I own a home in Louisiana
Homestead exemption, property taxes, assessments, deeds, and hurricane damage.
LOUISIANA GUIDE
Life in Louisiana comes
with its own rules.
Know what comes next.
From homestead exemptions and property taxes to court records, hurricanes, and starting a business, CountyOffices gives you clear Louisiana-specific guidance for the things that matter.
Reviewed against official Louisiana government sources • Updated as laws and requirements change
What brings you here today?
I own a home in Louisiana
Louisiana's homestead exemption is generous compared to most states: it exempts the first $75,000 of market value (effectively the first $7,500 of assessed value, since Louisiana assesses residential property at 10%) from parish property tax - the exemption applies to only one home and doesn't cover municipal taxes from cities, towns, or villages, or fire/crime district fees layered on top. Apply through your parish Assessor; if you forgot to file, assessors can generally process retroactive exemptions for the last three years. Your property's value is set by the parish Assessor, but the actual tax bill is collected by the parish Sheriff's office, which serves as ex officio tax collector in every parish except Orleans, where the City of New Orleans handles collection instead. Deeds are recorded with the Clerk of Court, the same office that also functions as parish Recorder of Mortgages and Conveyances in most parishes.
Sources: Louisiana Constitution Article VII, Louisiana Legislative Auditor, parish Assessor and Sheriff offices
I'm buying or selling property
Closings, title searches, documents, mineral rights, and property records.
I'm buying or selling property
Louisiana's civil law tradition means real estate closings work through a notary - Louisiana is the only state where a licensed notary can prepare and execute the act of sale, though attorneys often serve this role too. Deeds are recorded with the parish Clerk of Court, who also serves as Recorder of Mortgages and Conveyances in most parishes (Orleans Parish has separate offices for these functions). A title search through the Clerk's records confirms there are no outstanding liens before closing, and in Louisiana this search should specifically also check for any mineral servitudes or existing mineral leases, since oil and gas rights are commonly severed from surface ownership here and won't necessarily convey with the land. Once you buy, apply for the $75,000 homestead exemption through the parish Assessor if you'll occupy the home as your primary residence - it never transfers with a sale, so new owners must file their own application.
Sources: parish Clerk of Court offices, Louisiana Land Title Association
I'm preparing for hurricane season
Permits, evacuation info, insurance documents, parish resources, and emergency alerts.
I'm preparing for hurricane season
Louisiana's hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, and preparation here involves more layers than in most coastal states: know your specific flood zone, whether your property sits within a levee district (and which one - levee districts collect their own assessments, separate from parish property tax), and your parish's evacuation zone designation, since evacuation routes and contraflow plans are parish- and region-specific. Before a storm threatens, keep your homeowner's and flood insurance current (standard homeowner's policies don't cover flood damage in Louisiana any more than elsewhere) and document your property's condition. After a storm, your parish Assessor can adjust valuations for damaged property, and the parish Clerk of Court holds the property records you'll need for insurance and any FEMA claims if a federal disaster is declared. Building or repair permits after storm damage go through your parish or municipal building department, and rebuilding in a flood zone may trigger additional elevation or floodproofing requirements.
Sources: Louisiana Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, FEMA, parish Emergency Management offices
Someone passed away
Succession, wills, forced heirship, and parish court filing.
Someone passed away
Settling an estate in Louisiana is called a succession, not probate - a direct legacy of the state's civil law tradition - and it's filed with the District Court in the parish where the deceased lived. Louisiana's forced heirship law is genuinely unique among U.S. states: children who are under 24, or who have a permanent physical or mental disability regardless of age, are "forced heirs" who cannot be entirely disinherited and are legally entitled to a reserved portion of the estate (the "legitime"), regardless of what a will says. This significantly shapes estate planning for anyone with young or disabled children in Louisiana in a way that's simply not a factor in the other 49 states. Louisiana offers a simplified small succession process for estates under a statutory value threshold. If the deceased had the homestead exemption on their home, an heir can generally be granted the exemption without opening a full judicial succession, though an assessor may decline this if there's a will - otherwise, whoever inherits and occupies the home should apply through the parish Assessor.
Sources: Louisiana Civil Code Articles 1493-1495, Louisiana Courts, Loyola University College of Law
I'm getting married or divorced
Marriage licenses, divorce filing, community property, and name changes.
