Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Washington Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness – coordinated with the Sheriff’s Office and the Washington Parish Communications District (911), 54100 Dollar Rd, Franklinton, LA | (985) 839-5625.
Sheriff: Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office – 1002 Main Street, Franklinton, LA 70438 | (985) 839-3434 | Fax (985) 839-7804; Sheriff Jason Smith, sworn in 2024, an LSU graduate and retired U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel (two combat deployments to Iraq, Silver Star and Bronze Star recipient); 99 regular deputies. Washington Parish Jail – 1002 Main Street, Franklinton, LA | (985) 839-3434 | Fax (985) 839-7834; full-service facility rated for 200+ beds; a new jail facility is planned near the Emergency Operations Center. Bogalusa satellite office – 302 Mississippi Avenue, Bogalusa, LA | (985) 661-2021.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-190 serves Franklinton, the parish seat, in Southeast Louisiana near the Mississippi border, with Bogalusa as the parish’s largest city.
Notes: Washington Parish is named for President George Washington.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Washington Parish Courthouse – 908 Washington St, Franklinton, LA | (985) 839-4663.
Notes: Bogalusa, founded in 1906-1907 as a company town by the Great Southern Lumber Company (once operator of the world’s largest sawmill, earning the city its “Magic City” nickname), is genuinely the birthplace of the first affiliated chapter of the Deacons for Defense and Justice – a Black self-defense organization founded in Jonesboro, Louisiana in 1964. The Bogalusa chapter, founded February 21, 1965 by Robert “Bob” Hicks and others, organized armed protection for civil rights activists and their families against Klan violence during a period locals sometimes called “Klantown USA.” Hicks’s home, now on the National Register of Historic Places (2015) – the first African American historic site in Washington Parish to receive that designation – is being converted into a civil rights museum and multicultural center.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Washington Parish Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via wpgov.org.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Washington Parish Library System – confirm current address/phone via wpgov.org.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Robert “Bob” Hicks House (future civil rights museum), and Bogalusa’s historic mill-town district are the parish’s notable historic sites.
Notes: The genuine Deacons for Defense and Justice origin story is one of the most historically significant civil-rights facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Washington Parish Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via wpgov.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Washington Parish Animal Shelter – 23046 YACC Road, Franklinton, LA 70438 | (985) 205-2023 | Email: [email protected]; a “no-kill for population” shelter, though sick/injured/aggressive or illegally abandoned animals may be handled differently; not an emergency intake service and has no on-staff veterinarian; relinquishments by appointment only. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM (some listings show 10 AM-2 PM Tue-Fri – confirm current schedule).
Washington Humane Society of Louisiana and Magnolia Chapter – supports the parish shelter and Bogalusa Animal Control | (985) 241-4290 option 5 | Email: [email protected]; runs a high-volume, low-cost spay/neuter program (over 14,000 animals since 2009).
Office: Washington Parish Police Jury Public Works – confirm current contact via wpgov.org.
NOTES: Washington Parish is the fifth parish in the final (tenth) batch of the Louisiana v2 A+ sourced standard. The genuine Deacons for Defense and Justice origin story is one of the most historically significant civil-rights facts covered anywhere in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Washington Parish County
Washington Parish is the home of the Deacons for Defense – Bogalusa’s armed Civil Rights self-defense organization was one of the most significant responses to Klan terror in the South, and the movement’s courage in the face of extreme racial violence is one of Louisiana’s most important Civil Rights stories.
Franklinton (the parish seat, population ~3,800) and Bogalusa (population ~11,000) serve the parish’s piney hills communities near the Mississippi border.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Washington Parish Assessor at 908 Washington Street, Suite 2, Franklinton, LA 70438, phone 985-839-7815. LA residential assessed at 10% of fair market value; $75,000 homestead exemption.
Courts & Legal
Washington Parish Clerk of Court at 908 Washington Street, Franklinton, LA 70438, phone 985-839-7821, handles successions.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF COURT (Records, Vital Records, Mortgages)
908 Main St., Franklinton, LA 70438
(985) 839-4663
Genealogy
Parish-level record sources
Washington Parish Clerk of Court (succession/estate case files – see Succession section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Washington Parish genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
A NOTE ON LOUISIANA LAW: Louisiana is the only U.S. state built on a civil-law tradition (rooted in the Napoleonic Code) rather than English common law. Louisiana doesn’t use the word “probate” – the equivalent process is called a “succession,” and its 64 parishes are the equivalent of counties elsewhere. Community property and separate property rules also work differently here than in common-law states, which can affect what’s actually part of the succession.
Where to go
Washington Parish 22nd Judicial District Court, Clerk of Court Corner of Washington & Main Streets (P.O. Box 607), Franklinton, LA 70438 (985) 839-4661 Washington Parish is on the Mississippi border in southeastern Louisiana, seated in Franklinton. The 22nd Judicial District also covers St. Tammany Parish.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Small Succession Affidavit – under La. Code Civ. Proc. art. 3421 et seq., available for estates with a gross value of $125,000 or less at the date of death (or of any value if the decedent has been dead more than 20 years). No court proceeding is required. At least two people must sign – typically the surviving spouse (if any) plus one or more heirs, sworn before a notary. If the estate includes immovable property (real estate), the affidavit can’t be recorded until 90 days after the date of death, and it must be recorded with the Clerk of Court/Recorder in every parish where the decedent owned real estate.
Succession Without Administration (“simple possession”) – used when there are no debts to pay and all heirs agree; commonly resolved in 30 to 90 days via a Petition for Possession.
Administered Succession – required when a court-appointed succession representative needs to inventory assets and pay debts before distribution; typically takes 3 to 9 months, longer if contested.
Important: for anything beyond a small succession affidavit, Louisiana courts generally require a licensed Louisiana attorney to represent the succession – self-representation and generic online forms are not accepted the way they are in many other states.
Step 2: filing a regular succession
File a Petition for Possession (simple cases) or a Petition for Administration (if a representative and formal administration are needed) in the district court of the parish where the decedent was domiciled at death.
The court admits any will and, where needed, appoints an executor (testate) or administrator (intestate), issuing Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
In an administered succession, the representative prepares a sworn descriptive list of assets, pays valid debts, and accounts to the court.
The court issues a Judgment of Possession, which must then be recorded in the parish conveyance/land records and with the parish tax assessor to clear title.
What it costs
Filing fees vary by parish and case type; publication costs apply when legal notices are required.
A full administered succession typically requires attorney representation – flat fees for straightforward matters often run in the low thousands of dollars, more if contested or complex.
A small succession affidavit is far less expensive and, when no real estate is involved, can often be handled without an attorney – though even small errors can cause a bank, title company, or the Louisiana OMV to reject the affidavit.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
908 Main St., Franklinton, LA 70438
(985) 839-3434
SHERIFF / TAX COLLECTOR
908 Main St., Franklinton, LA 70438
(985) 839-3434
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
REGISTRAR OF VOTERS (Elections)
908 Main St., Franklinton, LA 70438
(985) 839-7825
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Washington Parish Health Unit
(985) 839-3667
LA DCFS — Capital Region
(225) 342-4086
LA Medicaid
(888) 342-6207
Riverside Medical Center
riversidemedicalcenter.com (Franklinton — quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Washington Parish Health Unit – confirm current contact via Louisiana Department of Health regional office listings.
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
Population: 47,000
Area: 670 sq mi
Established: 1819
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Washington Parish County residents.
