St. Tammany Parish Obituary Records

St. Tammany Parish obituary records and death certificates are available through two Clerk of Court locations, one in Covington and one in Slidell, as well as through the Louisiana Vital Records Registry for older deaths. St. Tammany Parish is one of Louisiana's most populous parishes, located north of Lake Pontchartrain, and its Clerk serves as a full agent for the Louisiana Vital Records Registry. This guide explains where to apply, what to bring, fees, and how to access historical St. Tammany Parish death records.

Louisiana Death Record Laws

Louisiana treats death certificates as closed records for 50 years after the year of death. This comes from RS 40:41, the main statute governing who can access vital records and when. St. Tammany Parish follows this rule as part of the statewide system. A death from 2014 won't be a public record until 2065. Only eligible persons may request a copy before that point.

The St. Tammany Parish Clerk issues death certificates to: mother, father, sibling, child, grandparent, grandchild, and current legal spouse of the deceased. Beneficiaries named in an insurance policy are also eligible. This list matches the state criteria set in RS 40:41. All requestors must present valid photo identification when applying. The Clerk verifies eligibility before processing any death certificate request.

Under RS 44:19, fact of death letters are public. They confirm a death occurred but don't carry the full detail of a certified certificate. Anyone can request one. Louisiana's general public records law under RS 44:31 does not override the 50-year confidentiality rule for death records in St. Tammany Parish.

Note: Death certificates registered in Louisiana from July 9, 2012 to present are usually available within 90 days of the death, but processing times may vary.

St. Tammany Parish Clerk of Court Locations

The St. Tammany Parish Clerk of Court operates two offices: the main courthouse in Covington and the Slidell Annex. Both can handle vital records requests. The Clerk serves as an agent for the Louisiana Vital Records Registry, which means death certificates issued here carry the same legal standing as those from the state office in New Orleans. The official personal documents page at sttammanyclerk.org has current fee schedules and service information.

Fees at the St. Tammany Parish Clerk's office: Death Certificate (certified copy) $26, Birth Certificate (certified copy) $34, Birth Certificate plus Birth Card $48. For births before 1983, additional processing time may be needed. For deaths before July 9, 2012, contact the Louisiana Vital Records Registry in New Orleans rather than the Clerk's office.

Residents in the eastern part of the parish near Slidell can use the Slidell Annex at 520 Old Spanish Trail. This can be more convenient than the trip to Covington for those in the Northshore communities near the state line.

Probate and Succession Records in St. Tammany

The St. Tammany Parish Clerk of Court holds succession and probate records for the parish. When someone dies with property, a succession case is often filed here. These court records name the deceased, identify heirs, and reference the death. Probate filings are generally public records. They are not restricted the way death certificates are, so you can request them without proving a family connection.

For older succession records from the Covington area and other St. Tammany Parish communities, the Clerk's office may have records going back many decades in its paper ledgers. Contact the main office at (985) 809-8700 to ask about specific records before visiting. Providing a full name and approximate year of death helps narrow the search considerably.

Louisiana Vital Records Registry

The Louisiana Department of Health Vital Records Registry holds death certificates for all 64 parishes. For St. Tammany Parish deaths before July 2012, this is the office to contact. Walk-in service is at 1450 Poydras Street, Suite 400, New Orleans, from 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM weekdays. Phone: (504) 593-5100. Mail requests go to PO Box 60630, New Orleans, LA 70160, with an 8 to 10 week turnaround. VitalChek at 1-877-605-8562 handles phone orders, with additional service fees.

The state charges $7.00 per death certificate plus a $0.50 state charge. Mail orders require a check or money order. The administrative procedures for requesting certified copies by mail are set out in Louisiana Administrative Code Title 48, Section V-11707. For deaths more than 50 years ago, no eligibility check is required and anyone may request them.

Historical Death Records at Louisiana State Archives

The Louisiana State Archives holds microfilmed death records for all Louisiana parishes from 1911 to 1974, including St. Tammany. These are all public records since they are all more than 50 years old. The Archives are at 3851 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge. Phone: (225) 922-1206.

The Louisiana Vital Records Index online lets you search deaths more than 50 years ago and order copies by mail. Certified copies cost $10; photocopies are $5. The searchable database at vitalrecords.sos.la.gov is the right tool for St. Tammany Parish family history research covering the mid-20th century. For deaths before 1911 in St. Tammany Parish, some records may exist in older civil or church archives from the Covington area.

Cities in St. Tammany Parish

Slidell is the largest city in St. Tammany Parish and has a dedicated city page on this site. Other communities include Covington, Mandeville, Lacombe, and Abita Springs. For obituary records and death certificates, use the Covington main office or the Slidell Annex depending on which is closer.

Nearby Parishes

St. Tammany Parish sits north of Lake Pontchartrain in southeast Louisiana and borders several parishes. Records for deaths near parish lines may be held in adjacent jurisdictions.