Background Checks in Louisiana

Need more information? Check out our guides to Louisiana arrest records and Louisiana public records.

What is a background check?

A background check is an investigation into an individual’s criminal record, employment history, driving record, education, finances, or other aspects of their personal history.

Background checks are often performed by an organization or company in order to screen a subject before a significant financial or legal agreement. However, individuals regularly perform background checks on themselves to make sure that the public information on them matches their personal records.

For more general information on background checks, consult our Background Checks FAQS page.

How do I run a criminal background check in Louisiana?

Louisiana is a closed record state, and the state government’s Internet Background Check web portal is only available for authorized persons and agencies to use. In fact, it is harder to find arrest records and other criminal history information in Louisiana than in other states.

The following entities are authorized to use the Internet Background Check system:

The Office of Vital Statistics
Health Care Providers
The Department of Justice
The Department of Labor
Working with Children
The Board of River Port Pilots
The Public Housing Commission
Day Cares
Senate and Governmental Affairs

Individuals that do not belong to one of these entities can request a copy of their criminal history information in-person or by mail from the Louisiana State Police.

How to obtain a copy of your criminal record in-person from the Louisiana State Police

You can request a “Right to Review” by preparing the following items and bringing them to the Louisiana State Police Criminal Records Unit (address below) from Monday through Friday, 8 AM – 3:30 PM:

A $26 money order, business check, or cashier’s check made out to “Dept. of Public Safety”
A $10 money order, business check, or cashier’s check made out to “Dept. of Public Safety” (for fingerprinting)
A valid driver’s license or state ID

Bring all these items to:

Louisiana State Police Criminal Records

7919 Independence Blvd

Baton Rouge LA 70806

Those that arrive past 3 PM must wait until the following business day in order to pick up their criminal record.

How to request a copy of your criminal record through the mail in Louisiana

If you live far from the LSP Criminal Records Office, you can mail in a request by preparing the following items and mailing them to the address listed below:

A set of fingerprints on an official fingerprint ID card (available at most local law enforcement agency offices and livescan facilities)
A completed Right to Review Authorization Form
A completed Rap Disclosure Form
A $26 money order, business check, or cashier’s check made out to “Dept. of Public Safety”

Mail everything to:

Bureau of Criminal Identification

P.O. Box 66614 Mail Slip A-6

Baton Rouge, LA 70896

You may have to wait up to three weeks for your request to be processed.

What can I do if my Louisiana criminal history record has incomplete or inaccurate information?

If your Louisiana criminal history record has incomplete or inaccurate information, contact the Louisiana State Police Headquarters at 225-925-6006 for further instruction on how to correct the mistake.

How do I search for Louisiana court records?

There’s no online tool available that lets you search a vast database of Louisiana court records, but individual courts in the state do have their own online searches for court records.

Here are a few of them:

If you can’t find the court record you are looking for online, the best strategy is to contact the clerk of court in the county the case originated in and make a direct request to view the record either in person or over the phone.

Click here for links to the websites of a majority of Louisiana courts where you’ll find their contact information.

Where can I find Louisiana driving records online?

The Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles provides a service allowing individuals to view and print their official driving record in exchange for a fee.

The cost of one driving record is $16 plus a $2 service charge. A driving record ordered through the site will show any offenses or accidents on record, whether you have a commercial driver’s license, and the current status of your driving priveledges. After purchase, you’ll have 30 days to view and print the driving record through the service.

Here’s what you’ll need to order your Louisiana driving record:

Personal information: Name, Date of Birth, Address, Driver’s License Number, and Class of License
A major credit or debit card to make the online payment
A printer

Click here to visit the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles site to order your official driving record.

How do I look up Louisiana vital records such as birth certificates and marriage licenses?

Vital records are records of important life events such as births, deaths, marriages, and divorces that are kept by government agencies and accessible upon request.

Vital records are not public records that can be viewed by anyone, but the subject(s) of the record and authorized family members can view them in-person or order copies through a number of means. Additionally, one or more vital records may be required to complete a background check.

The Louisiana Department of Health enlists the services of the third-party vendor Vital Chek to enable individuals to order copies of vital records online. The government-endorsed service offers vital records from 50 U.S. states and territories.

Available vital records include:

birth certificates
death certificates
marriage records
divorce records

Click here to place an order with Vital Chek.

For more information, contact the Louisiana Department of Health at 504-593-5100.

How do I search for a person’s sex offender status in Louisiana?

Those convicted of sex-related crimes or certain crimes against children in Louisiana are required by law to register as sex offenders. Additionally, offenders in the registry are required to notify law enforcement as soon as possible in the case of a physical address change or email address change, or they will be labeled “non-compliant”.

The Louisiana State Police makes the Louisiana Sex Offender Registry available online to the general public in the interest of public safety. Users may search by name, city, area, or email address/internet name. However, certain low-risk offenders may not be viewable in the online database.

Click here to perform a search of the Louisiana Sex Offender Registry. It’s important to stay informed about potential threats in your neighborhood in order to take the necessary precautions.

How do I perform a credit history background check in Louisiana?

Performing a credit check in Louisiana follows the same process as in other states. A federal law known as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) grants every American one free annual credit report each from the three main U.S. credit bureaus:

In order to obtain your free credit report from one of these three bureaus, you must provide the following information:

Full name
Address
Date of birth
Social security number