Louisiana is the only state in the nation with parishes instead of counties. It was named after King Louis XIV of France. Louisiana is home to the world-famous annual Mardi Gras event in New Orleans. It also has the largest population of Cajun people. With its swampy bayous and mystical history, Louisiana makes for a great place to work and live. More than 4.5 million people call Louisiana home, which means lots and lots of property records.

Louisiana property records are important for the state and for its residents. They perform functions like transferring property ownership and provide valuable information such as the fair market value and taxes of a piece of real property. People in government, realty, and law use property records every day.

If you are interested in Louisiana property records, keep reading to learn what they are, what types exist, how they are used, where to find them, and how to change them when life changes occur.

Louisiana's property records are official documents containing helpful information about real property. Some perform important functions such as deeds that transfer property ownership. Others provide an opinion about the value of the property (appraisals and assessments), and others are licenses to make changes to the property (building permits).

Sources of Property Records in Louisiana

You might think that one single government agency would hold all property records, but that is not the case. Because property records are so many different things, no one repository has them all. You can find them with private companies (realtors/title companies), attorneys, government offices, the courts, and private libraries.

If you need to file a deed in Louisiana, you must visit the clerk of court's office in the parish where the property resides. Some parishes also call this the "Recording Department" of the court. You can read more about how to do that in Lafayette Parish. The local parish tax assessor performs assessments and sends out tax bills to all residents. The Louisiana Tax Commission oversees all these local tax assessors and handles state-level tax issues. The local parish Department of Safety & Permits issues building permits for new construction and renovations.

Each parish has a clerk of court recording department responsible for filing all conveyance records, mortgages, and UCC documents. When this office receives a new document, it stamps it with the date and exact time of filing along with a unique identifier. As soon as the document is filed, it becomes a public record and is available online. These offices file approximately 300 documents per day.

How Property Records are Maintained in Louisiana

Documents filed with the clerk of court are not returned to the owner. Instead, these records become part of the parish's archives, and the filing party must obtain certified copies for official purposes. These offices also handle changes, cancellations, and error corrections.

Accessing Records at the Clerk of Court's Recording Department in Louisiana

Property records are public records, and Louisiana makes it easy to access public records through its parish court websites. For example, Lafayette Parish has a land records portal and a court and land records search tool. Based on your needs, you can choose the best search area for you. To help get you started finding the right parish website, use the links below:

Clerk of Court's Locations in Louisiana

Finding the records you need during a property history search is crucial. The key is knowing which parish to search. This listof all the Louisiana parishes will help you find the one you need.

Louisiana has a plethora of different types of property records. When reviewing them, you may come across much more information than you anticipated. The most common types you will find are listed below:

Assessors must reassess real property every four years. Assessors have their way of conducting the assessment but must follow guidelines stipulated by state laws. The standard process goes as follows:

Easements and Covenants

Easements and covenants often accompany deeds and other property records. These dictate specifics about the use of the property. Easements are rights-of-way giving someone or a company the right to access the land without the owner's permission. For example, if someone sells access rights to a drilling company to drill oil, if someone new buys that land, that right to access is grandfathered in so the company can continue to work on it regardless of who owns it.

Covenants are rules about how you can use the property. You see these often with condos and fancy gated communities. An example would be common area use, where no one person living in the development could host a party in a shared area.

Plats and Surveys

Plats and surveys are both types of maps regarding the property. Plats show the boundaries of all the properties surrounding the target property, and surveys show only the boundaries of the target property.

The following information may be included and available for public viewing:

Historical Property Records

Over time, property records can accumulate to unmanageable quantities. Many states, like Louisiana, move older records into archives and keep current ones on hand for lookup.

Louisiana has created a website devoted to historical land records. You can access it and search for historical property records 24/7.

Building Permits and Regulations in Louisiana

Before building something new or adding an addition to an existing structure, you must obtain a building permit. They are also required for renovations and demolition of buildings.

The state of Louisiana has partnered with a third-party service to make obtaining building permits quick and easy. The process can be completed online through the MyGovernmentOnline website. The city of Baton Rouge has more information about building permits.

Many people perform property history searches every day. There are dozens of reasons why you need property records. Deeds come in very handy when pinpointing a property's owner. You may have other things you need. You can find property records easily by following the methods below.

Online Property Record Search

Begin your property history search with a simple online property search. Type the property address into a search bar and see what comes up. You might be surprised at the results.

In-Person Property Record Search

You may choose to visit the clerk of the court's recording department or tax office to ask for records. They are required by law to provide you with records. However, you must visit during regular business hours, and they can charge you a fee per copy.