I'm getting married or divorced
Marriage licenses are issued by the parish Clerk of Court, both parties apply together with photo ID and a certified birth certificate, and Louisiana has a 24-hour waiting period between application and ceremony (reduced from 72 hours in 2018; a judge can waive it, and it doesn't apply to out-of-state residents marrying in New Orleans). The license is valid for 30 days. Louisiana uniquely offers a second marriage option: "covenant marriage," which requires premarital counseling and limits future divorce to specific fault grounds rather than Louisiana's standard no-fault path - a distinctly Louisiana institution not available elsewhere. Divorce is filed in District Court, and Louisiana requires 6 months of residency. Because Louisiana is a community property state, property acquired during the marriage is generally owned equally and split 50/50 at divorce - a more specific standard than the "equitable but not necessarily equal" approach most states use. Marriage records, once filed, are held by the parish Clerk of Court where the license was issued.
Sources: Louisiana Courts, parish Clerk of Court offices, Louisiana Civil Code Articles 86-103.1, 2325-2369.8
I have oil, gas, or mineral rights
Leases, royalties, mineral servitudes, and parish land records.
I have oil, gas, or mineral rights
Louisiana's civil law system treats mineral rights differently than most states: rather than a permanent severed ownership interest, Louisiana law generally recognizes a "mineral servitude" - a real right to explore for and produce minerals that, if unused for a continuous 10 years, prescribes (expires) and reverts back to the surface landowner. This is genuinely different from common-law states, where severed mineral rights typically persist indefinitely regardless of use. If you're buying land or researching inherited property, check the parish Clerk of Court's records for any active mineral servitudes, leases, or royalty interests, and note their status regarding the 10-year prescription clock - a servitude that hasn't been "used" (drilled, produced, or otherwise exercised) within that window may have already lapsed. If you receive mineral royalties, this income has its own tax treatment separate from ordinary property tax. Mineral lease and royalty documents are recorded with the parish Clerk of Court, the same office handling other real property records.
Sources: Louisiana Mineral Code, parish Clerk of Court offices, Louisiana Dept. of Natural Resources
I need an official record
Birth, death, marriage, court, property, and business records.
I need an official record
Birth and death certificates come from the Louisiana Vital Records Registry, a state-level office, though some parish health units can also assist. Marriage records are held by the parish Clerk of Court where the license was issued. Property records - deeds, mortgages, liens, mineral servitudes - are recorded and searchable through the parish Clerk of Court, who also functions as Recorder of Mortgages and Conveyances in most parishes; Orleans Parish is an exception, with separate Recorder of Mortgages, Register of Conveyances, and Notarial Archives offices. Court records for civil, criminal, and succession (Louisiana's term for probate) cases also come from the Clerk of Court. Business entity records are filed with the Louisiana Secretary of State, searchable statewide. Property tax bills come from the parish Sheriff's office (except in Orleans, where the City of New Orleans handles collection), a separate office from the parish Assessor, who sets the underlying property value.
Sources: Louisiana Vital Records Registry, parish Clerk of Court offices, Louisiana Secretary of State
I'm starting or running a business
Licenses, permits, EIN, sales tax, and parish requirements.
I'm starting or running a business
Registering a business in Louisiana starts with the Secretary of State, where you file to form an LLC or corporation and register a trade name. From there, most businesses register with the Louisiana Dept. of Revenue for a sales tax certificate if they'll sell taxable goods or services, and get an EIN from the IRS if they're not a sole proprietor with no employees. Louisiana's sales tax system is notably layered: the state rate combines with parish and local rates that vary considerably, and some parishes require separate local sales tax registration in addition to the state one, since Louisiana doesn't have a single unified state-and-local collection system the way most states do. Local occupational licenses and permits vary by parish and municipality. If you're forming a business entity, note that Louisiana's civil law tradition means some contract and business law concepts (like the treatment of certain security interests) differ from common-law states, so a Louisiana-licensed attorney's input is worth the cost for anything beyond the simplest formation.
Sources: Louisiana Secretary of State, Louisiana Dept. of Revenue, IRS
How-To Guides for Louisiana
How do I access court records?
Read guide →How do I appeal my property tax assessment?
