Louisiana People Search

Louisiana has no statewide trial court search, so a search starts with the state offices below and then goes to the clerk of court of the parish, who keeps court files, deeds, mortgages and marriage records.

• Louisiana Supreme CourtOpinions, orders, writ actions and court news
• Louisiana Secretary of State business filings searchCorporations, LLCs, partnerships, trade names and registered agents
• Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections inmate informationHow to find a person in state custody
• Louisiana State Police Sex Offender and Child Predator RegistrySearch by name, zip code or map, all 64 parishes
• Louisiana Department of Health, Vital RecordsCertified birth, death, marriage and divorce records for eligible requesters

Louisiana's public records framework is governed by the Louisiana Public Records Law, codified at Louisiana Revised Statutes 44:1 et seq. The law presumes all records maintained by state and local agencies are open to any person of the age of majority, a standard somewhat broader than many states' FOIA statutes. Requests generally cannot be denied based on the reason for the request, and custodians must respond within three business days.

Major exemptions include juvenile court records, adoption records, attorney work product, trade secrets, and records involving ongoing investigations. Vital records have their own separate statutory restrictions (100 years for birth records, 50 years for death records), which are stricter than the general public records law.

• Louisiana Secretary of StateBusiness filings, UCC, notaries, elections and the State Archives
• Louisiana Attorney GeneralConsumer protection and public records complaints

Louisiana's court system is structured into the Supreme Court, five Courts of Appeal (numbered First through Fifth Circuits), District Courts (the general trial courts), and a variety of lower courts including City Courts, Parish Courts, Justice of the Peace Courts, Mayor's Courts, and Family Courts. Orleans Parish is the outlier: it has separate Civil District Court, Criminal District Court, Juvenile Court, and Municipal/Traffic Courts, each with its own clerk.

There is no statewide trial court search. Case records come from the clerk of court in the parish where the case was filed; some parishes have online searches, others take requests by phone or at the courthouse.

Each of the five courts of appeal has its own website with dockets and opinions:

• Court of Appeal, First CircuitSits in Baton Rouge
• Court of Appeal, Second CircuitSits in Shreveport
• Court of Appeal, Third CircuitSits in Lake Charles
• Court of Appeal, Fourth CircuitSits in New Orleans
• Court of Appeal, Fifth CircuitSits in Gretna

• Orleans Parish Civil Clerk of CourtCivil suits, successions and online records for New Orleans
• Clerk of Criminal District Court, Orleans ParishFelony and misdemeanor case records and dockets for New Orleans

In Louisiana the clerk of court of each parish, not a register of deeds, keeps conveyances, mortgages and successions. Property values and tax assessments come from the separate parish assessor. In Orleans Parish, land records are kept by the Land Records Division of the Civil Clerk of Court.

• East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of CourtDeeds, mortgages, civil and criminal records for Baton Rouge
• Orleans Parish Land Records Web AccessConveyances, mortgages and liens kept by the Civil Clerk
• Jefferson Parish Clerk of CourtLand and civil records for Metairie, Kenner and the West Bank
• Caddo Parish Clerk of CourtConveyances, mortgages and civil records for Shreveport
• Lafayette Parish Clerk of CourtLand records, civil filings and marriage licenses
• St. Tammany Parish Clerk of CourtProperty conveyances and civil filings on the North Shore
• Louisiana Tax CommissionState oversight of parish assessors and property tax rolls

The Louisiana Secretary of State operates the centralized geauxBIZ business portal. Professional licensing in Louisiana is decentralized across dozens of individual boards, each with its own licensee lookup.

• Louisiana Secretary of State UCC searchFinancing statements and liens filed statewide
• Louisiana State Board of Medical ExaminersPhysician and allied health license status and discipline
• Louisiana State Bar Association membership directoryLicensed Louisiana lawyers with bar status
• Louisiana Real Estate Commission license searchReal estate agents, brokers and firms
• Louisiana State Board of DentistryDentists and dental hygienists licensed in Louisiana

• Orleans Parish Sheriff's OfficeRuns the parish jail for New Orleans
• East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's OfficeRuns the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison

The Louisiana Department of Health Vital Records Registry maintains statewide birth, death, marriage, and divorce records. Birth records are restricted for 100 years and can only be issued to the individual, immediate family, or authorized legal representatives. Death records become open after 50 years. Marriage records from Orleans Parish are specifically held at the state level; marriage records from all other parishes are primarily maintained by the parish Clerk of Court where the license was issued.

Louisiana voter records are considered public under state law, but bulk access requires a formal request through the Secretary of State and is restricted for commercial resale. Individuals can verify their own registration through the GeauxVote portal.

• Louisiana Voter PortalCheck your own registration, polling place and ballot

• Louisiana State ArchivesColonial, military and genealogy records back to French and Spanish rule
• New Orleans Public Library, City Archives and Special CollectionsCity records of New Orleans back to the 1700s
• Chronicling America, Louisiana newspapersDigitized historic Louisiana newspapers from the Library of Congress

Each of Louisiana's 64 parishes has its own clerk of court, sheriff and assessor, and how much is online differs from parish to parish. The most populous parishes are East Baton Rouge, Jefferson, Orleans, St. Tammany, Lafayette, Caddo, Calcasieu, Livingston and Rapides. For a parish by parish list, see our Louisiana Parish Public Records index.

Think parish, not county: every local search starts by finding the right parish.

Civil law terms: "succession" is the Louisiana word for probate, "usufruct" is a right to use property for life and "community property" is the default regime for married couples.

Orleans Parish is different: it has separate civil and criminal courts, each with its own clerk, and the Civil Clerk keeps the land records.

One clerk, many records: the parish clerk of court keeps court filings, land records, mortgages, marriage licenses and UCC filings, so one office can answer several questions.

Search the assessor too: the clerk has the deed, while the assessor has the value, the homestead exemption and the tax roll. A full property search needs both.

Researcher Tip: When a subject's succession (probate) is open in one parish but they owned property in another, ancillary successions are typically filed in every parish where real property exists. Check multiple parish Clerk of Court indexes for heirs, executors, and asset transfers.

Louisiana passed the Louisiana Data Privacy Act in 2026 (Act 502, La. R.S. 51:1780.1 and following). It takes effect on January 1, 2027, sets rules for how larger businesses handle personal data and does not close public records.

Privacy Note: The Secretary of State runs the Address Confidentiality Program (La. R.S. 44:51 to 44:57). It gives relocated victims of abuse, sexual assault or stalking a substitute address to use on driver's licenses, voter registration and other state and local records.

FCRA Reminder: Records obtained through the free public portals linked on this page cannot be used for employment, housing, or credit decisions unless run through a compliant Consumer Reporting Agency.