Advance costs

A. The clerks of the district courts shall demand and receive from the plaintiff or plaintiffs in each ordinary suit, whether accompanied by conservatory writs or not, not less than twenty dollars or such other amount as may be fixed by law for advanced costs, to be disbursed to the clerk's salary fund or to others as their fees accrue. Whenever the costs have exhausted the amount of the original advance deposit, the clerk may refuse to perform any further function in the proceeding until the additional costs for the function have been paid, in accordance with the fees set forth in R.S. 13:841 or, in Orleans Parish, in R.S. 13:1213. B. After an ordinary suit has been filed, if a period of five years elapses without any pleadings being filed and the suit has been completely inactive during this five-year period, the clerk shall refund any unused balance remaining in the clerk's advance deposit fund (to the credit of this particular suit) to the person who made the original deposit, after paying all fees or other charges of record in the suit. Probate matters are specifically excepted from the provisions of this Subsection.