A Landlord’s Guide to the St. Tammany Parish 5-Day Notice to Vacate 📄

Evicting a tenant in St. Tammany Parish is a high-stakes process. In fact, whether your property is in Slidell, Covington, or Mandeville, the courts are strict. Following the St. Tammany Parish 5-Day Notice to Vacate | Eviction Guide is crucial. A simple mistake—like counting weekends in your notice period or taping the notice to the wrong door—can get your case dismissed by the Justice of the Peace or the 22nd Judicial District Court.

Consequently, you lose time, money, and another month of rental income.

As your local Northshore legal support experts, Metairie Process Servers (Lafayette Process Servers LLC) created this guide. Below, we walk you through the critical first step: the 5-Day Notice to Vacate. Furthermore, we explain how to ensure your notice is served legally so your eviction stands up in court.

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Key Takeaways 🔑

• The 5-Day Notice is Mandatory: You cannot file an eviction in St. Tammany for non-payment without first legally delivering this notice.

• Business Days Only: The “5 Days” does not include weekends or legal holidays. Counting this wrong is the #1 reason cases are dismissed.

• Jurisdiction Matters: You must file in the correct court: Slidell City Court, the 22nd JDC (Covington), or the specific Justice of the Peace for your ward.

• Proof is Everything: A professional process server provides a notarized Affidavit of Service. This is your ironclad proof for the judge.

 

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Step 1: The “Notice to Vacate” (Do This First) 📝

 

Before you file a lawsuit, you must give the tenant a formal warning. This is the 5-Day Notice to Vacate.

How to Serve It: You cannot just text this notice. Instead, Louisiana law requires you to:

1. Hand it to the tenant personally.

2. Hand it to a person of suitable age living at the home (“Domiciliary Service”).

3. Only if those fail, post it securely on the door (“Tacking”).

 

Why Hire a Pro? If you tack it to the door yourself, the tenant can simply say, “I never saw it.” However, when we serve it, we provide a notarized Affidavit of Service. Therefore, you have third-party proof that the law was followed.

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Helpful Resources & PDF Downloads 📥

 

Start your eviction with the correct forms.

• Download: Sample Louisiana 5-Day Notice to Vacate Form (PDF) 

• 22nd Judicial District Court (St. Tammany) 

• Slidell City Court – Eviction Info

• Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Art. 4701 (The actual state law on the “Notice to Vacate”.)

• Slidell Louisiana Process Server | St. Tammany Parish Service

• A Landlord’s Guide to the New Orleans Eviction Process 📄

• How to Evict a Tenant in New Orleans: A Landlord’s Guide 📄

• Covington Louisiana Process Server | St. Tammany Parish Service

• Navigating New Orleans Evictions: A Landlord’s Guide to Notices and Process Serving

 

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Step 2: Filing at the Correct Court ⚖️

 

If the tenant is still there after five business days, you must file a “Rule for Possession” (eviction suit).

Where do I file in St. Tammany? St. Tammany is complex. Specifically, you must file based on the property’s location:

• Slidell City Court: For properties inside Slidell city limits (Ward 8 & 9).

• 22nd Judicial District Court: For major cases or properties near Covington/Mandeville.

• Justice of the Peace (JP) Courts: For many unincorporated areas across the Northshore.

 

How We Help: Don’t waste time figuring out jurisdictions. Our team operates across the entire Northshore. We can help you identify the right court and file your documents correctly.