Read guide →How do I find an inmate or search a jail roster?
Read guide →How do I find and access senior services?
Read guide →How do I get a business license?
Read guide →How do I get a copy of a birth certificate?
Read guide →How do I get a copy of a death certificate?
Read guide →How do I get a marriage license?
Read guide →How do I pay my property taxes?
Read guide →How do I register to vote or check my registration?
Read guide →How to Research Your Family History in Louisiana
Read guide →Louisiana Statewide Probate Guide (Succession Guide)
Read guide →Open Records
Read guide →Louisiana works differently. Here's what to know.
Louisiana Follows Civil Law
Louisiana is the only state built on civil law rather than common law, which shapes property, inheritance, and court procedure.
Louisiana Follows Civil Law
Every other U.S. state operates under common law, a legal tradition inherited from England built on judicial precedent. Louisiana is the sole exception: its legal system descends from French and Spanish civil law, codified primarily in the Louisiana Civil Code, and the differences aren't just academic - they touch everyday property and family matters directly. Settling an estate is called a "succession," not probate. Forced heirship guarantees a share of an estate to minor or disabled children in a way no other state requires. Mineral rights work as a "servitude" that can expire if unused for 10 years, unlike the indefinitely persisting severed mineral rights common elsewhere. Real estate closings use a notary in a formal civil-law role, not simply a witness. If you're used to how property, inheritance, or contracts work in any other state, don't assume the same rules apply in Louisiana - the underlying legal framework itself is different, not just the local procedures built on top of it.
Sources: Louisiana Civil Code, Louisiana State Bar Association
Succession, Not Probate
Settling an estate in Louisiana is called a succession, and forced heirship rules can affect who inherits.
Succession, Not Probate
Every other state calls the process of settling a deceased person's estate "probate." Louisiana calls it a "succession" - a civil law term reflecting the state's distinct legal tradition, filed with the District Court in the parish where the deceased lived. The underlying goal is similar (identifying heirs, paying debts, transferring assets), but Louisiana succession law includes forced heirship, a mandatory protection for minor or disabled children that has no real equivalent in the other 49 states' probate systems. Louisiana offers a small succession process for modest estates, letting heirs settle without the full formal proceeding. If you're searching for guidance written for "probate" from a national source, be aware the Louisiana-specific process, terminology, and forced heirship rules will diverge from what you read - Louisiana succession law genuinely isn't just a renamed version of probate elsewhere.
Sources: Louisiana Civil Code, Louisiana Courts
The Sheriff Collects Taxes
In most parishes, the Sheriff serves as ex officio tax collector, while the Assessor sets property values.
The Sheriff Collects Taxes
In most states, property tax collection runs through a Treasurer or Tax Collector, entirely separate from law enforcement. Louisiana combines the two: in every parish except Orleans, the elected Sheriff serves as ex officio tax collector, billing and collecting ad valorem (property) taxes on top of the Sheriff's usual law enforcement duties. The Sheriff isn't the one who sets your property's value - that's a separate elected office, the parish Assessor - but once the value is set, the tax bill and collection run through the Sheriff's office. Orleans Parish is the one exception statewide: there, the City of New Orleans handles ad valorem tax collection rather than the Sheriff. If you're paying property tax anywhere in Louisiana outside Orleans, expect your payment to go to the Sheriff's office, not a Treasurer, which can surprise people moving in from other states.
Sources: Louisiana Constitution Article V Section 27, Louisiana Legislative Auditor, parish Sheriff offices
Forced Heirship Protects Heirs
Louisiana law can guarantee a share of an estate to certain children, unlike most other states.
Forced Heirship Protects Heirs
Louisiana is the only U.S. state with forced heirship, a civil law inheritance protection with no real equivalent elsewhere in the country. A parent generally can't fully disinherit a "forced heir" - defined as a child under 24 years old, or a child of any age with a permanent physical or mental disability that leaves them unable to care for themselves or manage their affairs. Forced heirs are legally entitled to a reserved portion of the estate, called the "legitime," regardless of what the parent's will says; only the remaining "disposable portion" can be freely given to others. This rule was significantly narrowed by a 1996 constitutional amendment - historically, all children of any age were forced heirs - but it remains a genuine, binding constraint on estate planning for anyone in Louisiana with young or disabled children. If you're drafting a will and have children who might qualify as forced heirs, this isn't optional guidance to consider - it's a legal requirement that shapes what the will can actually accomplish.
