2015 Louisiana Laws
Revised Statutes
TITLE 40 - Public Health and Safety
RS 40:34 - Vital records forms

§34. Vital records forms

A.(1) The certificate forms prescribed by the state registrar shall include, as a minimum, the items listed below and any others recommended by the national office in charge of gathering vital statistics. Only these forms shall be used in registering, recording, and preserving the vital information required by this Chapter. These forms shall be typewritten in black type or written in jet black ink or transferred by electronic means. Additionally each certificate of a birth occurring in a licensed hospital shall be typewritten in black type or computer generated. Whenever a form is changed, the new form shall be furnished to the person charged with preparing it not less than thirty days prior to the date upon which the form shall be required to be used.

(2) The Department of Health and Hospitals shall promulgate rules and regulations in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act to allow electronic registration in lieu of typewritten or written birth, death, fetal death, marriage, and divorce certificates.

B. The forms shall be printed and supplied or provided by electronic means by the state registrar and the required contents are:

(1) Contents of birth certificate. The certificate of birth shall contain, as a minimum, the following items:

(a) Full name of child.

(i) If the child dies without a first name before the certificate is filed, enter the words "died unnamed" in this blank.

(ii) If the living child has not yet been given a first name at the date of filing of the certificate, leave blank the space for the first name of the child and supply the name later by affidavit.

(iii) Except as otherwise provided in Items (vi) and (vii) of this Subparagraph, the surname of the child shall be the surname of the husband of the mother if he was married to the mother of the child at the time of conception and birth of the child or had not been legally divorced from the mother of the child for more than three hundred days prior to the birth of the child, or, if both the husband and the mother agree, the surname of the child may be the maiden name of the mother or a combination of the surname of the husband and the maiden name of the mother.

(iv) If the child is born outside of marriage, the surname of the child shall be the mother's maiden name. If the father is known and if both the mother and the father agree, the surname of the child may be that of the father or a combination of the surname of the father and the maiden name of the mother. For purposes of this Item, "father" means a father who has acknowledged his child or who has been judicially declared the father in a filiation or paternity proceeding.

(v) Any change in the surname of a child from that required herein or to that allowed herein shall be by court order as provided for in R.S. 13:4751 through 4755 or as otherwise provided in this Chapter or by rules promulgated thereunder.

(vi) Notwithstanding the provisions of Item (B)(1)(a)(iii), and except as otherwise provided in Item (B)(1)(a)(vii), if the father of the child is not the husband of the mother, the surname of the child may be the maiden name of the mother, or, if the mother, husband, and father agree, the surname of the child may be that of the father or a combination of the surname of the father and the maiden name of the mother. The Department of Health and Hospitals, office of public health, shall develop a form for the purposes of implementing this Item. However, the provisions of this Item shall be limited to cases wherein the husband and mother have lived separate and apart continuously for a minimum of one hundred eighty days prior to the time of conception of the child and have not reconciled since the beginning of the one hundred eighty-day period, as evidenced by an affidavit of the parties submitted to the registrar.

(vii) In the case of a child born of the marriage, which includes cases where both a person, presumed to be the father pursuant to the Civil Code, and a biological father exist, the surname of the child's biological father who has been judicially declared to be the father of the child in a filiation or paternity proceeding, either prior or subsequent to the birth of the child, shall be the surname of the child, if the biological father has sole or joint custody of the child and the presumed father, if any, is no longer married to the mother. If the biological father and the mother agree, the surname of the child shall be the maiden name of the mother or a combination of the surname of the biological father and the maiden name of the mother. The child's mother, the husband of the mother, and the biological father shall be indispensable parties in a filiation or paternity proceeding brought under this Item, except when parental rights have been terminated or the person is deceased.

(viii) In the case of a child born of a surrogate birth parent who is related by blood or affinity to a biological parent, the surname of the child's biological parents shall be the surname of the child.

(b) Sex.

(c) Time of birth.

(d) Date of birth, including the year, the month, and the day.

(e) Place of birth, including the street, and house number; if in a hospital or other institution, its name, instead of the street and house number.

(f) Whether a plural birth. A separate certificate is required for each child in a plural birth.

(g) If a plural birth, the number of each child in order of birth.

