Louisiana Name Change Petition
In Louisiana an adult files a name change petition in the district court of the parish where they live, and the case is carried on contradictorily with the district attorney rather than by newspaper publication. Attorney review available.
Introduction
A name change petition is the court document an adult files to legally change their own name, and once a judge signs the judgment the new name becomes the person's legal name. In Louisiana you present the petition to the district court of the parish where you live (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4751), and you may instead file in the parish of your birth or the parish of venue for the Vital Records Registry. Louisiana does not require you to publish notice in a newspaper. Instead the proceeding is carried on contradictorily with the district attorney of the parish, who represents the state and must be served with a copy of the petition and citation to answer (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4752). The judge then hears and determines the case, either in open court or in chambers, and renders judgment as the law and the evidence justify (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4753). A person convicted of a felony cannot petition until the sentence is satisfied, and a person convicted of a violent felony is barred (Section 13:4751). After the judgment is signed, you use a certified copy to update Social Security, your Louisiana driver license, and other records. DocDraft builds your Louisiana name change petition from your facts, with attorney review available before you file.
Key Things to Know
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A name change petition lets an adult take a new legal name by court judgment; Louisiana requires no newspaper publication and instead runs the case contradictorily with the parish district attorney, who is served and may respond before the judge signs the judgment.
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You present the petition to the district court of the parish where you reside, or the parish of your birth, or the parish of venue for the Vital Records Registry (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4751).
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Louisiana does not require newspaper publication. Instead the case is carried on contradictorily with the district attorney of the parish, who represents the state and is served with the petition and citation to answer (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4752).
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The judge hears and determines the case either in open court or in chambers and renders judgment as the nature of the relief and the law and the evidence justify (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4753).
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A person convicted of a felony cannot petition for a name change until the sentence is satisfied, whether imprisoned or on probation or parole, and a person convicted of a violent felony listed in Section 14:2(B) is barred entirely (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4751).
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The petition must set forth the reasons for the desired change, and the court grants the change only when the request is lawful and supported by the evidence (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4751 and Section 13:4753).
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After the judgment is signed, obtain a certified copy from the clerk to update Social Security, your Louisiana driver license or ID, your passport, and other records. The filing fee is set by the court and a fee waiver is available if you cannot afford it.
Key decisions before you file
Before you file a Name Change Petition in Louisiana, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Name Change Petition guide walks through them.
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Louisiana Requirements for Name Change Petition
An adult name change in Louisiana is filed by presenting a petition to the district court. You present it to the district court of the parish of your residence, the parish of your birth, or the parish of venue for the Vital Records Registry, or, if incarcerated, the parish where you were sentenced (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4751).
You file in the district court of the parish where you reside (or the parish of your birth or the parish of venue for the Vital Records Registry). Louisiana sets no fixed durational residency period for a name change; the requirement is that you file in one of those proper parishes (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4751).
Louisiana does not require newspaper publication. Instead the proceeding is carried on contradictorily with the district attorney of the parish where the application is made, who represents the state and must be served with a copy of the petition and citation to answer (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4752).
The petition must identify your present legal name and the exact new name you are requesting, and set forth the reasons for the desired change (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4751). The court changes the name from the present name to the proposed name in its judgment.
The petition must set forth the reasons for the desired change (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4751). The judge hears and determines the case and renders such judgment as the nature of the relief and the law and the evidence justify (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4753).
State that the change is made in good faith and not to defraud a creditor, evade a legal obligation, judgment, or criminal record, or for any unlawful purpose. The district attorney reviews the petition as the state's representative, and the judge grants the change only when the law and the evidence justify it (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4752 and Section 13:4753).
A person convicted of a felony cannot petition for a name change until the sentence has been satisfied, whether imprisoned or on probation or parole, and a person convicted of any felony enumerated as a crime of violence in Section 14:2(B) is barred from petitioning entirely (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4751).
The judge hears and determines the case in open court or in chambers and renders judgment (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4753). After the judgment is signed, order a certified copy from the clerk of court and use it to update Social Security, your Louisiana driver license or ID, your passport, and other records. The filing fee is set by the court and a fee waiver is available.
Frequently Asked Questions
A name change petition is the court document an adult files in Louisiana to legally change their own name. You state your present legal name and the new name you want, confirm the parish where you reside, give the reasons for the change, and file it in the district court. The proceeding is carried on contradictorily with the district attorney, who is served with the petition, and after the judge hears and determines the case, a judgment makes the new name your legal name (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4751 et seq.).
In Louisiana you present a petition for change of name to the district court of the parish where you live, setting forth the reasons for the change (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4751). You serve the district attorney of the parish with a copy of the petition and citation, because the case is carried on contradictorily with the state (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4752). The judge then hears and determines the case in open court or in chambers and renders judgment (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4753). You use a certified copy of the judgment to update your records.
No. Louisiana does not require newspaper publication for an adult name change. Instead of publishing notice, the proceeding is carried on contradictorily with the district attorney of the parish where you file, who represents the state and must be served with a copy of the petition and a citation to answer (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4752). The district attorney reviews the petition and responds, and the judge then hears and determines the case (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4753).
An adult name change in Louisiana is handled by the district court. You present the petition to the district court of the parish of your residence, the parish of your birth, or the parish of venue for the Vital Records Registry, or, if you are incarcerated, the parish where you were sentenced (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4751). Filing in the wrong parish can delay your case, so file in the correct district court.
Louisiana ties the filing to a parish rather than to a fixed length of residency. You present the petition to the district court of the parish where you reside, and you may instead use the parish of your birth or the parish of venue for the Vital Records Registry (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4751). The statute does not set a minimum number of months you must have lived in Louisiana or the parish before filing; the requirement is that you file in one of those proper parishes.
The judge to whom your Louisiana petition is presented may hear and determine the case either in open court or in chambers, and render judgment as the nature of the relief and the law and the evidence justify (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4753). Because the proceeding is contradictory with the district attorney, the case is resolved after the district attorney has been served and has had the chance to respond (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4752).
Yes. In Louisiana a person who has been convicted of a felony cannot petition for a name change until the sentence has been satisfied, and this applies whether the person is imprisoned or on probation or parole. A person who has been convicted of any felony enumerated as a crime of violence in Section 14:2(B) is barred from petitioning for a name change entirely (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4751).
Once the Louisiana district court renders the judgment changing your name (Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 13:4753), order a certified copy of the judgment from the clerk of court. Use it to update your Social Security record first, then your Louisiana driver license or ID, your passport, and then banks, employers, and other accounts. Each agency has its own process, but the certified judgment is the document that proves your new legal name. Keep at least one certified copy for your records.