Louisiana Death Records

Are Death Certificates Public in Louisiana?

No. Louisiana is a closed record state. As a result, birth records and death certificates are not available for free public access. Requesters and record seekers of either Louisiana death certificates or birth records must submit proper legal identification, pay the required processing fees, and submit an official application before access will be granted. It’s important to note that before anyone is given public access to vital records like Louisiana's death certificates, they must have a binding relationship with the deceased.

Authorized persons who may order a death certificate in Louisiana include:

• The decedent’s spouse, as listed in the document
• The decedent’s birth parents, as named in the document
• The child and children of the deceased
• Decedent’s siblings
• Grandparents of the deceased
• A member of the immediate
• The authorized beneficiary of the deceased's insurance policy
• A general legatee in the judgment of possession
• Any legal beneficiary of the decedent’s pension plan

Before access to a death certificate is given, the record seeker must submit an attorney's credentials alongside a written declaration pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure Article 3431 et seq for the decedent whose death certificate is demanded.

Official requests must be submitted to the Louisiana Vital Records Office and Health Statistics Central Office in person or by mail. Requesters must complete and submit an application for a certified copy of a death certificate. Legal identification and processing fees must be paid to the Louisiana Vital Records Office.

What Shows Up on Death Records in Louisiana?

A death record is a legal document that serves as official evidence of a person's death. It is signed by a doctor and contains details on the cause of death and the deceased's vital statistics. Like other Louisiana Vital Records (like birth, marriage, and divorce records), death records are generated by the state vital records office and are issued to eligible members of the public on request.

A typical Louisiana death record contains the following information:

• Full name of the deceased
• The social security number of the deceased
• Sex
• Race
• Marital status
• Age
• Occupation
• Date of birth
• Place of residence
• Name and birthplace of Father
• Maiden name and birthplace of mother
• Place of death
• Name and address of informant
• Medical certification on the cause of death
• Address and signature of the undertaker
• Place and date of burial
• Official signature of Registrar

Louisiana death records are used for legal purposes such as filing insurance settlements, research, retirement fund settlements, updating voter rolls, organ procurement, students’ financial aid, and gaining access to the deceased’s bank accounts. However, most vital record information, specifically certified copies of birth, death, marriage, and divorce records, are only issued to persons who satisfy the state's eligibility requirements. This is because of the nature of the record and the sensitivity of its contents (such as the record holder or decedent's social security number).

How are Death Records Created in Louisiana?

Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 40:47 mandates that for every death in the State of Louisiana, a death record must be filed with the Local Parish Registrar within five days of the death. Per Louisiana State Statute Section 40:49, it is the responsibility of the funeral director to initiate the creation of a death record. The funeral director obtains information from the deceased’s family or the best available source to complete the death certificate. The individual who provides the information used to complete the death certificate will provide their contact details and sign it. The death certificate is then forwarded to a coroner or physician to carry out a medical certification on the cause of death.

For a death that occurs in a medical facility under the care of a physician, the medical certification on the cause of death is completed and filed within 24 hours. However, for a death that occurs outside a medical facility or without the care of a physician, the last physician responsible for the deceased’s care, within 10 days of the death, will carry out the medical certification on the cause of death.

In the case of a suspicious, unexpected, or unusual death, a medical certification on the cause of death is carried out by a coroner. The coroner will complete and sign the medical certification on the cause of death within 48 hours of receiving the death certificate. For delays in obtaining the medical certification on the cause of death, the coroner is expected to indicate the reasons for the delay.

Upon the completion of the medical certification on the cause of death, the death certificate is filed with the local registrar in the parish where the death occurred. The parish registrar then forwards the death certificate to the state registrar within ten days of the creation of the death record.

Finally, note that per the Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 40:49, a body can not be buried until medical certification on the cause of death is carried out, or the coroner or the physician authorizes the burial. Where death is presumed to have occurred but the person’s dead body is not found, a Louisiana State Court of competent jurisdiction will obtain and verify the details required to complete the death certificate. After which the court will issue an order, authorizing the registrar to create the death certificate with the details provided by the court. The death certificate is then marked as “presumptive” and will contain information on the date of registration, the court that issued the order, and the date of judgment.

How to Find Death Records Online in Louisiana?

Lookup death records through the Louisiana Death Record Index, which is available on the Louisiana Secretary of State’s website. The Louisiana Death Record Index offers limited access to death records online. Death records dating from 1911 to 1969 can be obtained from this index.

Louisiana death records may also be searched through the National Death Index Portal (NDI). However, access to this portal is restricted. Data obtained from the NDI portal is used for research purposes only, and can not be commercialized. Searches may be conducted by name or the last known address of the deceased.

