Shreveport Death Records Lookup

Shreveport death records are handled by the Caddo Parish Clerk of Court, not by city government. The City of Shreveport does not issue death certificates or vital records of any kind. Residents who need death records in Shreveport must contact the Caddo Parish Clerk, the Caddo Parish Health Unit, or Louisiana Vital Records depending on the date of death.

Shreveport Death Records - City Does Not Issue Them

The City of Shreveport is clear about this on its own website: it does not issue birth certificates, death records, or any vital records. The city's official vital records page at shreveportla.gov/1406/Vital-Records directs residents to the Caddo Parish Clerk of Court, the Caddo Parish Health Unit, and the Louisiana Department of Health. If you call Shreveport City Hall looking for a death certificate, they will refer you to one of those offices.

This is not unusual in Louisiana. Most cities do not maintain their own vital records systems. The parish clerk handles death records at the local level, and the state Vital Records Registry handles records going further back. Shreveport residents follow the same process as residents of any other Louisiana city.

The City of Shreveport Vital Records information page confirms that the city does not issue death certificates and provides links to the correct agencies.

The Shreveport city website directs residents to Caddo Parish Clerk of Court and Louisiana Department of Health for death records and other vital records.

Caddo Parish Clerk of Court - Shreveport Death Records

The Caddo Parish Clerk of Court is the right place to get a certified death certificate for a death that occurred in Shreveport after July 2012. The office is at 501 Texas Street, Room 103, Shreveport, LA 71101. Phone: (318) 226-6780. The Clerk's website is at caddoclerk.com.

The fee for a death certificate through the Caddo Clerk is $26 per certified copy. You must appear in person. Bring a valid photo ID and documentation showing your relationship to the deceased. Louisiana is a closed-record state under R.S. 40:41, which means only qualified family members and legal representatives can request death certificates.

Those who qualify include the surviving spouse (with marriage certificate), adult children, parents, siblings, grandchildren, and grandparents of the person who died. Legal guardians with a court judgment of custody may also request records. Beneficiaries on insurance policies and succession representatives may also be eligible.

The Caddo Parish Clerk birth and death records page lists the process for requesting death certificates and what to bring to the Shreveport courthouse.

The Caddo Clerk's records page explains the in-person process and eligibility rules for getting death certificates in Shreveport.

Find Older Shreveport Death Records - Louisiana Vital Records

For deaths before July 2012, the Caddo Parish Clerk does not have access to those records. You need to contact Louisiana Vital Records directly. This is the state office that holds death records from across Louisiana going back decades.

Mail orders take about 8 to 10 weeks. If that is too slow, you can order through VitalChek at vitalchek.com or call them at (877) 605-8562. VitalChek adds a service fee on top of the base cost, but orders process faster than mail.

The Caddo Parish Health Unit at 1035 Creswell Ave., Shreveport, LA 71101, phone (318) 676-5222, is another local resource. Health units across Louisiana sometimes help direct residents to the right office for vital records requests, though they do not issue certified death certificates themselves.

Shreveport Death Records - Historical Records at the State Archives

For very old deaths -- those from 1911 through 1974 -- the Louisiana State Archives holds microfilmed death certificates. Records at the Archives are only open if they are more than 50 years old. Caddo Parish records are included in the statewide collection.

The Archives is in Baton Rouge, about 300 miles from Shreveport. You can write or call ahead to get information on searching records. Their online index is also worth checking before making the trip.

Shreveport Death Records - Legal Framework

Louisiana death records are governed by three main statutes. R.S. 40:40 sets the fees for certified copies. R.S. 40:41 defines who can access records and establishes the 50-year confidentiality period. R.S. 40:32 defines what qualifies as a vital record under state law. These rules apply to Caddo Parish the same way they apply everywhere else in Louisiana.

Death records are closed for 50 years from the date of death. After 50 years, they move into the historical record and can be accessed through the State Archives. Making a false statement on an application for a vital record is a criminal offense under R.S. 40:61, with penalties up to $10,000 in fines or up to five years in prison.

For online ordering, VitalChek is the state's authorized partner. Orders can be placed at vitalchek.com or by phone at (877) 605-8562. A service fee applies in addition to the standard state fee.

Caddo Parish Death Records Page

Shreveport is in Caddo Parish. For more detail on how death records work across the full parish, including courthouse contact info and additional resources, see the Caddo Parish death records page.

Nearby Cities

Other Louisiana cities with death records pages:

• Bossier City
• Monroe
• Alexandria