Missed Court in Louisiana: What Happens Next

What Louisiana law says can follow a missed court date: whether it is a separate crime, the driver’s license rule for traffic cases, what happens to bail, and the court’s own next steps. It runs in your browser and nothing is stored.

What kind of case was the court date for?
How was the person released before the date?

Pick the state, the kind of case and how the person was released to see what that state’s law says.

Louisiana failure to appear law

In Louisiana, missing a required court date after release can be charged as its own crime. The statute grades it by the kind of case:

  • Released on a felony charge: up to 2 years at hard labor. Jumping bail on a felony bail is punished by up to two years at hard labor. (La. R.S. 14:110.1)
    shall be imprisoned at hard labor for not more than two years.
  • Released on a misdemeanor charge: up to 6 months, $500 fine, or both. Jumping bail on a misdemeanor bail is punished by up to six months, a $500 fine, or both. (La. R.S. 14:110.1)
    shall be imprisoned for not more than six months, or fined not more than five hundred dollars, or both.

The statute’s mental-state words are “intentional”, so the reason the date was missed can matter.

When a date is missed, the court’s order is called a warrant for arrest (La. C.Cr.P. art. 333(A)).

Driver’s license after a missed traffic date in Louisiana

When a driver released on a written promise to appear on a traffic summons fails to appear, the judge may notify the Department of Public Safety, which can suspend the license if the driver does not appear or pay within 180 days of the notice. (La. R.S. 32:57.1)

the magistrate or judge of the court exercising jurisdiction may immediately forward to the Department of Public Safety and Corrections notice of the failure to appear

Bail and bonds after a missed date in Louisiana

If the defendant has not appeared or been surrendered within 180 days of the notice of the arrest warrant, the prosecutor may ask for a bond forfeiture judgment. (La. C.Cr.P. art. 335)

Window to ask the court to set the forfeiture aside: 180 days from the warrant-notice certificate.

To compare what posting bail costs in Louisiana, see the Louisiana bail bond calculator.

How to deal with a missed date in Louisiana

Only the court that set the date can recall a warrant or give a new date. Contact that court’s clerk, or the lawyer or public defender on the case, who can ask the court to recall or quash the warrant.

What this page does not do

  • It does not check whether a warrant was issued in any case or whether anyone will be arrested.
  • Whether a separate failure-to-appear charge is filed is the prosecutor’s decision; what happens to bail is the court’s.
  • It collects nothing; your choices stay in your browser.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is failure to appear a crime in Louisiana?

Yes. Released on a felony charge: up to 2 years at hard labor under La. R.S. 14:110.1; Released on a misdemeanor charge: up to 6 months, $500 fine, or both under La. R.S. 14:110.1.

Is missing court a felony in Louisiana?

In some cases. released on a felony charge: up to 2 years at hard labor under La. R.S. 14:110.1. Otherwise: released on a misdemeanor charge: up to 6 months, $500 fine, or both under La. R.S. 14:110.1.

Will Louisiana suspend my license for missing a traffic court date?

When a driver released on a written promise to appear on a traffic summons fails to appear, the judge may notify the Department of Public Safety, which can suspend the license if the driver does not appear or pay within 180 days of the notice. The rule is in La. R.S. 32:57.1.

Sources

Checked against the sources above on October 20, 2026.

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