You may apply for a certified copy of a birth record by appearing in person at the Clerk’s office, with proper identification (click here for identification requirements), such as a driver’s license or state issued identification card and completing the Clerk of Court Birth and Death Records Request. You may also order certified copies of birth records from New Orleans by completing and mailing the “mail in application form” or visit www.dhh.louisiana.gov for information on vital records and other state regional locations. All birth and death records are physically in the custody of Louisiana Bureau of Vital Statistics in New Orleans, Louisiana. No hard copy records are on file at the Clerk of Court office.
DEATH RECORDS
Death records are now available at the Union Parish Clerk’s office from the period of January, 2012 to present. All others may be obtained through the Louisiana Vital Records Registry or one of the State Regional Centers. For more information, go to www.dhh.louisiana.gov.
You can find death records more than 50 years old, birth records more than 100 years old and Orleans Parish marriage records more than 50 years old at the Louisiana State Archives. These resources are also available online by visiting www.sos.la.gov/archives.
Louisiana Vital Records Index
The following database searches help you locate vital records that are maintained by the secretary of state.
Louisiana Death Records
You can search the Louisiana Death Records Index Database and order certified copies of death certificates for deaths that occurred in Louisiana more than 50 years from the end of the current calendar year. Photocopies of death certificates are delivered by mail for $5 each, and certified copies are delivered by mail for $10 each.
Louisiana Birth Records
You can search the Louisiana Birth Records Index Database and order certified copies of birth certificates for births that occurred in Louisiana more than 100 years from the end of the current calendar year. The only birth records that are currently available at the Archives prior to 1911 are from Orleans Parish. Birth records were not required statewide by law until 1918. Photocopies of birth certificates are delivered by mail for $5 each, and certified copies are delivered by mail for $10 each.
Orleans Parish Marriage Records
You can search the Orleans Parish Marriage Records Index Database and order certified copies of marriage licenses for marriages that took place in Orleans Parish more than 50 years from the end of the current calendar year. Photocopies of marriage licenses are delivered by mail for $5 each, and certified copies are delivered by mail for $10 each