Louisiana Public Records: How to Perform a Louisiana Public Records Search

There is no shortage of reasons why you may need to search public records in Louisiana. 

To this effect, this article aims to show you various routes to take in your quest to find Louisiana public records to get the valuable information that you need.

Louisiana Public Records: Criminal Records

Louisiana public records, such as criminal records, can be outrightly procured by running a name-based criminal record search (for $26) at the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification. 

But before that, interested requesters must set up an account with the bureau's online platform and be authorized by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety. 

The criminal record application must feature a disclosure form and the service charge before being mailed to:

Louisiana State Police,
Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information,
P.O. Box 66614 (Mail Slip A-6),
Baton Rouge, LA 70896

In-person requests can be directed to the Bureau at its office at 7919 Independence Boulevard, Baton Rouge, LA. 

The fees charged by the bureau include a $26 and $10 fee for processing and fingerprinting respectively. 

Louisiana Public Records Court Records

When you establish contact with the clerk of the court where the case of interest to you was filed, you'd have been a few steps closer to obtaining the public record in question. 

While a few courts have official application forms that can be used to file public record requests, others may request you provide a written request.

The application template will make provision for including certain information that'll make the search easier such as the case number or the name of the parties named on the court record. 

You'd also be made to present your identification details and pay the associated service fees, especially those for the reproduction of the sought-after record.

Some parishes allow you to mail your court record request. 

Others like the Webster parish have their courts provide online portals where persons can search for case records after registering on the portal and paying the applicable subscription fees.

Louisiana Public Records: Marriage Records 

On one hand, the Vital Records Registry is responsible for the custody of marriage records that are no more than 50 years for marriages that happened in Orleans parish. 

These public records in Louisiana can be ordered online, in person, or by making mailed requests to the relevant authority at the cost of $5 per copy. 

This Louisiana public records request application packet must include this service charge and the identification of the requester before being submitted to the address:

Vital Records Central Office
Suite 400
1450 Poydras Street
New Orleans, LA 70112

For marriage records older than 50 years, requesters can forward their complete request application to the Louisiana State Archives. 

On the other hand, those marriages, 50 years old at most, that were recorded outside of Orleans parish are documented in marriage records kept at the court clerk of the parish in question. 

In the same vein, those that are older than 50 years are filed at the State Archives and can be released on request. 

Public Records Louisiana: Divorce Records

In most cases, locating the Office of the Court Clerk in the parish where the divorce was granted is the more straightforward route to finding divorce records. 

Chief among the information required to be presented by the requester includes the name of the parties named in the record, the date, and the place(parish) where the divorce took place or was finalized.

Others include the divorce certificate number, their relationship with the record owner, provision of valid identification, and payment of the applicable fees(with the cost varying across different parishes).

Public Records Louisiana: Birth Records

The Louisiana Department of Health can give out certified copies of Louisiana birth records that are no older than 100 years. 

The service fee for the certificate goes from $9 for the short-form copy to $15 for the long-form copy, with mail-in requests incurring an extra $0.5 per order.

The requests must feature the identification of the interested person, the applicable fees, and the already filled-out application, all rolled into an envelope and submitted to:

Vital Records Central Office
Suite 400
1450 Poydras Street
New Orleans, LA 70112

As with death records, the Louisiana Clerks of Court (statewide) or designated Vital record kiosks are known to entertain in-person birth record requests, for an extra cost. 

Mail requests can also be directed to the Bureau of Vital Records and Statistics at an additional fifty cents per copy. 

For birth records older than 100 years, you can order the record of interest to you from the Louisiana State Archives.

Louisiana Public Records: Death Records

Death records filed at least 50 years ago can be collected by eligible persons in Louisiana, and they are Lousiana public records. 

These persons can take up any of three search options—online, in person, and by mail, all of which will cost $7 as specified by the bureau. 

In-person requests proceed by way of an application, featuring the application fee and the identification of the requester. 

It'll then be submitted to the Vital Records Central Office address as previously provided.

Alternatively, you can visit a host of Vital Record kiosks and Louisiana Clerks of Court, although this often comes at the cost of some extra charges. 

Likewise, you can mail your completed request application together with the requisite payment and proper identification documents to the address:

Bureau of Vital Records,
PO Box 60630,
New Orleans, LA 70610