Criminal Statutes of Limitations in Louisiana

No time limit: any crime for which the punishment may be death or life imprisonment; forcible or second degree rape (R.S. 14:42.1); and molestation of a juvenile or a person with a physical or mental disability (R.S. 14:81.2) (Art. 571). Otherwise prosecution must be instituted within: six years for a felony necessarily punishable by imprisonment at hard labor; four years for a felony not necessarily punishable by imprisonment at hard labor; two years for a misdemeanor punishable by a fine, or imprisonment, or both; six months for a misdemeanor punishable only by a fine or forfeiture (Art. 572(A)). Separate rules apply to certain offenses (Arts. 571.1, 571.2), and a sex-offense prosecution may begin within three years after the offender is identified through DNA or newly discovered photographic or video evidence (Art. 572(B)).