Death Record Search by Name in Louisiana

To use any of the aforementioned online resources, the requesting party may input the name of the decedent and the date of death into the search box provided. The database will generate and display the most relevant results pertaining to the query. A death record search by name is considered one of the most reliable options for finding death record information.

Death Record Search by Address

Where the full name of the deceased is not known, requestors may conduct a death record search by address. To do so, input the last location or registered address of the decedent into the database. Specifically, the country or city where they were last seen or died.

Considered open to citizens of the United States, public records are available through both traditional, and government sources, and third-party websites and organizations. In many cases, third-party websites make the search easier as they are not limited geographically or by technological limitations. They are considered a good place to start when looking for a specific record or multiple records. To gain access to these records, interested parties must typically provide:

• The name of the person listed in the record. Juveniles are typically exempt from this search method.
• The last known or assumed location of the person listed in the record. This includes cities, counties, and states.

While third-party sites offer such services, they are not government-sponsored entities, and record availability may vary on these sites when compared to government sources.

How to Find Death Records for Free in the State of Louisiana

The State of Louisiana does not offer free copies of death certificates. Requesters can demand a death record search from the Louisiana Department of Health at a fixed fee. However, death records that are less than ten days old can only be obtained at the local parish registrar's office before such records are forwarded to the state registrar.

To obtain death records in Louisiana:

• Fill out the Application for a Certified Copy of the Death Certificate
• Provide proof of identification, which consists of one primary document or two secondary documents
• Provide evidence of relationship to the deceased
• Pay the applicable fee for a Death Record Request
• Submit the application

Acceptable primary documents include a government-issued photo identification card, U.S. military identification card, U.S. certificate of naturalization, and U.S. certificate of citizenship. While secondary documents include, social security cards, insurance certificates, certified deeds to a property, pay stubs, and voter registration applications.

How to Obtain Death Records in Louisiana

To obtain death records in Louisiana, requesters should visit any of the following locations:

• The Louisiana Vital Records Central Office
• Clerks of Courts
• Vital Records Kiosk.

The Vital Records Central Office, Clerks of Courts, and the Vital Records Kiosk all require requesters to do an identity authentication screening, provide valid identification, fill out the Application for Certified Death/Birth Records Application Form and pay the required fees to process requests.

For walk-in requests, visit the Louisiana Vital Records Central Office located at:

1450 Poydras Street
Suite 400
New Orleans, LA 70112
Offices hours: 8.00 a.m. to 3.30.p.m Monday to Friday

Note that walk-in requests have been suspended due to the Covid 19 pandemic but requests for death records can still be mailed to:

Vital Records Registry
P.O. Box 60630
New Orleans, LA 706160

Requesters can also visit the nearest Vital Records Kiosk service location in their respective parishes to process requests. These kiosks are open 8 a.m to 4.30 p.m, from Mondays to Fridays, excluding public holidays. This order also requires the requester to complete an identity authentication process before the order is placed. Once it’s done, the order is sent via USPS and available for pickup at the Louisiana Vital Records Office

Death records can also be obtained from the Clerks of Courts in parishes across the state.

Can Anyone Get a Copy of a Death Certificate in Louisiana?

The State of Louisiana is a closed records state with strict confidentiality on death records for 50 years after the death occurred. Therefore, death records are not accessible to the public. According to the Louisiana State Statutes Section 40:41, access to death records is restricted to the following individuals:

• The beneficiary of the decedent's trust or insurance policy
• A succession representative
• A person named in a legal proceeding as a family member
• Grandparents and grandchildren of the deceased
• A succession representative (will be required to provide a letter of administration certified by the clerk of the court)
• An attorney representing the family of the decedent (will be required to provide a written document naming him in such a capacity)
• The decedent’s spouse
• Parents of the deceased
• Adult children of the deceased
• Siblings of the deceased

In addition, a funeral director acting at the request of the deceased family will be granted access to the deceased’s death record for up to one year after the death.

Louisiana State Courts can also obtain death records for legal proceedings. The copies of records for legal proceedings are obtained by a court order from a Louisiana State Court of competent jurisdiction and are expected to be marked “For Judicial Purposes Only”. The records will be retained by the clerk of the court and destroyed after the court proceeding.

The state registrar may also issue death records to the following people:

• Members of Law enforcement
• United States Attorney
• Public administrators
• District attorney
• Attorney general
• Retirement fund system

Note that applications sent in this regard must be accompanied by written requests.

How Much Does a Death Certificate Cost in Louisiana?

A death certificate issued by the Louisiana Vital Records Office costs $9 for the first copy, which is often issued to the funeral director. Thereafter, subsequent copies of the death certificate cost $7 each. However, a Parish Clerk of Court may issue a death certificate at $26 per copy. For death records requested from a Kiosk, the standard $7 fee in addition to security and shipping fees, is applicable.