Sources: Louisiana Civil Code Articles 1493-1495, Loyola University College of Law
Homestead Exemption
Owner-occupied homes may be exempt from parish property tax on a set amount of assessed value.
Homestead Exemption
Louisiana's homestead exemption is among the most generous in the country: it exempts the first $75,000 of a primary residence's market value (effectively the first $7,500 of assessed value, since Louisiana taxes residential property at a 10% assessment ratio) from parish ad valorem property tax entirely. This means many modest Louisiana homes owe little to no parish property tax at all. The exemption applies to only one home per owner and covers only parish taxes - it doesn't reduce municipal taxes owed to a city, town, or village, nor does it apply to fire or crime district fees that might appear on the same bill. Apply through your parish Assessor; the exemption isn't automatic. If you missed applying in a prior year, most assessors will process retroactive exemptions going back up to three years, so it's worth checking if you've owned and occupied a home without realizing you never filed.
Sources: Louisiana Constitution Article VII Section 20, parish Assessor offices
Hurricane & Levee Risk
Flood zones, levee districts, permits, and recovery deadlines matter after a storm.
Hurricane & Levee Risk
Louisiana's flood risk is shaped by a layer of infrastructure most states don't have to think about: an extensive network of levee districts, each with its own board of commissioners, that assess property owners within their boundaries for levee maintenance and improvement - a separate charge from parish property tax, collected in most parishes by the Sheriff as ex officio tax collector for the levee district. Whether your property sits within a levee district, and which one, genuinely affects your flood risk profile and your tax bill. FEMA flood zone designations, evacuation zone numbers, and levee district boundaries are three separate, overlapping systems that don't map perfectly onto each other, so understanding your specific risk means checking all three rather than assuming one covers it. After a storm, recovery involves parish-level permitting for repairs (which may trigger elevation requirements in flood zones), state-level disaster declarations, and potentially federal FEMA assistance - three levels of process that often run on different timelines.
Sources: Louisiana Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, FEMA, Louisiana levee district boards
The questions Louisiana residents actually ask
Louisiana county records as a traditional category require some explanation: Louisiana has no counties. The state is divided into 64 parishes, which function as the equivalent of counties in every practical sense. Researchers searching for Louisiana county records will find those records at the parish level, held by the Clerk of Court, Parish Assessor, Sheriff, and other parish officers. The terminology differs from other states, but the types of records available, including property records, court files, and vital records, are comparable to what county offices hold in the other 49 states.
Louisiana county records equivalents are distributed across parish-level offices and state agencies. Many Clerks of Court provide online conveyance and mortgage record searching through parish websites or the Louisiana Clerk of Court Association's statewide portal. The Louisiana Secretary of State provides free online business entity searching. Vital records require ordering through the Louisiana Department of Health. For Louisiana county records not available online, the Public Records Law at Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 44:1 requires agencies to respond within three business days. Coverage and digitization depth vary significantly between urban parishes like Orleans and Jefferson and rural parishes.
Louisiana birth and death certificates from 1918 onward are maintained by the Louisiana Department of Health, Vital Records Registry in New Orleans. Certified copies can be ordered online through VitalChek, by mail, or in person at the New Orleans office. Birth records are restricted to the individual named, immediate family members, and legal representatives. Pre-1918 births and deaths are found in Catholic Church sacramental records, county registers, and territorial records held by the Louisiana State Archives and the Historic New Orleans Collection. Church baptismal and burial records often provide the most complete documentation for colonial-era Louisiana families.
Louisiana county records for real property are held by the Clerk of Court in the parish where the property is located. The Clerk of Court records conveyances (the civil law equivalent of deeds), mortgages, donations, and other instruments affecting real property. Many parishes provide online conveyance and mortgage record searching through their Clerk of Court websites or through the Louisiana Clerk of Court Association portal. Property tax assessment data is held by the Parish Assessor, and property tax collection records are maintained by the Sheriff as ex officio tax collector. Researchers must contact all three offices for a complete picture of a Louisiana property's record history.
