Hammond Obituary Records Search

Hammond obituary and death records are available through Tangipahoa Parish Clerk of Court, which maintains offices in both Hammond and the parish seat of Amite. As an incorporated city in Tangipahoa Parish, Hammond has its own city government but relies on parish and state systems for death certificates and vital documents. One key detail: death certificate applications must go to the Amite office, not the Hammond branch. This page explains every office, what each provides, and how to find older Hammond death records.

Hammond Death Records: Two Clerk Offices to Know

Hammond is an incorporated city in Tangipahoa Parish with its own mayor and city administration. Mayor Pete Panepinto runs City Hall at 310 E. Charles St., Hammond, LA 70401. City Hall phone is (985) 277-5601. The city does not issue death certificates. You need to contact the parish clerk's offices, and there is an important distinction between which office handles what.

The Tangipahoa Parish Clerk of Court has a Hammond branch at 318-A NW Railroad Avenue, Hammond, LA 70401, phone (985) 549-1638. This branch handles civil records only. It does NOT process death certificate applications or vital records. Death certificates for Tangipahoa Parish residents must be requested at the Amite main office: 110 North Bay Street, Amite, LA 70422, phone (985) 748-4146. Hours at Amite for vital records are 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

For deaths from July 7, 2012 forward, the Amite office of the Tangipahoa Parish Clerk of Court can issue certified death certificates. This is a common source of confusion for Hammond residents who drive to the local NW Railroad Avenue branch first and then are sent to Amite. Call (985) 748-4146 before making either trip.

The City of Hammond official website confirms city contact information and provides links to parish services that handle vital records for Hammond residents.

Hammond City Hall handles city government functions, while death records flow specifically through Tangipahoa Parish clerk offices, with the Amite location handling death certificate applications for all parish residents including those in Hammond.

Tangipahoa Parish Clerk of Court Offices

The Tangipahoa Parish Clerk of Court website confirms the division of services between the Hammond civil records branch and the Amite main office where death certificate applications are processed.

The clerk's site makes clear that death certificate applications in Tangipahoa Parish must go to the Amite office, not the Hammond branch on NW Railroad Avenue, which only handles civil records.

Louisiana Death Records Law and Access

Louisiana's RS 40:41 keeps all death records confidential for 50 years from the date of death. This applies to Hammond the same as anywhere else in the state. Recent death records are not public. Only eligible people can request them. These include surviving spouses, parents, adult children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, attorneys on bar letterhead with their roll number, insurance beneficiaries with a signed policy copy, and succession representatives with certified letters of testamentary.

The Louisiana Department of Health Vital Records Registry issues statewide death certificates at 1450 Poydras Street, Suite 400, New Orleans, LA 70112 (walk-in) or PO Box 60630, New Orleans, LA 70160 (mail). Phone: (504) 593-5100. Walk-in hours: 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The fee is $7.00 plus $0.50 per certificate. Full details at ldh.la.gov. VitalChek at 1-877-605-8562 handles online orders with added fees. Mail orders need a check or money order and take 8-10 weeks.

For Hammond deaths from July 2012 forward, the Tangipahoa Parish Clerk's Amite office may be more convenient than traveling to New Orleans. The state registry remains the route for deaths before that date or for those not covered by parish clerk records.

Hammond Daily Star and Local Obituary Resources

The Hammond Daily Star has published obituary notices for Hammond and Tangipahoa Parish residents for decades. This is one of the most useful non-government sources for finding Hammond-area death notices. Obituaries from the Daily Star may be available through the newspaper's archives, the Tangipahoa Parish Library system, or through online genealogy databases that carry Louisiana newspaper collections.

The Tangipahoa Parish Historical Society holds local history materials that can help connect obituary notices to broader family records. If you are researching a Hammond family with long local roots, the Historical Society may have materials that supplement or fill gaps in official vital records. Contact information for the society can be found through the Tangipahoa Parish Library system.

Online platforms including Ancestry.com, Newspapers.com, and FamilySearch carry Louisiana newspaper archives and death record collections. Many library systems in the region offer free cardholder access to one or more of these platforms. FamilySearch is free without a subscription and includes some Louisiana death record collections useful for Hammond-area research.

Historical Hammond Obituary Records

For deaths in Hammond and Tangipahoa Parish before 1975, the Louisiana State Archives holds microfilmed death certificates from 1911 through 1974. The archives are at 3851 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70809, phone (225) 922-1206. Some older parish records may also be available there for Tangipahoa Parish families researching before statewide registration began.

The Louisiana Secretary of State Vital Records Index allows online searching for deaths more than 50 years old. Photocopies cost $5 each and certified copies cost $10 each, both by mail. The portal is at vitalrecords.sos.la.gov. Tangipahoa Parish records from the early and mid-20th century are generally accessible through the state index and archives, making historical Hammond death record research manageable for most time periods.

How to Request a Hammond Death Certificate

First, know when the death occurred. Deaths on or after July 7, 2012 go to the Tangipahoa Parish Clerk's Amite office at (985) 748-4146. Deaths from 1975 to mid-2012 go to the state Vital Records Registry in New Orleans. Deaths before 1975 or more than 50 years old use the State Archives or the SOS online portal.

Do not go to the Hammond branch on NW Railroad Avenue for death certificates. That branch handles only civil records. Bring a valid photo ID to Amite and the deceased's full name with approximate date of death. Non-family members need supporting documents. Fact of death letters are public records under RS 44:19. A spouse, parent, sibling, or adult child can ask for one. These letters confirm a death without disclosing all certificate details and are useful for insurance or estate matters when a full certified copy is still restricted under the 50-year rule.

Nearby Cities

Hammond is in Tangipahoa Parish on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, close to other southeast Louisiana cities with their own parish records systems.

Tangipahoa Parish Obituary Records

Hammond residents access death records and vital documents through Tangipahoa Parish. Remember that death certificate applications must go to the Amite main office, not the Hammond branch on NW Railroad Avenue.

View Tangipahoa Parish Obituary Records