(h)(i) Full name of father if the father was the husband of the mother of the child at the time of conception and or birth of the child or had not been legally divorced from the mother of the child for more than three hundred days prior to the birth of the child. If the husband of the mother was not the biological father of the child, the full name of the biological father may be recorded in accordance with the provisions of Item (vi) or (vii) of Subparagraph (a). A subsequent successful disavowal action by the husband of the mother or his heirs or a subsequent successful contestation action by the mother may later affect this entry and the child's surname. Otherwise, the full name of the father may be recorded as provided by Item (iv) of Subparagraph (a).

(ii) If a child is born outside of marriage, the full name of the father shall be included on the record of birth of the child only if the father and mother have signed a voluntary acknowledgment of paternity or a court of competent jurisdiction has issued an adjudication of paternity.

(iii) In all other cases, the name of the father and other information pertaining to the father shall not appear on the birth certificate and the surname of the child shall be recorded as the maiden name of the mother.

(iv) Nothing in this Subparagraph shall preclude the Department of Children and Family Services, office of children and family services, child support enforcement section from obtaining an admission of paternity from the biological father for submission in a judicial proceeding, or prohibit the issuance of an order in a judicial proceeding which bases a legal finding of paternity on an admission of paternity by the biological father and any other additional showing required by state law.

(v) In the case of a child born of a surrogate birth parent who is related by blood or affinity to a biological parent, the full name of the biological parent who is proven to be the father by DNA testing shall be listed as the father.

(vi) Repealed by Acts 2008, No. 561, §3.

(i) Maiden name of mother; however, if the child was born of a surrogate birth parent who is related by blood or affinity to a biological parent, the maiden name of the biological parent who is proven to be the mother by DNA testing shall be listed as the mother and the name of the surrogate birth parent is not required.

(j) In the case of a child born of a surrogate birth parent who is related by blood or affinity to a biological parent, the biological parents proven to be the mother and father by DNA testing shall be considered the parents of the child.

(k) Respective age of parents on their last birthday, in years.

(l) Race or races of parents as reported by the parents.

(m) Residence of father and of mother.

(n) Birthplace of parents; at least the state or foreign country, if known.

(o) Number of children born to this mother, including present birth.

(p) Number of children born to this mother living.

(q) The certification of the attending physician, midwife, or other person in attendance, including a statement of the year, month, day, and hour of birth and whether the child was born alive or stillborn. This certification shall be signed by the physician, or midwife, or other person in attendance with the address and date of signature.

(r) The exact date of filing in the office of the local registrar, attested by his official signature.

(s) The social security account numbers issued to the mother and the father, if obtainable; however, these numbers shall not be printed on the child's birth certificate, but only as a part of vital records.

(2) Contents of death certificate. The certificate of death shall contain, as a minimum, the following items:

(a)(i) Full name of the decedent.

(ii) The social security number issued to the decedent, unless a social security number cannot be obtained.

(b) Sex.

(c) Race.

(d) Conjugal status; single, married, widowed, or divorced. If married, name of husband or wife.

(e) Age, in years, months, and days. If less than one day, in hours or minutes.

(f) Occupation, including any remunerative employment; the trade, profession, or particular kind of work; the general nature of the industry, business, or establishment in which employed.

(g) Residence number.

(h) Place of residence, including city or town and state; if of foreign birth, how long in the United States.

(i) Date of birth, including year, month, and day.

(j) Place of birth.

(k) Name and birthplace of father.

(l) Maiden name and birthplace of mother.

(m) Place of death, including street and house number; if in an industrial camp, its name.

(n) Name and address of the informant of the above items. The informant may be any competent person acquainted with the facts, attesting to the accuracy of the above items.

(o) Official signature of the local registrar, with the date when the certificate containing the above items was filed and the registered number of the certificate.

(p) Date and place of burial, cremation, or removal.

(q) Signature and address of undertaker, or person acting as such, on the statement of facts called for in Subparagraph (p).

(r) The medical certification of the physician, if any, last attending to the deceased, which certificate shall be made and signed by the physician within twenty-four hours of death with his name and address. In the absence of a physician, the parish coroner shall sign the certificate. In either event, the certification shall contain the following items:

(i) The fact and date of death, including year, month, day, and the time of the day.

(ii) Time in attendance.

(iii) Time he last saw the deceased alive.

(iv) Cause of death, showing the course of the disease or the sequence of causes resulting in the death; and contributory or secondary causes, the duration of each, and whether any primary or secondary causes of death are attributed to dangerous or insanitary conditions of employment. If the cause of death was violent, the certificate shall show the coroner's determination as to whether the death was probably accidental, suicidal, or homicidal.

