Title XVIII: Costs and expenses.

The court clerk verifies the amount of the costs after, if necessary, making the necessary adjustments to bring the account into line with the tariffs. He shall deliver or send by simple letter to the interested party a certificate of verification.

The pursuing party shall notify the audited account to the opposing party, who shall have a period of one month in which to contest it. The notification implies acceptance by its author of the audited account. This notification must mention the time limit for contesting and the procedures for doing so and specify that if no contest is made within the time limit indicated, the audit certificate may be made…

If the opposing party does not contest within the time limit, the pursuer may ask the verifying clerk to mention this on the verification certificate. This mention is equivalent to a writ of execution.

A person who intends to contest the audit may always submit an application for a tax order himself; he may also do so through his representative. The application is made orally or in writing to the registry of the court that audited the account. It must state the reasons on which it is based and be accompanied by the audit certificate.

The president of the court or the magistrate delegated for this purpose shall decide by order in the light of the audited account and any other relevant documents, after having received the observations of the defendant to the challenge or having requested them from him.

The judge shall rule both on the application for tax and on other applications relating to the recovery of costs.

The judge shall, even of his own motion, make any adjustments necessary to bring the account into conformity with the tariffs. He shall mention, where appropriate, any sums already collected as a provision.

The judge has the option of referring the application, as it stands, to a court hearing, the date of which he sets. The parties shall be summoned at least fifteen days in advance by the clerk of the court.

The tax order is endorsed on the minute with the executory formula by the registrar. When it is subject to appeal, notification of the order shall contain, on pain of nullity: 1. A statement that the order will become enforceable if it is not appealed against within the time limits and in the form provided for in articles 714 and 715; 2. The content of articles 714 and 715.

Any interested party may appeal to the first president of the court of appeal against a tax order issued by the president of a court of first instance. The time limit for appeal is one month: it is not increased because of distances. The time limit for appeal and the exercise of the appeal within the time limit are suspensive of execution.