Unpaid on a New Orleans job? LevelSet Collections prepares and files Orleans Parish lien claims, which Louisiana calls a statement of claim or privilege, for contractors, subcontractors and suppliers working anywhere from the CBD and Uptown to Gentilly, New Orleans East and Algiers. We have filed more than 1,100 liens since 2020, with one all-inclusive price for the whole Orleans filing.
Quick answer: An Orleans Parish lien is a statement of claim or privilege filed with the Land Records Division of the Clerk of Civil District Court at 1340 Poydras Street, 4th floor, and indexed by the Recorder of Mortgages. It has to be on legal-size paper with a 2-inch top margin. Your deadline turns on the notice of contract and notice of termination. See the full Louisiana deadlines and statutes.
Where Orleans Parish claims are recorded
Orleans Parish’s recording office is organized differently from most parishes. The Clerk of Civil District Court’s Land Records Division combines what used to be three offices: the Recorder of Mortgages, the Register of Conveyances and the Custodian of Notarial Archives, whose notarial records go back to 1735. Filing and recording are on the 4th floor of 1340 Poydras Street, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the division records sales, mortgages, building contracts and judgments of possession.
Every act is first filed, dated and numbered at Notarial Archives. From there, transfers go to the Register of Conveyances for indexing, and mortgages and other encumbrances, which is where a statement of claim belongs, go to the Recorder of Mortgages. The Clerk’s recording page describes filing in person, so we handle the filing at Poydras Street.
Orleans has its own paper rules. Acts must be on legal-size paper (8.5 x 14), with at least a 2-inch top margin on the first page and a 1-inch bottom margin. Documents that don’t comply, including letter-size acts, are rejected or charged a surcharge.
Finding the legal owner and legal description in Orleans Parish
The Orleans Parish Assessor’s Office has an East Bank office at 1300 Perdido Street and a West Bank office at 225 Morgan Street in Algiers. Its records give us the owner of record.
New Orleans property is identified by municipal district, square and lot, and the legal description in the claim has to match. The Land Records index is searchable online by paid subscription or free at the Clerk’s office. The mortgage index runs from September 21, 1987, the conveyance index from January 1, 1989, and both were replaced by a unified index on February 18, 2014. We search it for a notice of contract, a notice of termination and any bond before setting a deadline.
Where we file across Orleans Parish
Orleans Parish and the City of New Orleans share the same boundaries, so there are no separate small cities to sort out. Jobs in the CBD, the French Quarter, Uptown, Mid-City, Gentilly, the Lower Ninth Ward, New Orleans East and Algiers on the West Bank all go to the same Land Records Division.
Neighbors are the trap. Metairie, Kenner, Gretna and Terrytown are in Jefferson Parish, and Chalmette and Arabi are in St. Bernard Parish, even when a sub thinks of the job as a New Orleans job.
The work we see in Orleans runs from historic renovations and storm repair to hotel, medical and multifamily projects. On the public side, the city’s FEMA-funded Joint Infrastructure Recovery Response program, covering drainage, sewer, water and roadway work, now runs through June 2, 2028. Public work like that is covered by Public Works Act bonds, not liens.
What sinks claims in Orleans Parish
- Letter-size paper. Orleans requires legal-size acts with a 2-inch top margin. A claim that doesn’t comply can be rejected.
- A street address instead of district, square and lot. Orleans property is described by municipal district, square and lot. A claim that only gives a street address may not attach.
- A Jefferson or St. Bernard parcel. Metairie, Gretna and Chalmette jobs belong in other parishes.
- Relying on the old indexes. The separate mortgage and conveyance indexes stop in February 2014. A notice of contract or termination recorded since then is in the unified index.
- Missing the 30-day sub deadline. Once a notice of termination is recorded on a notice-of-contract job, subs and suppliers have 30 days. See the Louisiana deadline table.
How LevelSet handles an Orleans Parish claim
- Intake. Send us the job address, who hired you, your invoices and the date you finished.
- Statutory form. We confirm the owner with the Orleans Parish Assessor, pull the district, square and lot from the land records, check for a notice of contract or termination, and prepare the statement of claim or privilege on legal-size paper with the margins Orleans requires.
- Notarization. Matt Rush, as the claimant’s agent, signs the statement and has it notarized.
- Recording. We file it with the Clerk of Civil District Court’s Land Records Division at 1340 Poydras Street and confirm it’s indexed by the Recorder of Mortgages.
- Service. We deliver a copy of the filed claim to the owner and send a copy to the general contractor.
Example: an Orleans Parish deadline walk-through
Example: A general contractor renovates a Mid-City commercial building under a contract over $100,000, and a notice of contract was recorded before work began. The owner records a notice of termination on August 11. As the general contractor, it has until October 10 (60 days) to file its statement of claim with the Land Records Division. Its subcontractors on the same job only have until September 10 (30 days).
Orleans Parish deadline gone?
The privilege may be lost, but the money is still owed. We collect unpaid New Orleans construction invoices through construction collections on contingency, 10% to 33%, and charge nothing if we don’t collect.
Other Louisiana parishes we file in
East Baton Rouge Parish · Jefferson Parish · St. Tammany Parish
Every Louisiana notice, filing and suit deadline is on our Louisiana lien page, with statute citations. We handle claims in all 64 parishes.
Pricing
Liens $199 to $500, including recording fees, notarizing and serving. Pre-lien notices $100. Typical turnaround 2 business days. No minimum. Call (469) 694-8003, Monday through Friday, 8am to 7pm.
Frequently asked questions
Where do you file an Orleans Parish lien?
With the Land Records Division of the Clerk of Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans, 1340 Poydras Street, 4th floor. The claim is filed at Notarial Archives and indexed by the Recorder of Mortgages.
What paper size does Orleans Parish require?
Legal size, 8.5 x 14, with at least a 2-inch top margin on the first page and a 1-inch bottom margin. Letter-size or non-compliant acts are rejected or surcharged.
Why does an Orleans claim need a square and lot number?
New Orleans property is described by municipal district, square and lot. The claim’s legal description has to match the owner’s title, not just the street address.
Can an owner find out a claim was filed in Orleans Parish?
Yes. The Clerk runs a free Recording Notification Service that lets people watch for recordings under their name, address or district, square and lot.
This page is general information, not legal advice. LevelSet Collections is not a law firm; we prepare and file liens and notices as agent for the claimant. Deadlines change and depend on the facts of your job. We'll check your dates against the statute before filing. Lien laws are constantly changing. Contact us for the most up-to-date information.
Owed money on a New Orleans job?
Orleans claims $199 to $500, recording, notarizing and serving included. Filed with the Orleans Parish Land Records Division, usually in 2 business days. Call (469) 694-8003.