(3) Contents of paternity acknowledgment affidavit. The state registrar shall develop an affidavit for the voluntary acknowledgment of paternity which includes the minimum requirements of the affidavit specified by the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services under 42 U.S.C. 652(a)(7).

C. Upon request, the state registrar shall provide the information required in R.S. 40:34(B)(1)(r) and (2)(a) to the agency charged with implementing a program of family support in accordance with R.S. 46:236.1.1 et seq.

D. The state registrar of vital records is hereby authorized to amend an original birth certificate in accordance with Louisiana laws or a final court order which specifically orders the amendments, provided the court's order complies with existing Louisiana laws.

E.(1) If the child is a child born outside of marriage and the father is known to the mother, she shall complete and sign a paternity information form issued by the Vital Records Registry which shall include the name and date of birth of the child, full name of the father, his mailing address, his street address or the location where he can be found, his date of birth, and the name of his parent or guardian if he is a minor, his state and city of birth, his social security number, and his place of employment, if known. Within fifteen days after the date of admission, the hospital or birthing facility shall forward the form to the child support enforcement section, office of children and family services, Department of Children and Family Services, with such information as the mother has provided. If the birth occurred at a location other than a licensed hospital or birthing facility, the form shall be completed at the time the home birth is recorded by the Vital Records Registry and submitted to support enforcement services within fifteen days thereafter. If the natural father has not executed an acknowledgment of paternity, the mother shall sign as the informant unless she is medically unable or mentally incompetent in which case her guardian or legal representative shall sign.

(2) The department shall serve notice on the alleged father that he has been named as the father of the child. If the alleged father is a minor, service shall be made upon his parent or guardian. The notice shall be served by certified mail, return receipt requested. The notice shall include the name of the child and the name of the mother of the child and shall advise the alleged father how the allegation of paternity can be contested. The notice shall also advise the alleged father that he can request that blood tests be conducted, and that the alleged father can sign an acknowledgment of paternity.

(3) Upon receiving the notice, the alleged father shall have ninety days to contest the allegation that he is the father. He shall do so by advising the department in writing that he is not the father. If the alleged father fails to contest the allegation in writing within ninety days, he shall be presumed to be the father of the child, for support purposes only, and the agency or the custodial parent can use this presumption in an action to seek a support order.

(4) If the alleged father contests paternity at the hearing for support, the court may order blood tests.

(5) If the results of the blood test indicate by a probability of 99.9% or higher that the alleged father is in fact the father of the child, or if the alleged parent fails to appear for the court-ordered blood tests, the court shall rule that he is the father of the child, for purposes of support only, and shall issue an order for support in accordance with state law.

(6) Nothing in this Subsection shall be deemed, construed, or interpreted to create any presumption of legal paternity for any purpose other than support as set forth in this Subsection.

(7) In the event the alleged father is found not to be the father, all costs of the hearing, medical costs, expert witnesses costs, and costs incurred by the alleged father defending himself shall be paid by the party who made the allegations against the alleged father.

F. All acknowledgments of paternity properly executed in Louisiana and adjudications of paternity adjudged in Louisiana shall be filed with the state registrar, office of vital records, in a central repository pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 666(a)(5)(M).

Acts 1979, No. 776, §1. Amended by Acts 1983, No. 624, §1; Acts 1986, No. 621, §1; Acts 1986, No. 876, §1; Acts 1987, No. 343, §1; Acts 1987, No. 360, §1; Acts 1989, No. 819, §1; Acts 1990, No. 238, §1; Acts 1990, No. 349, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 1990; Acts 1991, No. 688, §1, eff. July 18, 1991; Acts 1991, No. 820, §1; Acts 1993, No. 740, §1; Acts 1993, No. 775, §1, eff. Aug. 15, 1994; Acts 1995, No. 954, §1; Acts 1997, No. 1252, §1, eff. July 15, 1997; Acts 1998, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 8, §4, eff. April 24, 1998; Acts 1999, No. 834, §1, eff. July 2, 1999; Acts 2000, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 136, §1; Acts 2001, No. 690, §1; Acts 2001, No. 1118, §1; Acts 2003, No. 1239, §1, eff. July 7, 2003; Acts 2003, No. 1251, §1; Acts 2004, No. 26, §13; Acts 2006, No. 344, §5, eff. June 13, 2006; Acts 2006, No. 377, §1; Acts 2008, No. 561, §§2, 3; Acts 2012, No. 255, §6.

NOTE: See Acts 1993, No. 775, §3.