Louisiana Birth, Marriage, Divorce along with Death records, known as vital records, provide you with information about important occasions in your ancestors life.

Vital records, normally maintained by a civic office, gives a person a far more comprehensive picture of one’s ancestor, help you differentiate concerning two people with the exact same name, and help you locate links to a completely new generation. They can include information and facts like the occurrence date and place, parents’ names, occupation and residence. The cause of death is also provided in most Louisiana death records.

Louisiana vital records certainly are a basis of Louisiana genealogy and family history research simply because they were usually recorded at or close to the time of the event, helping to make the record more likely to be accurate. This web page includes links, details that can help you request copies from Louisiana state and county vital records keepers. Vital records (births, deaths, marriages, and divorces) mark the key events of our lives and are the framework of genealogy research.

Louisiana Vital Records
  • Save
Louisiana Department of Health, issues, documents, and stores certified copies of vital records including birth, marriage, divorce death certificates for occurrences that took place in Louisiana.  To verify current fees or for information on how to expedite a document, call (504) 593-5100. If no record is found, you will be notified and fees will be retained for the search.

  • Ordering Louisiana Birth and Death Certificates: The State Vital Records Registry has birth records from July 1914 to present and 1790-1897 for New Orleans. The fee for a birth certified copy is $15.50 for a Long form and $9.50 for a Short form. Older records are available through the Louisiana State Archives. Birth records are confidential for the first 100 years.
  • Ordering Louisiana Birth and Death Certificates: The State Vital Records Registry has death records from 1914 and records for City of New Orleans are available since 1892. The fee for a birth certified copy is $7.50. Older records are available through the Louisiana State Archives. Death records are confidential for the first 50 years.
  • Ordering Louisiana Marriage Certificates: The State Vital Records Registry has Orleans Parish records only. Certified copies for other parishes are available from the Clerk of the Court in the parish where the license was issued. Marriage records over 50 years are stored by the Louisiana State Archives
  • Ordering Louisiana Divorce Certificates: The State Vital Records Registry does not have dvorce records. For other parishes, certified copies are available from the Clerk of the Court in the parish where the license was issued.

How to Order Louisiana Vital Records

  • Physical Address: Office of Vital Statistics, 1450 Poydras Street, Suite 400, New Orleans, LA 70112; PH: (504) 219-4500; Fax: (504) 568-8716.
  • Mailing Address: Center for Records and Statistics, PO Box 60630, New Orleans, LA 70160. All mail orders should include a Personal check or money order made payable to LOUISIANA VITAL RECORDS. Do not send cash.
  • Website Address:   http://new.dhh.louisiana.gov/
  • Ordering Vital Records Online – get the certificates within 2-5 days with a credit or debit card from USAVital.com or VitalChek.com
  • Ordering Vital Records by Mail: You can download an application online for Louisiana Birth or Death CertificateApplications. Please allow up to 2-4 weeks for processing of all type of certificates ordered through the mail.

State of Louisiana Archives

  • Physical Address: 3851 ESSEN LANE, BATON ROUGE, LA 70809; Phone: 225.922.1000
  • Website Address:  http://www.sos.la.gov/
  • Birth Records: Orleans Parish birth records for 1819-1904 (births over 100 years ago) (Index for 1790-1818, but no records)
  • Death Records:Orleans Parish death records for 1819-1954 (deaths over 50 years ago) (Index for 1804-1818) Statewide death records for 1911-1954 (deaths over 50 years ago)
  • Marriage Records:  Orleans Parish marriage records for 1870-1954 (marriages over 50 years ago) (Index for 1831-1869, but no records.)

Background of Louisiana Vital Records

Louisiana Vital Records
  • Save
It wasn’t until the early 1900s that marriages, deaths, and births began being recorded on a regular basis. There were laws about the recording of such records in the 1800s, but they were not fully enforced or complied with until the 1900s. Churches maintained some vital records before that time.

The Roman Catholics had the biggest religious presence in Louisiana until 1803, when the Louisiana Purchase took place. It was the only church in the region up to that point. Each of the Catholic churches kept marriage, burial, and christening registers. So, many early vital records for Louisiana can be found in the records of the Catholic Church.

In the early 1900s, Louisiana and other states started requiring that vital records be recorded in civil registries. New Orleans had begun that process back in 1790, but many cities did not until the 1900s. So, recording of such events was sporadic. Statewide recording of vital records was not consistent until 1914. Birth records for Orleans Parish that are more than 100 years old can be found at the Louisiana State Archives. Orleans Parish marriage records from 50 years or more ago are also located there, along with all statewide death records from 50 years or more ago. The Louisiana State Archives is located in Baton Rouge. Its records can also be accessed via mail order inquiries.

There are alphabetical indexes of deaths and births available in the health department of certain parishes. However, they may be incomplete. The Hospitals Office of Public Health, Vital Records Registry, and Louisiana Department of Health can be consulted for copies of those records. Some records of births dating back to about 1790 are available. There are also some death records dating back to 1803. However, most records were not widely recorded until 1914. Researchers must have authorization or prove their relationship to the person of interest in order to access those files. The Parish Clerks of Court can provide copies of birth certificates to authorized individuals as well.

Searchable Louisiana Vital Records Databases and Links