For a death certificate with errors, corrections are made for free if the correction request is filed within 90 days of the creation of the record. However, after the 90-day window, a fee of $18 is charged for corrections. Corrected copies of a death certificate cost $25.50 to obtain.

It is important to note that a $0.50 state charge is included for mail-in orders of death certificates. Payment options for walk-in and mail requests are checks and money orders made payable to the Louisiana Vital Records. For kiosk services, debit cards, credit cards, and checks are accepted. Finally, all fees paid for the search of death records are non-refundable. Verify all applicable fees by calling the Vital Records Office at (225) 342-9500.

How Long Does It Take to Get a Death Certificate in Louisiana?

The processing time for death records in Louisiana from the application time to the time of getting the death certificate, is between 8 to 10 weeks.

How Long to Keep Records After Death in Louisiana

Following the death of an individual, it is important to retain certain critical records belonging to the deceased. These records play a crucial role in executing the will of the deceased and settling the deceased’s estate. The records of a deceased are generally classified into vital, financial, and medical records.

It is recommended that vital records are preserved indefinitely after a person's death. Vital records are useful for tracing the ancestry of the deceased.

On the other hand, medical records are usually preserved per the Louisiana State Statutes Section 40:1165.1, which recommends that death medical records be kept for a minimum of 6 years. However, it makes an exception for photographic medical records like x-rays requiring that they are only preserved for three years. The State of Louisiana mandates that institutions and physicians are completely responsible for the medical records they create. However, the immediate families of deceased persons can request their medical records from the medical institution or physician.

Financial records are essential in settling the estate of the deceased. It is recommended that financial records are kept for at least 3 years or till the settlement of the deceased estate.

How to Expunge Death Records in Louisiana

Death records can not be expunged in the State of Louisiana. Expungement is the process of making a record inaccessible to the public by destroying or deleting the record.

How to Seal Your Death Records in Louisiana?

Louisiana death records can not be sealed. Sealing a record is the process of restricting access to a record thereby hiding the details of that record.

How to Unseal Your Death Records in Louisiana

Louisiana death records can not be unsealed.

How to Use the Louisiana Death Registry

To use the Louisiana death registry, requesters can pay an online visit to the Louisiana Department of Health website. The Louisiana Public Health Department provides all public requesters easy access to the death registry. Requesters are required to provide necessary data of the deceased through the LA state registrar and vital records. Also, necessary data on the Louisiana death index and Louisiana death notices are usually published in the local newspapers.

Necessary data for access to the death registry include name, date of death, county, and address of the subject of the data sorted. Individuals can visit the Office of Vital Records in person for such requests if preferred.

How to Find an Obituary for a Specific Person in Louisiana

A Louisiana obituary search can be done by checking the archives of the newspaper or local publication where the obituary was first published. This may be done by querying the office of the publication or by using their online archives (if applicable). To conduct any Louisiana obituary search online, input the full name, the date of death, and the location of death into the database, after which automatically, the results will be generated.

Requesters may also conduct a free or paid search on third-party sites or any alternative online vendor.

How to Conduct a Free Obituary Search in Louisiana

Most of the options for conducting an obituary search in Louisiana are free of charge unless the requestor opts to use a third-party site which offers this service for a fee. To conduct a free obituary search in Louisiana, contact the publication where the obituary was likely to have been published.

What is Considered a Death Notice in Louisiana?

Louisiana death notices are public notices published in columns of local newspapers by family members or close relatives of a deceased person to officially inform the public of their death. The public usually covers details such as who the person was survived by as well as details of the services to be held.

What is the Difference Between Death Notices and Obituaries?

The difference between death notices and obituaries is that a death notice is usually brief, and obituaries are intricate and wordy. Death notices and obituaries are both public announcements of people's deaths posted in newspapers and other publications. While a death notice tends to be a shorter version of a death announcement, an obituary is typically a long-form publication containing the decedent’s biographical information and is usually published by the newspaper's staff as editorial content.

What is the Difference Between a Death Certificate and Other Death Records?

The difference between Louisiana death certificates and other death records is that a death certificate is legal proof of death issued to a spouse or close relative. The medical personnel in charge issues this document containing:

• The cause of death
• The time of death
• Details of the cause and manner of death

On the other hand, a death record is a document containing information about a person's death. This record is used by the government for health statistics, public health records, and to suspend the decedent's pension. Typically, a death certificate is not issued to ineligible persons, but the general public may have remote access to public death records. To access these records, the requesting party may order online from the record custodian or third-party custodian.