Using Property Record Indexes

You can try online or physical property record indexes for records. However, these are not often updated regularly, so be careful about their accuracy. Always verify the information you find.

How to Search Property Records by Address

The most effective search method is using the proper address. Type in the full address in any search bar and view the results.

How to Search Property Records by Name

Sometimes, you can also search using the owner's name. However, this method may or may not yield good results.

It's a wonderful feeling to own your own home. However, home ownership comes with some very serious responsibilities, like paying your mortgage, interest, and taxes on time. Plus, you should maintain your house well to retain its value.

Another essential piece of property information is the property description. Most people don't even think about that. The legal property description includes map coordinates, plats, surveys, and a written description including natural landmarks so anyone can identify the parcel of land.

Surveys and Land Measurements

Surveys measure the land and provide pinpoint map coordinates to separate each property by accurate boundaries. Surveys are performed with new construction, utilities placement, and sometimes in boundary disputes.

Boundary Disputes and Resolutions

Boundary disputes occur when someone thinks another person is unlawfully using or trespassing on their land. These usually end up in court, where a judge decides the fate of both parties. The court often relies on the testimony of professional surveyors.

Encumbrances like liens negatively affect a property and show up in property records. A single mortgage and lien aren't bad, but multiple involuntary liens paint an ugly picture. Liens can affect the sale and value of a property. There are two main types: voluntary liens and involuntary liens.

Voluntary Liens

Voluntary liens are those that you enter into voluntarily. If you take out a loan, you allow the lender to place a lien on the property in return for lending you the money.

Involuntary Liens

Involuntary liens are not within your control. They are imposed by government offices, the courts, vendors, and creditors to whom you own money and refuse to pay. Involuntary liens almost always result in foreclosure and the loss of your home.

The Process of Property Liens in Louisiana

There are different ways of putting a lien on a property depending on the type of lien. However, the standard process is as follows:

Real estate deals are where you'll see more property records than anywhere else. Before the sale, the buyer, title company, realtor, appraiser, and inspector may consult property records to gather details about it. New records will be created during the process, and older ones will be replaced, like a new deed.

Buying Property: Due Diligence

When buying property, you will want to learn as much as you can. The easy way to do that is through property records. You can check the value, taxes, insurance, and any renovations through building permits and look for liens or foreclosures.

Selling Property: Providing Disclosure

When you sell property, it's your responsibility to provide any potential buyers with information about material defects (like a leaky roof) that you know about. If you don't know the answers, you can look them up in property records.

Title Searches and Insurance

If you need a mortgage to buy the property, the lender will require you to get title insurance. It protects you and them from any legal claims on the property after the sale. Your title company will perform a property title search before closing, looking for any title defects or breaks in the chain of title.

Foreclosure and Property Records in Louisiana

Foreclosure is when the homeowner hasn't paid the mortgage or taxes, and the lienholder has executed their rights to seize and sell the house to get their money back. Foreclosure homes are more complicated to sell, and many buyers may shy away from going down that road.

Pre-Foreclosures in Louisiana

Pre-foreclosure homes are in the process of foreclosure, but it is not yet complete. Investors look for pre-foreclosure homes to buy cheaply and sell for a profit. You can find them easily by checking county/parish and realty websites.

When was the House Built?

You may perform a property history search to find out when the house was built. Check building permits: they will show the original license to build and any renovations afterward.

A property's value is essential, especially if you are buying or selling real estate. Most often, when you hear the term property value, it refers to the fair market value (FMV). The FMV does not always match the value stated in all property records and can change drastically over time. Poor real estate markets, interest rates, and inflation can affect property values.

Assessments and Appraisals

Assessments and appraisals are tools used to determine a property's value. Tax officials use assessments to determine the property's tax rate. Assessment values may not match the fair market value.

Lenders and individuals hire appraisers to determine the fair market value of a home during real estate sales and estate planning.

Property records are public, and anyone can access them at any time. If you lost your deed, you may need to perform a property history search to find it. You'll be glad property records are public so you can find them easily. However, remember your information is contained in public property records.

Why are Property Records Public?

Property records are public to preserve the chain of title and to keep government offices from taking too much power and controlling citizens.

How Do I Protect My Personal Information in Property Records?

You cannot remove all your personal information from property records, but you can try to minimize it. Contact the government offices and online sources that have your property records and ask them to remove everything except your name and address to help protect yourself from identity theft and fraud.

There are times when you need to correct or amend your property records. Whoever holds them won't know to do it automatically; it's up to you to keep yours current.