Online access to Louisiana county records for court matters varies by parish. Some district courts provide online case information through their own portals. The Louisiana Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal publish decisions online. For trial court records, contact the Clerk of Court in the parish where the case was filed. Louisiana court records use civil law terminology that may differ from researchers' expectations: cases involving estates are succession proceedings, property disputes may involve petitory actions or possessory actions, and commercial disputes often involve civilian law concepts. Fees for certified copies of court documents are set by state statute and vary by document type.
The Louisiana State Archives in Baton Rouge is the primary repository for historical Louisiana county records equivalents, holding transferred parish records and colonial-era documents. The Historic New Orleans Collection and Tulane University's Special Collections hold extensive manuscript materials. Catholic diocesan archives in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Lafayette hold sacramental records essential for colonial and 19th-century research. The Louisiana State Museum holds additional historical collections. FamilySearch has digitized significant Louisiana parish records. For African American ancestry research, Freedmen's Bureau records available through the National Archives and FamilySearch are critical supplements to official Louisiana county records from the post-Civil War period.
Louisiana's Public Records Law at Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 44:1 et seq. provides public access to records held by state agencies and parish governments. Submit a written request to the custodian of records at the relevant parish agency or the Clerk of Court. The agency must respond within three business days. No reason for the request is required. Fees are limited to actual costs of reproduction. If a request is denied, the requester may seek a writ of mandamus in district court to compel disclosure of Louisiana county records that were improperly withheld. The Louisiana Attorney General's office provides guidance on public records compliance.
In Louisiana's civil law system, a succession is the process by which a deceased person's estate is administered and distributed, equivalent to probate in common law states. Louisiana county records for successions are filed with the Clerk of Court in the parish of the decedent's domicile. Louisiana succession law includes distinctive civil law features including forced heirship, which requires that legitimate descendants receive a minimum portion of the estate regardless of the will's terms. Succession records include the petition, inventory, tableau of distribution, and judgment of possession, documents that differ in form from common law probate records but cover similar information about the estate and heirs.
Marriage records in Louisiana are maintained both locally by the Clerk of Court in the parish where the marriage license was issued and at the state level by the Louisiana Department of Health for records from 1946 onward. To obtain a copy, contact the Clerk of Court in the relevant parish or the state Vital Records office. Historical Louisiana county records for marriages before 1946 are found in Clerk of Court files and Catholic Church sacramental registers. FamilySearch provides indexed Louisiana marriage records from many parishes and time periods. Colonial-era marriages are documented primarily in Catholic Church records held by diocesan archives.
Louisiana criminal history records are maintained by the Louisiana State Police, Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information. The public can request a criminal background check through the State Police online portal for a fee. Individual parish-level criminal case records within Louisiana county records equivalents are accessible through the Clerk of Court in the parish where the case was filed or through district court online portals where available. Certified criminal history information requires a formal State Police request. Some Louisiana records may be expunged under Louisiana expungement statutes upon petition to the district court.
Fees for Louisiana county records equivalents vary by parish and record type. Louisiana's Public Records Law limits copying fees to the actual cost of reproduction. Certified copies of conveyances and mortgage records carry per-page fees set by state statute. The Louisiana Department of Health charges fixed fees for certified copies of birth, death, and marriage certificates. Clerk of Court fees for certified copies of succession documents and court records are set by state law. Parish Assessor fees for certified assessment records vary by parish. Contacting the relevant office before submitting a request is the best way to confirm current fee schedules.
In most Louisiana parishes, the Sheriff serves as the ex officio Tax Collector, billing and collecting property taxes rather than a separate treasurer or tax collector office. Louisiana county records for property tax payment history are therefore held by the Sheriff's office. Property tax bills are generated from the Parish Assessor's valuation rolls and delivered by the Sheriff. Delinquent property taxes result in a tax sale process administered by the Sheriff. Researchers seeking property tax payment history in Louisiana should contact the Sheriff's office in the relevant parish rather than a county treasurer, as no such office exists in the Louisiana parish system.
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Important Deadlines in Louisiana
Louisiana's property tax calendar centers on a genuinely distinctive "open rolls" period unique to this state: each parish's tax rolls open for public inspection for a set window in mid-to-late summer, and this is your only chance each year to review your assessment and preserve any right to contest it.
