New Orleans Death Records
New Orleans death records are among the oldest and most historically significant in Louisiana, with Orleans Parish records going back to 1804. Residents searching for death certificates can access them through the Orleans Parish Civil District Court Clerk, Louisiana Vital Records, or the Louisiana State Archives, depending on how far back the records go.
New Orleans Death Records Quick Facts
New Orleans Death Records - Orleans Parish Civil District Court
New Orleans does not have a city-level vital records office. Death certificates for residents are handled through state and parish-level offices. The Orleans Parish Civil District Court Clerk is the main source for death records tied to Orleans Parish.
The Clerk's office is at 421 Loyola Avenue, Room 402, New Orleans, LA 70112. Phone: (504) 407-0000. Their website is orleanscivilclerk.com. If you need a certified death certificate for a death that occurred in Orleans Parish after July 2012, this is the office to contact first. The fee is $26 per certified copy.
New Orleans also has a local Louisiana Vital Records walk-in office. That office is at 1450 Poydras Street, Suite 400, New Orleans, LA 70112. Phone: (504) 593-5100. Walk-in service runs Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM. The state office handles deaths from all Louisiana parishes, not just Orleans. The fee there is $7 per certified copy. Mail requests go to P.O. Box 60630, New Orleans, LA 70160.
The Louisiana State Archives death records database covers microfilmed death certificates for deaths that occurred in Louisiana between 1911 and 1974, with Orleans Parish records dating back to 1804.
The Louisiana State Archives death records index lets researchers search for older New Orleans death records that predate the modern state vital records system.
Who Can Request New Orleans Death Records
Louisiana is a closed-record state. Not everyone can request a death certificate. The law under R.S. 40:41 limits access to qualified family members and legal representatives. Those who qualify include a surviving spouse (with marriage license), adult children, parents, siblings, grandchildren, and grandparents of the person who died.
A legal guardian may also request a death certificate but must provide a court judgment of custody. A notarized custody document alone is not accepted. Beneficiaries named in an insurance policy and people acting as succession representatives may also be eligible. If you are not sure whether you qualify, call the clerk's office or Vital Records before making the trip.
Attempting to get records you are not entitled to is a serious matter. Louisiana law under R.S. 40:61 sets penalties of up to $10,000 in fines or up to five years in prison for anyone who makes a false statement on an application for a vital record. That is not a guideline. It is state law that the Clerk's office enforces.
When you go in person, bring a valid photo ID. You will also need to show proof of your relationship to the deceased. For a surviving spouse, that means your marriage certificate. For a child, a birth certificate that shows the relationship. Staff at the Civil District Court Clerk can tell you what to bring if you call ahead.
Search New Orleans Death Records - Historical Sources
New Orleans has the most historically deep death records of any city in Louisiana. Orleans Parish death records go back to 1804. Most of those early records are held by the Louisiana State Archives in Baton Rouge.
The Louisiana State Archives is at 3851 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. Phone: (225) 922-1000. Research library line: (225) 922-1208. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, with the research library closing at 4:00 PM. A photocopy from the Archives costs $5. A certified copy costs $10 and includes a three-year surname search. Records at the Archives are only accessible if they are more than 50 years old, so recent deaths are not available through that office.
For deaths between 1911 and 1974, the Archives holds microfilmed copies of death certificates issued statewide. For pre-1911 records, the City Archives at the New Orleans Public Library and other historical collections may also have relevant material. The online public vital records index at the Secretary of State's website is a good starting point for searching historical New Orleans deaths.
The Orleans Criminal Court website holds court-related records that may be useful when researching deaths tied to legal proceedings in New Orleans.
Court-related death records connected to criminal cases in Orleans Parish may be accessed through the Criminal Court in New Orleans.
New Orleans Death Certificate Fees and Office Info
There are three main ways to get a New Orleans area death certificate. Each has a different fee, scope, and process.
| Source | Orleans Parish Civil District Court Clerk |
|---|---|
| Address | 421 Loyola Avenue, Room 402, New Orleans, LA 70112 |
| Phone | (504) 407-0000 |
| Fee | $26 per certified copy |
| Records | Deaths after July 2012 in Orleans Parish |
| Website | orleanscivilclerk.com |
| Source | Louisiana Vital Records Registry (LDH) |
|---|---|
| Address | 1450 Poydras Street, Suite 400, New Orleans, LA 70112 |
| P.O. Box 60630, New Orleans, LA 70160 | |
| Phone | (504) 593-5100 |
| Fee | $7 per certified copy |
| Hours | Mon-Fri, 8:00 AM - 3:30 PM |
| Website | ldh.la.gov/vital-records |
| Source | Louisiana State Archives |
|---|---|
| Address | 3851 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70809 |
| Phone | (225) 922-1000 |
| Fee | $5 photocopy / $10 certified copy |
| Records | Deaths 50+ years old; 1911-1974 microfilm statewide |
| Website | sos.la.gov - Historical Records |
Mail orders sent to Louisiana Vital Records take about 8 to 10 weeks to process. For faster service, walk in during their hours or use VitalChek, the state's authorized online ordering partner, at vitalchek.com or (877) 605-8562. VitalChek adds a service fee on top of the base state cost.
New Orleans Death Records - Legal Framework
Death records in New Orleans and across Louisiana are governed by state law. Three key statutes control the process. R.S. 40:40 sets fees for certified copies. R.S. 40:41 defines who can access records and sets the 50-year confidentiality period. R.S. 40:32 defines what counts as a vital record under Louisiana law.
Death records are closed for 50 years from the date of death. After that, they become part of the public historical record and can be accessed through the State Archives. Birth records are closed for 100 years. Both periods apply statewide, including in Orleans Parish. A record does not become open just because it is old -- it must clear the 50-year mark by the current year.
Orleans Parish has the added distinction of holding records that date back more than two centuries. For genealogical researchers, that makes New Orleans one of the most valuable research destinations in the state. The combination of colonial-era church records, early state vital records, and the modern registry creates a deep historical record unmatched elsewhere in Louisiana.
Find New Orleans Death Records - Orleans Parish Page
For more detail on how death records work across all of Orleans Parish, including courthouse contact information and additional resources, see the Orleans Parish death records page.
Nearby Cities
Other major Louisiana cities with their own death records pages: