Find Records in Plaquemines Parish

Plaquemines Parish genealogy records are held by the Clerk of Court in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, with online access available through the parish's eSearch portal at clerk25th.com, where marriage record indexes are available from 1896 and images from July 1896, along with land records dating to 1800 and court records from 1809. This guide covers how to search and obtain Plaquemines Parish records in person, by mail, and through the online portal.

Plaquemines Parish Clerk of Court

The Plaquemines Parish Clerk of Court office is in Belle Chasse, which became the effective administrative center of the parish after the seat was moved from the historic location of Pointe-a-la-Hache. The office maintains civil, criminal, and property records and provides online access through its own eSearch portal. Marriage licenses are $35.00; the certified copy is included in the license fee.

The eSearch portal at clerk25th.com offers guest login for free index searches and paid subscription for full document access. Guest access is a good starting point before committing to a subscription. The portal covers marriage indexes, miscellaneous records, and other document types. In-person visits to the courthouse in Belle Chasse allow access to the full record set with staff assistance.

The screenshot below shows the Plaquemines Parish Clerk of Court website where the eSearch portal can be accessed for online record research.

Go to clerk25th.com to access the eSearch portal for Plaquemines Parish marriage records, property records, and other genealogy documents.

The clerk25th.com site provides access to the parish eSearch portal with guest and subscriber options, along with department information for Plaquemines Parish records.

Search Plaquemines Parish Genealogy Records Online

Plaquemines Parish has its own eSearch portal at clerk25th.com. Guest login gives you free access to the index, which lets you search for records by name, date range, record type, and book/page reference. Full document images are available to paid subscribers. The marriage records are particularly well-documented in this portal: the index covers January 1, 1896 to the present, and images are available from July 2, 1896 onward.

For statewide vital records, the Louisiana Online Public Vital Records Index covers Plaquemines Parish birth and death records that have passed the confidentiality period. Birth records older than 100 years and death records older than 50 years are accessible to the public under RS 40:41.

eClerks LA at eclerksla.com supports Plaquemines Parish for e-filing services and document alerts. This statewide system is useful for monitoring new filings by name. Combined with the parish eSearch portal, these tools cover most of the online access options for Plaquemines Parish records.

Note: Plaquemines is a long, narrow parish that runs south from the New Orleans area along the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. The parish seat was historically at Pointe-a-la-Hache on the east bank of the river. The current courthouse is at Belle Chasse, which is more accessible. Researchers should confirm which office holds specific older records, as records from the historical seat may have special access considerations.

Genealogy Records in Plaquemines Parish

Plaquemines Parish was created March 31, 1807. The parish holds records dating to around 1800, with court records from 1809 and land records from the same era. The Clerk of Court in Belle Chasse maintains all primary genealogy records for the parish. Record types and their approximate start dates include:

• Land records: approximately 1800 to present
• Probate and succession records: approximately 1800 to present
• Court records: 1809 to present
• Marriage records (index): January 1, 1896 to present
• Marriage records (images): July 2, 1896 to present

For vital records including birth and death certificates, contact the Louisiana Vital Records Registry. Certified copies are available through VitalChek. Plaquemines Parish researchers should be aware that the parish's remote geography and small size mean some records may have been consolidated or transferred at various points; checking with the clerk's office directly is advisable for records from specific time periods.

Louisiana State Archives and Plaquemines Parish

The Louisiana State Archives at 3851 Essen Lane in Baton Rouge supplements what the Plaquemines Parish Clerk holds locally. For this parish, the Archives is most useful for records from before the Belle Chasse courthouse era and for statewide vital records that document the parish's early colonial and American territorial history.

Plaquemines Parish's proximity to New Orleans means that many families with roots in the parish also have records in Orleans Parish, particularly in the Notarial Archives Research Center which holds over 35 million pages of documents from 1731. Property along the river corridor between New Orleans and the Gulf was frequently bought and sold, and notarial records from Orleans Parish often reference Plaquemines Parish lands and families.

The FamilySearch research guide for Plaquemines Parish identifies microfilmed and digitized records, census records, and other materials relevant to this parish. Because Plaquemines had a diverse French, Spanish, and Creole population, church records from Catholic parishes along the river are an important supplement to courthouse records and may predate the eSearch portal's coverage of marriage records.

How to Request Plaquemines Parish Records

Online access through the eSearch portal at clerk25th.com is the most convenient starting point. Use the guest login for free index searches to find records before subscribing for full document access. The portal is best for marriage records from 1896 onward and for miscellaneous records available through the system.

In-person visits to 301 Main St., Suite 108 in Belle Chasse are open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The courthouse is in Belle Chasse, accessible from the west bank of Jefferson Parish via the Westbank Expressway. Bring photo ID. Staff can assist with locating records beyond what the eSearch portal covers.

For mail requests, write to P.O. Box 40, Belle Chasse, LA 70037. Describe the record type, full names of all parties, and approximate date range. Include prepayment by check or money order and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Call (504) 934-6610 to confirm record availability and the estimated cost before sending payment. Staff can advise whether the record you need is available through the portal or requires a physical visit.

What Plaquemines Parish Records Contain

Marriage records in Plaquemines Parish with online access from July 2, 1896 name both spouses, the date and location of the ceremony, and often include parental names and witness information. Marriage indexes from January 1896 are searchable through the eSearch portal. For marriages before 1896, an in-person visit to the courthouse or correspondence with the clerk's office is required.

Land records from around 1800 document property transfers along the Mississippi River corridor. Conveyance records name the parties to each transaction, the legal description of the property (typically described as arpents of river frontage in the colonial and early American period), the price, and the date. Mortgage records show secured lending. For river-frontage properties, the legal descriptions can be genealogically useful in confirming neighborhood relationships and family adjacencies.

Probate and succession records document estates at the time of a person's death. These files name the deceased, their heirs and heirs' relationships, and itemize the assets and debts of the estate. In a parish with a long colonial history, succession records can reach back to early French and Spanish families. Court records from 1809 cover civil and criminal matters, guardianships, and other legal proceedings.

Birth certificates list the child, both parents, and the place and date of birth. Death certificates name the deceased, the cause of death, the date and place, and the informant, who is usually a close relative. For Plaquemines Parish, vital records from the state registry draw on a population that spans the length of the Mississippi River delta, from Belle Chasse south to Venice near the Gulf. The geographic spread of the parish means some families in the southern reaches had limited access to official registration, so church records can be an important supplement for early 20th century vital events.

The eClerks LA screenshot below shows the statewide e-filing portal that provides electronic access support for Plaquemines Parish alongside other Louisiana parishes.

Visit eClerks LA for e-filing services and filing alerts covering Plaquemines Parish records.

eClerks LA supports Plaquemines Parish for electronic filing and document monitoring, complementing the parish's own eSearch portal for records access.

Cities in Plaquemines Parish

Belle Chasse is the parish seat and the largest community in Plaquemines Parish. Other communities include Port Sulphur, Venice, Empire, and Buras. The nearest cities are in neighboring Orleans and Jefferson parishes, including New Orleans and Marrero.

For nearby city resources, see New Orleans or Marrero.

Nearby Parishes

Plaquemines Parish borders Orleans Parish to the north on both sides of the river and St. Bernard Parish on the east. Jefferson Parish is to the northwest on the west bank. Given the parish's linear geography along the Mississippi River, neighbors to the north in Orleans Parish are the most common source of related records for Plaquemines families.