Important Deadlines in Louisiana
Louisiana's property tax calendar centers on a genuinely distinctive "open rolls" period unique to this state: each parish's tax rolls open for public inspection for a set window in mid-to-late summer, and this is your only chance each year to review your assessment and preserve any right to contest it. Exact dates vary meaningfully by parish - Orleans Parish traditionally opens mid-July, while most other parishes open mid-to-late August, each with its own specific close date and appeal deadline. Under a 2022 law change, you must furnish the Assessor with all supporting information for your valuation before the deadline for filing a Board of Review appeal, not after, so gather your evidence before the open rolls period rather than during it. Homestead exemption applications don't carry a fixed annual deadline the way some states require, but new homeowners should file with their parish Assessor as soon as possible after purchase to ensure the exemption applies to their first eligible tax year. Property tax bills are typically due by December 31, collected by the parish Sheriff acting as ex officio tax collector in most parishes. If you're appealing a Louisiana Tax Commission decision, that appeal deadline is a firm 30 days from when the decision is entered.
Sources: Louisiana Tax Commission, parish Assessor and Sheriff offices, Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 47
Property Tax Appeals in Louisiana
Louisiana's genuinely distinctive appeal structure runs entirely through the "open rolls" period specific to your parish - this window (typically mid-summer, with exact dates and lengths varying meaningfully by parish) is your only opportunity each year to challenge your property's assessed value, and missing it means waiting until the following year.
Property Tax Appeals in Louisiana
Louisiana's genuinely distinctive appeal structure runs entirely through the "open rolls" period specific to your parish - this window (typically mid-summer, with exact dates and lengths varying meaningfully by parish) is your only opportunity each year to challenge your property's assessed value, and missing it means waiting until the following year. Under a 2022 law change, you must provide the Assessor with all supporting evidence for your valuation - comparable sales, an independent appraisal, documentation of a factual error - before the Board of Review appeal deadline, not merely before your hearing, so prepare your case in advance of the open rolls period rather than during it. The Board of Review deadline itself typically falls just a few days after open rolls closes for your specific parish, so confirm your parish's exact dates directly with the Assessor's office rather than assuming a standard statewide calendar. If the parish Board of Review doesn't resolve things in your favor, further appeal to the Louisiana Tax Commission is available, and Commission decisions themselves carry a firm 30-day appeal deadline (running from when the decision is entered) if you want to escalate further to district court.
Read the full property tax appeal guide →
Sources: Louisiana Tax Commission, parish Assessor and Board of Review offices, La. R.S. 47:1992 and 47:1998
Public Records Access in Louisiana
Louisiana's public records law presumes that records held by state and local government agencies are open to public inspection, and like most states' open-records laws, you generally don't need to explain your reason for a request or demonstrate a personal interest in the records.
Public Records Access in Louisiana
Louisiana's public records law presumes that records held by state and local government agencies are open to public inspection, and like most states' open-records laws, you generally don't need to explain your reason for a request or demonstrate a personal interest in the records. Agencies must respond within 3 business days, and cite a specific statutory exemption if a request is denied - common exemptions include certain law enforcement investigative records, personnel and medical information, and other categories the legislature has carved out. Louisiana's Clerk of Court, an elected parish official, genuinely wears many hats: real estate records (deeds, mortgages, mineral leases), civil and criminal court records, marriage licenses, and notarial records typically all run through this single office - a broader combination than a typical county Recorder in most states. Succession (Louisiana's term for probate) records also come through the Clerk of Court's office, filed with the district court. Business entity records are filed with the Louisiana Secretary of State, searchable statewide. Property valuation and open rolls records go through your parish Assessor, a separate office from the Clerk of Court. If a records request is denied, disputes can ultimately go to district court, and Louisiana law provides for genuinely fast judicial review of records access disputes.
Read the full open records guide →
Sources: Louisiana Attorney General's Office, La. R.S. 44:1 et seq. (Public Records Law), parish Clerk of Court and Assessor offices
Storm & Recovery Help in Louisiana
Louisiana's hurricane season runs officially June 1 through November 30, and the state's low-lying, coastal geography - combined with an extensive levee system protecting much of southeastern Louisiana - means genuine flood risk extends well beyond direct hurricane strikes.
