St. Landry Parish Death Records
Death records in St. Landry Parish are available through the Clerk of Court in Opelousas, one of the most technologically advanced clerk offices in Louisiana. The office handles certified death certificates for deaths after July 2012. For earlier deaths, the Louisiana Vital Records Registry in New Orleans is the primary resource. Only those who meet the eligibility criteria defined under Louisiana law may receive certified copies during the 50-year confidential period.
St. Landry Parish Death Records Quick Facts
St. Landry Parish Clerk of Court
Charles Jagneaux serves as Clerk of Court for St. Landry Parish, with Chief Deputy Lisa Doyle. The office is at 118 S. Court Street, Suite 207, Opelousas, LA 70570. Mailing address: P.O. Box 750, Opelousas, LA 70571. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, which is slightly earlier than many parish offices in Louisiana. Phone: (337) 942-5606. Fax: (337) 948-9158. The website is at stlandry.org.
The clerk's office has worked hard to modernize its services. As Clerk Jagneaux notes, the office is continuously updating and upgrading in order to better serve the public, and the St. Landry Parish Clerk of Court is recognized as one of the most advanced offices in the state of Louisiana, if not the nation. This kind of investment in technology means that requests are processed more efficiently and records are easier to locate and verify than in many smaller parish offices.
Opelousas is the parish seat of St. Landry Parish and the third oldest city in Louisiana. St. Landry Parish is one of the larger parishes in the state by area, covering a broad stretch of south-central Louisiana north of Lafayette. The parish has a substantial population and a correspondingly high volume of vital records requests. The clerk's office in Opelousas is equipped to handle that volume.
Requesting a Death Certificate
The St. Landry Parish Clerk of Court issues certified death certificates for deaths occurring in the parish after July 2012. The fee is $26 per copy. Visit the office in person and bring a valid government-issued photo ID. If your eligibility is based on a relationship to the deceased, bring documents that confirm that connection.
Louisiana law under R.S. 40:41 limits access to death records during the 50-year confidential period. The eligible categories include the surviving spouse, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, and grandchildren of the deceased. Additional qualifying parties are legal guardians with a certified custody judgment, named insurance beneficiaries, succession representatives, licensed attorneys active on the Louisiana State Bar roll, and funeral directors within one year of the date of death.
People who do not fit one of those categories cannot obtain a certified copy while the record is confidential. Once the 50-year period has passed, the record becomes public, and anyone can access it through the Louisiana State Archives without proving eligibility. If you are not sure whether you qualify, call the clerk's office at (337) 942-5606 before making the trip to Opelousas.
State-Level Options for Death Certificates
For deaths that occurred in St. Landry Parish before July 2012, the Louisiana Vital Records Registry in New Orleans is the right resource. The registry is at 1450 Poydras St Suite 400, New Orleans, LA 70112. Walk-in hours are 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM. Mailing address: P.O. Box 60630, New Orleans, LA 70160. Phone: (504) 593-5100. Website: ldh.la.gov/vital-records. The state charges $7 per certified copy.
The St. Landry Parish Clerk of Court website at stlandry.org provides contact information and service details for the Opelousas office.
Online ordering is also an option through VitalChek, the state's authorized third-party platform. VitalChek allows you to submit requests from home without visiting any office, and it charges the base $7 fee plus a service charge. If you need multiple copies for estate or succession purposes, ordering through VitalChek may be more practical than making multiple in-person visits.
The Louisiana Vital Records Registry service request page guides St. Landry Parish residents through ordering a certified death certificate by mail or in person in New Orleans.
Historical Death Records
For deaths that are more than 50 years old, records are no longer confidential and can be searched through the Louisiana State Archives online index. This database covers deaths registered statewide since 1914, when Louisiana began requiring centralized death registration. Copies from the Archives cost $5.00 per page for photocopies and $10.00 for certified copies.
The State Archives Research Library is in Baton Rouge at 3851 Essen Lane. General phone: (225) 922-1000. Research Library: (225) 922-1208. For deaths in St. Landry Parish that occurred before 1914, the state has no central registration. Those records, if they exist, are typically found in Catholic church registers, local cemetery transcriptions, and historical collections at regional archives and libraries. Opelousas and surrounding St. Landry communities have a rich recorded history, and local libraries and historical societies may hold materials not found in state-level databases.
Louisiana Death Records Law
The legal framework for death records in Louisiana rests on two statutes. R.S. 40:40 defines vital records and sets registration requirements, specifying what a death record must contain and how it is filed with the state. R.S. 40:41 controls access, establishing the 50-year confidential period and the eligibility list for certified copy requests. Both the St. Landry Parish Clerk of Court and the Louisiana Vital Records Registry operate under the same statutes. There are no parish-level exceptions to these rules.
Nearby Parishes
St. Landry Parish borders a number of parishes across south-central Louisiana. Each has its own clerk of court for local death certificate requests.