Grounds for Divorce: Except in the case of a covenant marriage, a divorce shall be granted on the petition of a spouse upon proof that:

1. The spouses have been living separate and apart continuously for a period of six months or more on the date the petition is filed
2. The other spouse has committed adultery; or
3. The other spouse has committed a felony and has been sentenced to death or imprisonment at hard labor.

In the case of a covenant marriage, the court may enter a judgment of divorce only upon proof of any of the following:

1. "The other spouse has committed adultery
2. The other spouse has committed a felony and has been sentenced to death or imprisonment at hard labor
3. The other spouse has abandoned the matrimonial domicile for a period of one year and constantly refuses to return
4. The other spouse has physically or sexually abused the spouse seeking the divorce or a child of one of the spouses
5. The spouses have been living separate and apart continuously without reconciliation for a period of two years
6. The spouses have been living separate and apart continuously without reconciliation for a period of one year from the date the judgment of separation from bed and board was signed; or if there is a minor child or children of the marriage, the spouses have been living separate and apart continuously without reconciliation for a period of one year and six months from the date the judgment of separation from bed and board was signed; however, if abuse of a child of the marriage or a child of one of the spouses is the basis for which the judgment of separation from bed and board was obtained, then a judgment of divorce may be obtained if the spouses have been living separate and apart continuously without reconciliation for a period of one year from the date the judgment of separation from bed and board was signed." [Louisiana Civil Code]

Residency Requirements: "The filing spouse must be a resident for at least 12 months prior to filing. The divorce shall be filed in the parish in which either spouse resides. Except in the case of a covenant marriage, a divorce shall be granted upon motion of a spouse when either spouse has filed a petition for divorce and upon proof that one hundred eighty days have elapsed from the service of the petition. The Dissolution of Marriage is typically filed with in parish in which the filing spouse lives." [Louisiana Civil Code]

Louisiana Child Support Enforcement Service Links and Telephone Numbers
Department of Social Services Child Support Enforcement
Telephone: Listed on website by District and Parish

Louisiana Child Support Guidelines and Calculator
Louisiana Rev. Stat. 9:315

Louisiana Child Support Calculator

Louisiana Divorce Forms Online
Louisiana Family Court Forms

Louisiana Divorce Laws
Louisiana Civil Code, Sections 101 to 103

Louisiana Domestic Violence Resource Links and Telephone Numbers
Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Telephone: 225–752–1296

Louisiana Mediation Centers and Service Links and Telephone Numbers
Family Mediation Council of Louisiana – Baton Rogue
Telephone: 225–765–4520

Family Mediation Council of Louisiana – New Orleans, State Office
Telephone: 504–558–9080

Louisiana State and Local Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service Links
Baton Rogue Bar Association
Louisiana State Bar Association
Lafayette Parish Bar Association
New Orleans Bar Association
Shreveport Bar Association

Louisiana State and Local Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service Telephone Numbers
Baton Rouge: 225–344–9926
Lafayette: 337–237–4700
Lake Charles: 337–436–3308
New Orleans: 504–561–8828
Shreveport: 318–222–0720