Storm & Recovery Help in Louisiana
Louisiana's hurricane season runs officially June 1 through November 30, and the state's low-lying, coastal geography - combined with an extensive levee system protecting much of southeastern Louisiana - means genuine flood risk extends well beyond direct hurricane strikes. Know your specific evacuation zone before hurricane season, since Louisiana parishes maintain contraflow evacuation routes and zone-based orders that assume residents already understand their risk level and zone number. Levee district status matters genuinely here too - properties protected by levees still face real risk from levee failure or overtopping in a severe enough storm, so understand your specific flood zone designation (which affects both risk and flood insurance requirements) regardless of levee protection. Your parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness coordinates local response and maintains current evacuation and storm information. After a storm causes damage, your parish Assessor can adjust your property's valuation to reflect the damage, and if a federal disaster is declared, FEMA assistance becomes available for both individuals and parish governments - Louisiana has genuine, extensive experience with major disaster declarations and the FEMA process. Insurance claims should be filed promptly with documentation (photos, a written inventory), and flood insurance specifically (separate from standard homeowner's coverage) is essential in most of Louisiana's flood-prone parishes.
Sources: Louisiana Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, FEMA, parish Office of Emergency Preparedness and Assessor offices
New to Louisiana?
As a new Louisiana resident, check with the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles for the current specific window to transfer your out-of-state driver's license and register your vehicle.
New to Louisiana?
As a new Louisiana resident, check with the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles for the current specific window to transfer your out-of-state driver's license and register your vehicle. If you've purchased a home, file for the Homestead Exemption with your parish Assessor as soon as possible - Louisiana doesn't impose a strict statewide filing deadline the way many states do, but filing promptly ensures it applies to your first eligible tax year. Remember Louisiana follows civil law rather than the common law system used in every other state - this genuinely shapes property, inheritance (called "succession" here, not "probate"), and even some court procedures in ways that differ from what you might expect coming from elsewhere. Register to vote through your parish Registrar of Voters or the Louisiana Secretary of State's online system. Property tax bills are typically due by December 31, collected by your parish Sheriff acting as ex officio tax collector. If you're purchasing rural land, verify mineral rights and any existing mineral servitudes specifically, since oil and gas interests in Louisiana are frequently owned separately from the surface land, and a servitude not used for 10 years can prescribe (expire) - genuinely worth understanding before assuming a deed conveys complete rights to everything beneath the surface.
Sources: Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles, Louisiana Tax Commission, parish Assessor and Clerk of Court offices, Louisiana Secretary of State
Find the services available in your county
Louisiana laws apply statewide, but offices, services, procedures and local requirements can vary by county. Select your county for verified local offices, services and official resources.
All 64 Louisiana parishes
Browse every parish and parish seat.
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Red River ParishCoushattaRichland ParishRayvilleSabine ParishManySt. Bernard ParishChalmetteSt. Charles ParishHahnvilleSt. Helena ParishGreensburgSt. James ParishConventSt. John the Baptist ParishEdgardSt. Landry ParishOpelousasSt. Martin ParishSt. MartinvilleSt. Mary ParishFranklinSt. Tammany ParishCovingtonTangipahoa ParishAmiteTensas ParishSt. JosephTerrebonne ParishHoumaUnion ParishFarmervilleVermilion ParishAbbevilleVernon ParishLeesvilleWashington ParishFranklintonWebster ParishMindenWest Baton Rouge ParishPort AllenWest Carroll ParishOak GroveWest Feliciana ParishSt. FrancisvilleWinn ParishWinnfield
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Sources and References
- Louisiana Public Records Law, Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 44:1 et seq.
- Louisiana State Archives: sos.la.gov/HistoricalResources
- Louisiana Department of Health, Vital Records: ldh.la.gov/vital-records
- Louisiana Supreme Court: lasc.org
- Louisiana Secretary of State, Business: sos.la.gov/BusinessServices
- Louisiana Secretary of State, Elections: sos.la.gov/ElectionsAndVoting
- Louisiana State Police, Criminal Records: lsp.org
64PARISHES COVEREDAcross Louisiana
4.6M+RESIDENTS REPRESENTEDLouisiana population covered
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VerifiedSOURCED TO OFFICIAL RESOURCESEvery guide links to primary government sources