Orleans Parish Deed Records

Orleans Parish deed records are maintained by the Clerk of Civil District Court in New Orleans. Unlike most Louisiana parishes, Orleans Parish uses a separate Clerk of Civil District Court rather than a standard Clerk of Court for land records. The Land Records Division holds all conveyances and mortgage records for New Orleans property and provides online access through a subscription portal. Records go back to the colonial era, making Orleans Parish one of the deepest land record archives in the United States.

Orleans Parish Clerk of Civil District Court

The Orleans Parish Clerk of Civil District Court maintains the Land Records Division at 1340 Poydras Street, 4th Floor, New Orleans, LA 70112. The Civil Division is at 421 Loyola Avenue, Room 402, New Orleans, LA 70112. The Research Center is at 1340 Poydras Street, Suite 360, New Orleans, LA 70112. Main phone: (504) 407-0005. Civil Division: (504) 407-0000. Fax: (504) 592-9192. Email for land records: civilclerklandrecords@orleanscivilclerk.com. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.

Orleans Parish uses a unique property identification system. Rather than a standard lot and block format or metes and bounds description, New Orleans deed records use a "District, Square, Lot" legal description system. Many older documents also reference Notarial Archive numbers (NA#), which are historical record identifiers for documents filed before the modern instrument number system. Researchers working with New Orleans deed records need to understand both systems to conduct a thorough title search.

One important note for those researching New Orleans deed records: structures and improvements are generally not well described in New Orleans conveyances. Many early records simply refer to land "along with all buildings and improvements," without describing the structures in detail. This is a characteristic of how property was historically documented in the city and affects title research for older properties.

Search Orleans Parish Deed Records Online

Orleans Parish offers online deed record access through the clerk's portal. Subscription rates are: $20 for 24-hour access; $100 per month; $700 per year. Document copies through the online system cost $0.50 per page for remote access and $1.00 per page for in-office copies. Certified copies cost $10.00 plus $1.00 per page. The portal lets you search by grantor or grantee name, municipal address, filing date, document type, legal property description, instrument number (for records filed after 1989), and Notarial Archive number for older historical records.

The free statewide eClerks LA index at eclerksla.com also covers Orleans Parish for free name-based index searches. This portal, created under La. R.S. 13:754, covers all 64 Louisiana parishes and shows filing dates and instrument numbers at no cost. For very early New Orleans land records dating to the French and Spanish colonial periods, supplemental resources are available through the Notarial Archives and the Louisiana State Land Office at doa.la.gov. Phone: (225) 342-4570.

Orleans Parish Recording Requirements and Fees

Documents recorded in Orleans Parish must meet margin requirements: a 2-inch top margin on the first page and 1-inch margins on all other sides. A $20 surcharge applies if margin requirements are not met. Original documents are not returned after recording per Louisiana Civil Code Article 2742. Request certified copies at the time of filing if you need them.

What Orleans Parish deed records show: date of sale, names of buyer (vendee) and seller (vendor), legal description of property using the District, Square, Lot format, amount and terms of sale, instrument number or Book and Page (COB/FOL) for older records, and reference to the prior sale instrument. This information is what researchers pull from the index to trace property ownership in New Orleans.

Recording fees follow the state Act 173 schedule under La. R.S. 13:844: 1-5 pages at $105; 6-25 pages at $205; 26-50 pages at $305; 51-plus pages at $305 plus $5 per additional page. Louisiana Civil Code Article 3338 requires recording to bind third parties. An unrecorded deed in Orleans Parish does not protect the buyer against a later purchaser who had no notice of the prior transaction.

Cities in Orleans Parish

Orleans Parish is coterminous with the City of New Orleans. All deed records for New Orleans property are maintained at the Orleans Parish Clerk of Civil District Court.

Nearby Parishes

Orleans Parish borders Jefferson, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, and Plaquemines parishes.