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HB 793LOUISIANASession 2026State Billdead
Did Not Advance

Louisiana House Bill 793 voids non-compliant property filings and sets penalties up to $5,000

Original title: LOCAL GOVERNMENT: Provides relative to recorded instruments affecting subdivisions

Last action · May 6, 2026: Becomes HB 1255.Sponsor: Nicholas Muscarello

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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Public stanceCommunity reactions are separate from the official record and reporting.

What This Bill Proposed

Louisiana House Bill 793 establishes that any property deed, plat, or map filed for automatically certifies compliance with state and local subdivision laws. Non-compliant recorded instruments are rendered completely void with no protection from , and persons who knowingly make illegal filings face civil penalties ranging from $500 to $5,000 per violation as well as potential criminal prosecution.

Why it matters

Property owners and developers face the risk of completely void land titles and severe financial penalties if recorded subdivision instruments fail to meet statutory or local zoning requirements, while good-faith third-party buyers retain legal protections.

Background
  • Local governments regulate the subdivision of land to ensure proper infrastructure, lot sizing, and access to public streets before property is sold. context
  • Louisiana law historically required property owners to survey and plat land before selling lots, backed by minimal statutory penalties. context

Who It Would Have Affected

Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Property filers and developers

Their recorded deeds, plats, and maps automatically constitute a certification of compliance, and non-compliant filings risk being voided alongside civil and criminal penalties.

Directly affected

Clerks, recorders, and notaries public

They are required to refuse non-compliant deeds of sale from being placed on record and must report any known violations to the district attorney.

Directly affected

Good-faith third-party property buyers

Their legal rights to property acquired in good reliance on properly approved and recorded subdivisions are explicitly preserved.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if a recorded property deed or plat does not comply with local zoning laws?
Any recorded instrument that fails to comply with state law or applicable local ordinances is considered , possessing no legal force or effect regardless of when the defect is discovered.
What are the financial penalties for knowingly filing an illegal subdivision plat or deed?
A person who knowingly files or causes to be filed a deed, plat, or other instrument in violation of the law faces a civil penalty of not less than $500 and not more than $5,000 per violation.
Does this bill protect buyers who purchase property in good faith?
Yes. The legislation expressly states that it does not impair the rights of third parties who acquire property in good faith reliance on a properly approved and recorded plat or subdivision.

What else do you want to know?

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Where This Stands

This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.

Procedural history

6 actions
  1. May 6, 2026House
    Becomes HB 1255.
  2. May 5, 2026House
    Reported by substitute (14-0).
  3. Mar 9, 2026HouseIntroduced
    Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs.
  4. Feb 27, 2026House
    Prefiled.
  5. Feb 27, 2026HouseCommittee
    Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs.
  6. Feb 27, 2026House
    First appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Sponsors

Nicholas MuscarelloHousePrimary sponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift99% confidence

Replacement of Minor Fines with Severe Penalties

The bill completely repeals R.S. 33:5053, which carried nominal fines of $10 to $500, replacing it with substantial civil penalties ranging from $500 to $5,000 per violation and potential criminal prosecution.

Connected Entities

Nicholas Muscarello
PersonNicholas Muscarello“Representative who authored House Bill 793”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.legis.la.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance20
    Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
  • Controversy25
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz15
    Current news / social attention level

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