Search Louisiana Obituary Records

Louisiana obituary records give you access to published death notices, death certificates, and historical documents that trace the lives of people who passed in this state. Whether you need a certified death certificate, a newspaper obituary from decades past, or a succession record filed at a parish courthouse, the records are spread across the Louisiana Department of Health Vital Records Registry, the Louisiana State Archives, and the 64 parish Clerk of Court offices. Knowing which office holds the records you need is the first step to finding them.

Where to Find Louisiana Obituary Records

Louisiana keeps death and obituary records in several places. The main source for certified death certificates is the Louisiana Department of Health Vital Records Registry. This office holds death certificates for deaths that occurred in Louisiana and can issue certified copies to eligible family members and legal representatives.

For deaths older than 50 years, the Louisiana State Archives is the main source. The Archives holds microfilmed death certificates for events that occurred between 1911 and 1974. Orleans Parish death records go back to 1804, which makes that collection especially useful for genealogical research. You can search those records through the Secretary of State's online death records index.

Published obituaries are separate from government records. Newspapers print them when a death occurs. Libraries across the state collect and index these notices. The New Orleans Public Library alone holds an obituary index with more than 650,000 names from 1804 to 1972. Many parish libraries maintain similar collections for their local newspapers.

Succession records at the district court are another source. When a person dies and leaves an estate, the family opens a succession proceeding at the parish courthouse. These filings often include a death certificate, a list of heirs, and an estate inventory. They are public court records. The Clerk of Court in the parish where the person lived will have them on file.

Note: Louisiana uses parishes instead of counties. Each of the 64 parishes has its own Clerk of Court who maintains local records independently.

Louisiana Vital Records Registry Death Certificates

Louisiana is a closed-record state. This means death certificates are not public records until 50 years after the year of the death. Under Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 40, Section 41, the state registrar may only release a death certificate to specific eligible persons. These include the surviving spouse, parents, adult children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, attorneys acting on behalf of eligible family, succession representatives, and insurance beneficiaries with a signed copy of the policy.

The fee for one death certificate is $7.00 plus a $0.50 state charge. You can order in several ways. Walk-in service is available at the Vital Records Central Office at 1450 Poydras Street, Suite 400, New Orleans, LA 70112. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mail requests go to Vital Records Registry, PO Box 60630, New Orleans, LA 70160. Phone orders are available through VitalChek at 1-877-605-8562. Allow 8 to 10 weeks for mailed requests. The state office does not accept credit cards directly, so mail requests require a check or money order.

Many parish Clerk of Court offices now also issue certified death certificates for deaths that occurred after July 7, 2012. Fees at those offices run around $26 per copy, but they may be faster if you live near a courthouse. The procedure for ordering follows La. Admin. Code Title 48, Section V-11707, which requires the requestor to identify their relationship to the deceased and provide identifying information.

Louisiana State Archives Obituary and Death Records

The Louisiana State Archives holds death records from 1911 through 1974. These are microfilmed originals. The Archives also holds older death records from some parishes and extensive records from Orleans Parish going back to the early 1800s. This is the primary source for genealogical research involving deaths that occurred more than 50 years ago, since those records are no longer confidential.

The Archives is at 3851 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. The mailing address is P.O. Box 94125, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9125. You can call (225) 922-1206 for research assistance. The office is open Monday through Friday. You can visit in person to view records or submit a written request by mail.

Records currently available at the Archives include:

• Death records from 1911 to 1974 (microfilmed)
• Orleans Parish death records from 1804 to 1946
• Orleans Parish birth records from 1790 to 1904
• Marriage records from 1870 to 1946 (Orleans Parish only from Vital Records Registry)
• Birth records that are 100 or more years old

Secretary of State Louisiana Deaths Search Portal

The Louisiana Secretary of State runs the Louisiana Deaths Search Portal. This is a free online tool that lets you search death records that are more than 50 years old. You search by name and can filter by date range or parish. The portal draws from the same records held at the Louisiana State Archives.

Once you find a record, you can order copies through the Secretary of State vital records index page. Photocopies cost $5 each. Certified copies cost $10 each. Both are delivered by mail. The Secretary of State office handles these orders at 3851 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70809, or by calling (225) 922-1206 or (225) 922-1000.

Louisiana Obituary Records Privacy Laws

Louisiana law is clear about who can access death records and when. The core statute is R.S. 40:41. It sets the list of eligible persons and bars all others from getting a copy until 50 years pass from the year of death. Court orders can override this in certain legal proceedings, but courts require a showing that the records are necessary.

The Louisiana Sunshine Act, at R.S. 44:32, generally gives people the right to see public records without stating a reason. But death records from the Vital Records Registry are a specific exception under R.S. 40:41. The Sunshine Act does not open those records early. After 50 years, they pass into the public domain and are available through the State Archives and the Secretary of State death index.

A fact of death letter is different from a death certificate. Under R.S. 44:19, fact of death letters are public records. A spouse, parent, sibling, or child can request one. It confirms that a death occurred but contains far less detail than a full certificate.

What Louisiana Obituary Records Contain

Official Louisiana death certificates list a set of required facts. They include the full legal name of the person who died, the date and place of death, the cause of death certified by a physician or coroner, the age and date of birth, the birthplace, the name of the surviving spouse, and the names of both parents. They also list the informant, often a close family member who provided the details.

Newspaper obituaries contain different types of information. A family writes or approves these, and they can include far more personal detail. A published obituary names surviving family members by name and relationship, lists the person's affiliations and roles in the community, gives details about services and the funeral home, and often provides a narrative of the person's life. These notices are not government records, but they are often more useful for family history research than an official certificate.

Succession records at the parish district court add yet another layer. These filings often attach a copy of the death certificate, name all heirs, describe real property and other assets, and include the final court judgment distributing the estate. Because succession proceedings are civil court matters, they are public records accessible at the parish Clerk of Court office where the person resided.

Parish Clerk Obituary and Death Record Resources

Each of Louisiana's 64 parishes has its own Clerk of Court. These offices hold court records, succession filings, and in many parishes, certified copies of death certificates for deaths from July 7, 2012 forward. The Clerk Connect and E-ClerksLA online systems, used by several parishes, allow remote access to civil and court indexes, which can help locate succession records tied to a death.

Some parishes maintain especially deep archives. East Baton Rouge Parish offers records dating to 1782 through its Archives Department. The East Baton Rouge Parish Library system, a FamilySearch Affiliate Library, also gives free access to databases like Ancestry.com, HeritageQuest, and Fold3 for cardholders. Orleans Parish is unique in having separate Civil and Criminal District Clerks, plus a city archives at the New Orleans Public Library with an indexed obituary collection covering 1804 to 1972. Ouachita Parish Library in Monroe holds a master obituary index with more than 230,000 names going back to 1825.

Note: Contact individual parish clerk offices to confirm what records they have, whether death certificates are available on site, and what their current fees are.

Browse Louisiana Obituary Records by Parish

Each parish in Louisiana has its own Clerk of Court who keeps local records. Pick a parish to find obituary resources, death certificate info, and contact details for that area.

View All 64 Louisiana Parishes

Louisiana Obituary Records by City

Find obituary records and death certificate resources for major Louisiana cities. Each city page lists local courthouse info, newspaper archives, and obituary search tools.

View Major Louisiana Cities