Find Obituary Records in Terrebonne Parish

Terrebonne Parish obituary records and death certificates are available through the Clerk of Court in Houma and through Louisiana state agencies for deaths before 2012. This page covers how to search for and get death records in Terrebonne Parish, which offices hold them, what fees apply, and how to order copies in person or through the state vital records system.

Terrebonne Parish Death Records at the Clerk

The Terrebonne Parish Clerk of Court maintains death certificates for deaths registered from July 7, 2012 forward. The clerk's office is at 7856 Main Street, Suite 100, Houma, LA 70360. You can reach the office by phone at (985) 868-5660. The mailing address is P.O. Box 1569, Houma, LA 70361-1569. Office hours run Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Death certificates at the Terrebonne Parish Clerk's office cost $15.00 per copy. The same fee applies for birth certificates. While the clerk keeps marriage licenses and divorce records in-house, birth and death certificates are also available through the Louisiana Department of Health's Vital Records Registry. Terrebonne Parish operates under a consolidated parish-city government structure, which makes it somewhat different from other Louisiana parishes.

Primary vital records processing takes place at the Church Street office in downtown Houma. If you are not sure which location to visit, call ahead at (985) 868-5660 to confirm the right office for your request.

The Terrebonne Parish Clerk of Court website at tpcclerk.com lists all services and contact information. The image below shows the clerk's official records page.

The clerk's site covers the full range of records services available to residents of Houma and Terrebonne Parish.

Note: Terrebonne Parish uses a consolidated government structure, so some services may be handled by different offices within the parish government system.

Older Terrebonne Parish Obituary Records

Deaths that happened before July 7, 2012 are handled by the Louisiana Vital Records Registry rather than the local Clerk's office. Contact the Registry at 1450 Poydras Street, Suite 400, New Orleans, LA 70112. The phone is (504) 593-5100. Mail requests go to Vital Records Registry, PO Box 60630, New Orleans, LA 70160. Processing takes roughly 8 to 10 weeks for mail-in orders.

Under R.S. 40:41, Louisiana death records remain confidential for 50 years from the year of death. After that window closes, they transfer to the Louisiana State Archives in Baton Rouge. The Archives are at 3851 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge. Call (225) 922-1206 to reach them. Their collection of microfilmed death records covers the years 1911 through 1974.

If you need records for a death that falls in between — that is, recent enough not to be in the Archives but older than what the Clerk holds — the Vital Records Registry is your contact point. The state health department's page at ldh.la.gov walks through the ordering process for each scenario.

Who May Access Terrebonne Parish Death Records

Louisiana law is clear on this. Only specific people can get a certified death certificate for a death in the past 50 years. The eligible list includes the surviving spouse listed on the certificate, parents, adult children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, and anyone named in a court proceeding as a family member. Those who are not on this list need a court order or must wait until the 50-year confidentiality period ends.

Attorneys can request records on behalf of eligible family members but must submit a request on firm letterhead showing their bar roll number. An insurance beneficiary with a signed policy copy may also qualify. Succession representatives need a certified Letter of Testamentary.

Once 50 years have passed, the records are public. Use the Louisiana Secretary of State's online index at vitalrecords.sos.la.gov to search older records. Uncertified photocopies cost $5.00. Certified copies are $10.00 through that system. Under R.S. 44:19, fact of death letters are a public record available to close family at any time.

Online Search Options for Terrebonne Death Records

The Secretary of State runs an online index at sos.la.gov for deaths more than 50 years old. Search by name and order copies through the site. It is free to search but there are fees for copies. This is the best place to start for deaths from the 1970s and earlier.

For recent deaths, VitalChek at 1-877-605-8562 handles online certificate orders. Additional service fees apply on top of the base $15.00 cost. The administrative code at La. Admin. Code tit. 48, § V-11707 governs how mail-in and online orders work. You must state your relationship to the deceased and provide details to help locate the record.

Newspapers and Funeral Home Obituaries in Terrebonne

Newspaper obituaries and death certificates are different records with different uses. Death certificates are government documents. Obituaries are notices published by families, newspapers, or funeral homes. Both matter for genealogy and records research in Terrebonne Parish.

The Houma area has a history of strong local newspaper coverage. The Houma-Terrebonne region has several funeral homes that post current obituary notices online. For older notices, local library branches and the Louisiana State Library in Baton Rouge may hold microfilmed newspaper archives going back many decades. The State Archives can supplement your search with its collection of historical vital records from 1911 through 1974.

Note: Birth records from before 1918 were not required statewide by law in Louisiana, so older Terrebonne Parish birth and death records may be incomplete or in parish church registers rather than official state files.

Cities in Terrebonne Parish

Houma is the parish seat and largest city in Terrebonne Parish. It qualifies for a dedicated city records page.

Nearby Parishes

Families with roots in Terrebonne Parish may have records spread across neighboring parishes in south Louisiana.