LaSalle Parish Death Records
LaSalle Parish death records are managed through the Louisiana Vital Records system and the Clerk of Court in Jena, where certified death certificates for deaths occurring after July 2012 can be obtained in person by eligible family members and authorized representatives.
LaSalle Parish Death Records Quick Facts
LaSalle Parish Clerk of Court
Clerk Hon. Steve Andrews and his staff at the LaSalle Parish Clerk of Court in Jena provide access to the Louisiana Vital Records database for death certificate requests. The clerk handles recent death records for deaths occurring after July 9, 2012. For older records, you'll need to contact the state-level agencies described below.
Walk-in service at the courthouse in Jena is the standard process. Bring a government-issued photo ID and any documentation that shows your connection to the person named on the certificate. The fee is $26 per death certificate. Contact the office by phone or email before your visit if you have questions about eligibility or documentation.
- Address: 1050 Courthouse Street, Jena, LA 71342
- Mailing: P.O. Box 1316, Jena, LA 71342
- Phone: (318) 992-2158, Ext. 2021
- Fax: (318) 992-2157
- Email: lasallecoc1@centurytel.net or sandrews@lasalleclerk.com
- Website: lasalleclerk.com
- Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM
The clerk's official website shown below has contact information, service details, and access to the eClerks portal for online records.
LaSalle Parish Clerk of Court official website
This site provides contact information, office hours, and links to online records systems for LaSalle Parish residents and researchers.
Online Records Portal
The eClerks LA statewide portal provides online access to court and land records for many Louisiana parishes, including LaSalle. You can search indexes for civil, land, and other court-related records through this system. Death certificates themselves are not available online, but the portal can be useful for researching estate matters, succession records, or related court filings that may accompany or follow a death.
The eClerks portal is shown below.
eClerks LA statewide records portal
This portal covers court and land records for LaSalle Parish and other participating Louisiana parishes, providing remote access to indexes and document images.
Who Can Get a Death Certificate
Louisiana law limits access to death records during the 50-year confidentiality period. Only certain individuals may request a certified copy before that window closes.
The surviving spouse is eligible. So are parents, children, siblings, grandparents, and grandchildren of the deceased. Legal guardians with a certified custody judgment may also request. Attorneys can request when they provide a written declaration on letterhead that includes their bar roll number. Insurance beneficiaries named in the deceased's policy may request if they show a signed copy of that policy. Succession representatives with certified letters of testamentary or administration and licensed funeral directors within one year of the death are also eligible.
If you don't fall into one of these groups, you'll need to wait until the record is 50 years old. At that point, it becomes publicly available through the Louisiana State Archives.
Statewide Registration and Historical Records
LaSalle Parish was created on January 1, 1910, from Catahoula Parish. Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1914. That means death records from the parish's founding in 1910 through 1913 may not appear in the state's central database. Some of those early records may exist in local files, church registers, or old probate documents at the parish courthouse in Jena. The clerk's office can sometimes help direct you toward those sources.
Records from 1914 through July 2012 are held by the Louisiana Vital Records Registry. Records 50 years old or older are held by the Louisiana State Archives. Both are accessible through the agencies listed below.
Louisiana Vital Records Registry
For deaths that occurred before July 2012, contact the Louisiana Vital Records Registry in New Orleans. The state charges $7 per certified copy. Walk-in hours are 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM, Monday through Friday.
Address: 1450 Poydras Street, Suite 400, New Orleans, LA 70112. Mail to: P.O. Box 60630, New Orleans, LA 70160. Phone: (504) 593-5100. Portal: ldh.la.gov/vital-records. Mail orders take about 8 to 10 weeks. For online ordering with faster turnaround, VitalChek is an authorized third-party service.
Louisiana State Archives for Older Records
For death records 50 years old or older, the Louisiana State Archives in Baton Rouge holds a searchable online index. Address: 3851 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge. Research library: (225) 922-1208. The online death records index is at sos.la.gov. Photocopy fees are $5 per page, and certified copies are $10 with a three-year search included. These records are publicly accessible once the 50-year period has passed.
Applicable Louisiana Statutes
The two main statutes governing death record access in Louisiana are R.S. 40:40, which covers fees for certified copies, and R.S. 40:41, which defines who may access records and when. These statutes apply to LaSalle Parish and every other parish in Louisiana. Anyone who provides false information to obtain a death certificate may face criminal penalties under state law.
Cities in LaSalle Parish
Jena is the parish seat and main community in LaSalle Parish. No cities in this parish currently meet the population threshold for a dedicated records page. Residents throughout LaSalle Parish, including those in Jena, Olla, and Tullos, should contact the Clerk of Court at 1050 Courthouse Street in Jena for death certificate requests.
Nearby Parishes
LaSalle Parish is in central Louisiana, bordered by several other parishes. These offices may be relevant if you're researching records that span parish lines: