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Office: Winn Parish Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness – coordinated with the Sheriff’s Office; Winn Parish 911 Board oversees emergency communications.
Sheriff: Winn Parish Sheriff’s Office – 119 West Main Street, Courthouse Room 106, Winnfield, LA 71483 (P.O. Box 950) | (318) 628-4611 | Fax (318) 628-7969; Sheriff Josh McAllister, sworn in 2024, a Winnfield Senior High School and Northwestern State University graduate who previously led the Winn Parish Police Jury through four states of emergency (COVID-19, Hurricanes Laura and Delta, and the February 2021 ice storm) as its President; 30 regular deputies plus 12 part-time deputies. Winn Parish Detention Center – 460 Thomas Mill Rd, Winnfield, LA | (318) 209-4277 | Fax (318) 209-4279.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-167 serves Winnfield, the parish seat, in North-Central Louisiana. Winn Parish, established February 24, 1852, is named for Louisiana state legislator Walter Winn.
Notes: The privately operated Winn Correctional Center, a medium-security state prison with capacity for 1,538 inmates, sits about 13 miles southwest of Winnfield.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Winn Parish Courthouse – 119 West Main Street, Winnfield, LA.
Notes: Winnfield is genuinely known as the “City of Three Governors” – the birthplace of three Louisiana governors: Huey P. Long (the famous “Kingfish,” governor 1928-1932 and later U.S. Senator, assassinated in 1935), his brother Earl K. Long (governor across three terms), and Oscar K. Allen (governor 1932-1936). The Long family produced an extraordinary run of Louisiana politicians beyond the governors themselves, including a U.S. Congressman, a district attorney, and multiple state legislators. The Earl Kemp Long State Commemorative Area in Winnfield features an eight-foot bronze statue honoring the governor, and the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame is also located in Winnfield, inducting both Long brothers posthumously in 1993.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Winn Parish Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via louisiana.gov/local-louisiana/winn-parish.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Winn Parish Library (main branch, Winnfield) – confirm current address/phone via the parish library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame, the Earl Kemp Long State Commemorative Area, and the historic Old L&A Depot (housing political memorabilia) are the parish’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine “City of Three Governors” distinction – capped by the extraordinary Long political dynasty – is one of the most historically significant political facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Winn Parish Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via louisiana.gov/local-louisiana/winn-parish.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
City of Winnfield Animal Shelter – 508 S. Beville St, Winnfield, LA 71483 | (318) 628-3936; a municipal shelter serving Winnfield and the surrounding parish.
Heart of Louisiana Humane Society – P.O. Box 1057, Winnfield, LA 71483 | (318) 413-9077 | Email: [email protected]; a completely volunteer-run, foster-based 501(c)(3) founded 2008, serving Winn Parish and the broader Central Louisiana area.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Winn Parish Police Jury Public Works – confirm current contact via louisiana.gov/local-louisiana/winn-parish.
NOTES: Winn Parish is the fifth and FINAL parish in the eleventh batch of the Louisiana v2 A+ sourced standard – this completes all 64 Louisiana parishes. The genuine “City of Three Governors” distinction, capped by the extraordinary Long political dynasty, is one of the most historically significant political 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 Winn Parish County
Winn Parish is the birthplace of Huey Long – the Kingfish who became the most powerful political figure in Louisiana history was born in Winnfield, and the Louisiana Political Museum honors the three governors born in this tiny north Louisiana pine hills community.
Winnfield (the parish seat, population ~5,000) celebrates its political heritage at the Louisiana Political Museum and Huey Long Birthplace State Historic Site.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Winn Parish Assessor at 119 W. Main Street, Suite 101, Winnfield, LA 71483, phone 318-628-4921. LA residential assessed at 10% of fair market value; $75,000 homestead exemption.
Courts & Legal
Winn Parish Clerk of Court at 119 W. Main Street, Winnfield, LA 71483, phone 318-628-3515, 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)
119 W. Main St., Winnfield, LA 71483
(318) 628-3515
Genealogy
Parish-level record sources
Winn Parish Clerk of Court (succession/estate case files – see Succession section above).
Winnfield’s status as the birthplace of Governors Huey Long and Earl Long is a significant local historical point of interest.
Local societies
No dedicated Winn 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
Winn Parish 8th Judicial District Court, Clerk of Court 119 West Main Street, Room 103, Winnfield, LA 71483 Winn Parish is in north-central Louisiana, seated in Winnfield, birthplace of Louisiana governors Huey Long and Earl Long.
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
119 W. Main St., Winnfield, LA 71483
(318) 628-4525
SHERIFF / TAX COLLECTOR
119 W. Main St., Winnfield, LA 71483
(318) 628-4525
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
REGISTRAR OF VOTERS (Elections)
119 W. Main St., Winnfield, LA 71483
(318) 628-3928
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Winn Parish Health Unit
(318) 628-6193
LA DCFS — Central Region
(318) 487-5600
LA Medicaid
(888) 342-6207
Winn Parish Medical Center
winnparishmedical.com (Winnfield — quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Winn Parish Health Unit – confirm current contact via Louisiana Department of Health regional office listings.
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Editorial Trust
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
Population: 14,000
Area: 951 sq mi
Established: 1852
Public Records
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