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How to order a Louisiana death certificate

Who holds it: LDH Vital Records Registry; participating clerks of court for deaths on or after July 7, 20121

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. Fees
  2. Older records and indexes
  3. Related records in Louisiana
  4. How Louisiana handles it
  5. Death certificates in Louisiana parishes with a full guide
  6. Official warnings
  7. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  8. Sources

Fee

$7.00 per certified death certificate (+$0.50 on mail/VitalChek orders); clerk-of-court issued death certificate $26.002

Who may order

Surviving spouse (as listed), parent, adult child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild; plus listed beneficiaries, succession representatives, legatees, attorneys/notaries preparing a small succession, bail-bond sureties, federally insured financial institutions (most of these by mail or in person at the central office)1

Fees

Statute fee
R.S. 40:40(3): $9 for an initial copy sold to funeral directors, $7 for subsequent copies3

Older records and indexes

Older
Deaths more than 50 years old: Louisiana State Archives; certified copy $10 by mail, photocopy $54
Birth certificates: who holds it
Louisiana Department of Health, Vital Records Registry (Center for Vital Records and Statistics), New Orleans; also participating parish clerks of court5
Birth certificates: fee
$15.00 per certified birth certificate; $24.00 birth certificate plus short-form card (pair); +$0.50 state charge on mail/VitalChek orders; VitalChek adds its own fees2
Probate: who holds it
Successions (probate) are opened in the district court of the parish of the decedent's domicile; records are kept by that parish clerk of court6

How Louisiana handles it

  • Orleans Parish: land records at the Clerk of Civil District Court Land Records Division (former Recorder of Mortgages, Register of Conveyances, Notarial Archives consolidated); marriage licenses and 50-year marriage records at LDH Vital Records; property taxes collected by the City Bureau of Treasury, not the sheriff.7
  • Clerks of district court (and the Second City Court of New Orleans) can issue state birth and death certificates from the state database, at higher fees than LDH.8

Death certificates in Louisiana parishes with a full guide

The local office, its official online search and its own fee, for each parish with a full guide. Local fees can differ from the statewide figures above.

ParishOfficeSearch onlineFee
Ascension ParishClerk issues Louisiana death certificates (2013-present) for $26.009——
Bossier ParishClerk of Court10—$26.00, cash or card11
Caddo ParishCaddo Parish Clerk of Court12—$7.00 per certified death certificate (+$0.50 on mail/VitalChek orders); clerk-of-court issued death certificate $26.0013
Calcasieu ParishCalcasieu Parish Clerk of Court - West Calcasieu Annex14—$26 per death certificate at the Clerk's Sulphur annex15
East Baton Rouge ParishEast Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court16—$7.00 per certified death certificate (+$0.50 on mail/VitalChek orders); clerk-of-court issued death certificate $26.0017
Jefferson ParishJefferson Parish Clerk of Court, Birth & Death Certificates18—$26.00 death certificate18
Lafayette ParishLafayette Parish Clerk of Court – Birth Certificate and Death Certificate Departments19—$26.00 (cash only)20
Livingston ParishLDH Vital Records Registry; participating clerks of court for deaths on or after July 7, 201221——
Orleans ParishLDH Vital Records Registry; participating clerks of court for deaths on or after July 7, 201222——
Ouachita ParishOuachita Parish Clerk of Court - Marriage Department and vital certificate issuance23——
St. Tammany ParishClerk of Court, Personal Document Services24——
Tangipahoa ParishTangipahoa Parish Clerk of Court25—$26.00 per certified copy (deaths in Louisiana on or after July 7, 2012); Amite office only26

For any other parish, see the parish list on the Louisiana guide.

Official warnings

  • LDH does not take online/credit-card orders directly; VitalChek is its only authorized online vendor and charges extra fees.5

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any Louisiana office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Rules in other states: death certificates in every state. Everything else in Louisiana: Louisiana public records guide.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. How To Order Death RecordsLouisiana Department of Health, Center for Vital Records and Statisticschecked November 4, 2026
  2. Service Fees (Vital Records)Louisiana Department of Health, Center for Vital Records and Statisticschecked November 4, 2026
  3. La. R.S. 40:40 – Fees for certified copies (vital records)Louisiana State Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  4. Historical Death RecordsLouisiana Secretary of State (Department of State), State Archiveschecked November 4, 2026
  5. How To Order Birth RecordsLouisiana Department of Health, Center for Vital Records and Statisticschecked November 4, 2026
  6. La. C.C.P. art. 2811 – Court in which succession openedLouisiana State Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  7. Mortgages, Conveyances, Notarial ArchivesCity of New Orleanschecked November 4, 2026
  8. La. R.S. 40:39.1 – Certified copies of birth and death certificates; clerks of district courtsLouisiana State Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  9. Birth & Death CertificatesAscension Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  10. Bossier Parish Police Jury HomeBossier Parishchecked November 8, 2026
  11. Birth & Death Certificates - Bossier Parish Clerk of Court - 26th Judicial District CourtBossier Parishchecked November 8, 2026
  12. Clerk homeCaddo Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  13. Service Fees (Vital Records)Louisiana Department of Health, Center for Vital Records and Statisticschecked November 4, 2026
  14. Calcasieu Parish Clerk of Court - HomeCalcasieu Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  15. Birth/Death Certificates - Sulphur AnnexCalcasieu Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  16. Birth/Death CertificatesEast Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  17. Service Fees (Vital Records)Louisiana Department of Health, Center for Vital Records and Statisticschecked November 4, 2026
  18. Birth & Death CertificatesJefferson Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  19. Birth Certificate DepartmentLafayette Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  20. FeesLafayette Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  21. How To Order Death RecordsLouisiana Department of Health, Center for Vital Records and Statisticschecked November 4, 2026
  22. How To Order Death RecordsLouisiana Department of Health, Center for Vital Records and Statisticschecked November 4, 2026
  23. Marriage DepartmentOuachita Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  24. Clerk of Court: Personal Document ServicesSt. Tammany Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  25. Clerk of Court Contact Information (Tangipahoa)Louisiana Secretary of Statechecked November 4, 2026
  26. Death CertificatesTangipahoa Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026