Madison Parish Death Records
Death records in Madison Parish are maintained by the Clerk of Court in Tallulah. The clerk's office can issue certified death certificates for deaths that occurred in Louisiana after July 2012, and the Louisiana Vital Records Registry handles all earlier records.
Madison Parish Death Records Quick Facts
Madison Parish Clerk of Court
The Madison Parish Clerk of Court is the local office for death records in Tallulah. The office is at 100 North Cedar Street, Tallulah, LA 71282. Mail requests should go to P.O. Box 1710, Tallulah, LA 71282. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Phone: (318) 574-0655. Fax: (318) 574-3961.
You can reach the clerk by email at mhopkins@madisonparishclerk.com or mpcofc@bellsouth.net. The clerk's website is at madisonparishclerk.com. The current clerk of court is Hon. Marion Hopkins.
The clerk's office maintains and preserves the official records of the parish. Death certificates are available for deaths that occurred in Louisiana after July 2012. For earlier deaths, contact Louisiana Vital Records in New Orleans. The fee for a death certificate at the parish level is $26 per certified copy.
Madison Parish is a smaller, rural parish in northeast Louisiana. It borders the Mississippi River to the east. The parish seat is Tallulah, which is the main population center. Because the parish is small, the clerk's office handles all types of vital record requests from a single location, unlike larger parishes that may have satellite offices.
Who Can Get a Death Certificate
Louisiana does not allow open access to death certificates for the first 50 years after a death. The record is restricted to a specific set of people who have a legal or family connection to the deceased. This applies at both the parish level and the state level.
Authorized requesters under Louisiana law include the surviving spouse, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, and grandchildren of the deceased person. Others who may qualify include legal guardians holding a certified custody judgment, insurance beneficiaries, succession representatives, and attorneys in good standing (who must provide their Louisiana bar roll number). Funeral directors may obtain a certificate within one year of the death. All requesters must show valid photo identification and any required supporting paperwork at the time of the request.
After 50 years, the record is open. At that point, any member of the public can request a certified copy without having to show a family connection or other legal interest.
Online Access: eClerks LA Portal
Madison Parish offers access to statewide court records through the eClerks LA portal. The portal is at eclerksla.com. A day pass costs $20 and a monthly subscription runs $50. The eClerks LA platform lets you search civil, criminal, and land records from participating Louisiana parishes, including Madison.
The following image is from the eClerks LA statewide portal, which provides access to indexed records from Madison Parish and dozens of other Louisiana parishes.
The eClerks LA portal is useful for finding probate cases, civil filings, and other court matters linked to a person's death, even if death certificates themselves are not searchable through this system.
Death certificates cannot be ordered or viewed online through eClerks LA or any other state portal. Requests for certified copies must go directly to the Madison Parish Clerk of Court or to Louisiana Vital Records, depending on when the death occurred. The portal is most useful for finding related court records, such as succession cases and probate filings.
Louisiana Vital Records Registry
For deaths that occurred before July 2012, Madison Parish residents need to contact the Louisiana Vital Records Registry. The registry is at 1450 Poydras Street, Suite 400, New Orleans, LA 70112. Mail requests go to P.O. Box 60630, New Orleans, LA 70160. Phone: (504) 593-5100. Walk-in hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM.
The following image is from the Louisiana Department of Health Vital Records website, which is the state portal for ordering death certificates for deaths before 2012 as well as all deaths statewide.
The state Vital Records website has ordering forms, fee information, and details on mail-in and walk-in options for getting a certified death certificate.
The state fee is $7 per copy. Mail requests take 8 to 10 weeks to process. Online ordering is available through VitalChek for an extra fee. The state website at ldh.la.gov/vital-records has full instructions and downloadable request forms.
Louisiana State Archives: Historical Records
Records more than 50 years old are public and can be found at the Louisiana State Archives in Baton Rouge. The Archives is at 3851 Essen Lane. The research library phone is (225) 922-1208. An online death records index is available through the Louisiana Secretary of State's website at sos.la.gov. This lets you search by name and year free of charge. Certified copies from the Archives cost $10 and include a 3-year search per surname. Plain photocopies are $5.
Key Louisiana Statutes
Louisiana law governs who can access death records and how they may be requested. The main statutes are R.S. 40:40 and R.S. 40:41. R.S. 40:40 covers the registration and maintenance of vital records. R.S. 40:41 sets out who may request copies and what identification or documentation they must provide. These laws apply uniformly across all 64 Louisiana parishes, including Madison.
Cities in Madison Parish
Tallulah is the parish seat and largest community in Madison Parish. No cities in Madison Parish reach the 100,000-population threshold for a dedicated city records page. Other communities include Waverly, Delta, and Mound. Residents anywhere in the parish should contact the clerk's office in Tallulah for death record requests.
Nearby Parishes
Madison Parish is in the northeast corner of Louisiana. Deaths near parish boundaries should be verified for which parish they fall in before submitting a records request.