if the lender sues for a deficiency.

    La. C.C.P. art. 2753(C)

  • Bankruptcy

    Before the sheriff's sale

    Filing a bankruptcy case triggers an automatic stay that halts the sale. Bankruptcy has serious costs and effects, so talk to legal aid or a licensed bankruptcy attorney first.

    11 U.S.C. § 362(a)

What Louisiana law gives you

The right to catch up and stop the sale

Limited right

We did not find a Louisiana statute that gives every homeowner a right to catch up on missed payments and stop the sale. The official notice of seizure says you may be able to bring the account current through a loss mitigation agreement or by paying all past due amounts and allowed costs within the time permitted by law for reinstatement. In practice your right to reinstate comes from your mortgage and your loan type, so ask your servicer in writing for a reinstatement quote and deadline.

La. R.S. 13:3852(B)

Foreclosure mediation

No statewide program

We did not find a statewide foreclosure mediation or settlement conference program in Louisiana. The notice of seizure points homeowners to free HUD-approved housing counseling through the Louisiana Housing Corporation instead. Ask the clerk of your parish court whether a local program exists.

60 days before the first sale date

The sheriff cannot set the first sale date any earlier than 60 days after the judge signs the order for the writ.

La. R.S. 13:3852(A)

Notice of seizure must tell you about free counseling

For a home, the sheriff's notice must follow a form set by law. It tells you the sale date, your right to object in court, and that free foreclosure prevention counseling is available.

La. C.C.P. art. 2721(C); La. R.S. 13:3852(B)

No bond needed for certain injunctions

The original borrower does not have to post security to get an injunction when the claim is that the debt is paid or too old, the foreclosure is premature, the mortgage or signature is forged, or the court order was based on paperwork that was not proper.

La. C.C.P. art. 2753

Two-thirds of appraised value at the first offering

When a home is sold with appraisal, the sheriff cannot sell it at the first offering for a bid below two-thirds of the appraised value. It must be advertised again for a second offering.

La. C.C.P. art. 2336

Payoff amount filed before the sale

Before the sheriff's sale, the lender must file in the court record the payoff amount it is enforcing, including amounts added after the case was filed. You, or anyone else with an interest in the home, can challenge that figure in court before the sheriff pays out the sale money. A sale is still valid even if this rule is not followed.

La. C.C.P. art. 3721(C) to (E)

The options your servicer can offer

Common questions in Louisiana

Can a Louisiana judge give me a temporary restraining order to stop a sheriff's sale?

Not for a home or other immovable property. La. C.C.P. art. 2752 bars a temporary restraining order to arrest the seizure and sale of immovable property, but you can apply for a preliminary injunction, and the hearing on it must be held before the sale. That is why acting quickly after the notice of seizure matters.

Do I have to post a bond to stop a Louisiana executory process?

Usually yes, but not always. The original borrower does not have to post security when the injunction is based only on grounds such as the debt being extinguished or prescribed, enforcement being premature, a forged mortgage or signature, a liquidated claim you can offset, or a writ issued without proper authentic evidence (La. C.C.P. art. 2753). For other grounds, security is required (La. C.C.P. art. 2754).

Does Louisiana have a foreclosure mediation program?

We did not find a statewide one. Instead, the sheriff's notice of seizure must tell you that free foreclosure prevention counseling, including loss mitigation help, is available through HUD or the Louisiana Housing Corporation (La. R.S. 13:3852(B)). Ask the clerk of your parish court whether any local program exists.

Step by step

More on foreclosure in Louisiana

Understand the process

What is happening and how much time there is.

Weigh your options

What can stop it, and what happens if it goes ahead.

Get help now

Who to call, and what to do when a sale is scheduled.

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Sources for this page

  1. La. C.C.P. art. 2631, Use of executory proceedings
  2. La. C.C.P. art. 2632, Act importing a confession of judgment
  3. La. C.C.P. art. 2638, Order for issuance of writ of seizure and sale
  4. La. C.C.P. art. 2644, Conversion to ordinary proceeding
  5. La. C.C.P. art. 2722, Advertisement of sale
  6. La. C.C.P. art. 2724, Articles relating to sales under fieri facias applicable
  7. La. C.C.P. art. 2751, Grounds for arresting seizure and sale
  8. La. C.C.P. art. 2752, Injunction procedure
  9. La. C.C.P. art. 2754, Security otherwise required
  10. La. C.C.P. art. 2772, Procedure to obtain deficiency judgment
  11. La. C.C.P. art. 2337, Price insufficient to discharge superior privileges
  12. La. C.C.P. art. 2340, Payment of debt prior to adjudication
  13. La. C.C.P. art. 2343, Sheriff's return after sale
  14. La. C.C.P. art. 2371, Effect of adjudication
  15. La. C.C.P. art. 3721, Methods of enforcing mortgage (Acts 2025, No. 250)
  16. La. C.C.P. art. 1001, Delay for answering
  17. La. C.C.P. art. 4702, Notice to occupant other than tenant to vacate
  18. La. C.C.P. art. 4703, Delivery when premises abandoned or closed
  19. La. C.C.P. art. 4704, Definitions (occupant includes former owner)
  20. La. C.C.P. art. 4731, Rule to show cause why possession should not be delivered
  21. La. C.C.P. art. 4732, Trial of rule; judgment of eviction
  22. La. C.C.P. art. 4733, Warrant for possession
  23. La. C.C.P. art. 4734, Execution of warrant
  24. La. C.C.P. art. 4735, Appeal; bond
  25. La. R.S. 13:4341, Time and place of sale
  26. La. R.S. 13:4346, Writ of possession for purchaser at judicial sale
  27. La. R.S. 13:4363, Appointment of appraisers
  28. La. R.S. 13:4364, Sheriff to appoint appraiser if party does not appoint
  29. La. R.S. 13:4365, Oaths of appraisers; third appraiser
  30. La. C.C.P. art. 2721, Seizure of property; notice
  31. La. C.C.P. art. 2642, Assertion of defenses; appeal
  32. La. C.C.P. art. 2640, Citation unnecessary
  33. La. C.C.P. art. 2753, Security not required in certain cases
  34. La. C.C.P. art. 2723, Appraisal of property, unless waived
  35. La. C.C.P. art. 2771, When deficiency judgment obtainable
  36. La. C.C.P. art. 2331, Publication of notice of sale
  37. La. C.C.P. art. 2336, Minimum price; second offering
  38. La. C.C.P. art. 2373, Distribution of proceeds of sale
  39. La. C.C.P. art. 2293, Notice to judgment debtor
  40. La. R.S. 13:3852, Notices of seizure
  41. La. R.S. 13:4106, Deficiency judgment prohibited if sale made without appraisement
  42. La. R.S. 43:203, Judicial advertisements
  43. Louisiana Office of Community Development, Louisiana Homeowner Assistance Fund
  44. Louisiana Office of Financial Institutions, Complaints