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Orleans Parish exact answer

Are witnesses required for a marriage in Orleans Parish?

This answer belongs to the issuing office and task named above. It does not substitute a statewide summary or infer a rule the office does not publish.

Direct answer

In Orleans Parish, the ceremony must be performed in the presence of two competent witnesses of full age. Louisiana sets this by statute and it is uniform statewide. The Registry does not restate it on its Orleans Parish license pages; the requirement is recorded here from the state statute.

Published rule and conditions

Marriage ceremony witness rule
The ceremony must be performed in the presence of two competent witnesses of full age.

Louisiana sets this by statute and it is uniform statewide. The Registry does not restate it on its Orleans Parish license pages; the requirement is recorded here from the state statute.

Official requirement

The marriage ceremony shall be performed in the presence of two competent witnesses of full age.

Issuing office

Louisiana Vital Records Registry (Louisiana Department of Health), Orleans Parish Marriage License Office

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Official sources for this answer

  • La. R.S. 9:244 — Witnesses requiredLouisiana State Legislature - checked July 26, 2026

    The marriage ceremony shall be performed in the presence of two competent witnesses of full age. Acts 1987, No. 886, section 3, eff. Jan. 1, 1988.

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