Basics of Sex Offender Registration

Sex Offender Registration in Louisiana is governed by Title 15, §540, et seq., of the Louisiana Revised Statutes. Those statutes define those who are required to register and the requirements and fees associated with registration. §542 lists the offenses for which, if convicted, a person will have to register as a sex offender. These include convictions in Louisiana or from another jurisdiction (including another state, federal court, or foreign court).

If convicted in Louisiana, upon conviction, a person must register in person with the sheriff of the parish and the chief of police in the city or municipality in which he resides as well as the parish and city where he is employed or attends school. If he is not incarcerated upon conviction, he will also need to register in the parish where convicted for his initial registration only. If a person is convicted in another state and then relocates to Louisiana, within 3 days of establishing residence in Louisiana, he must register as listed above. There is an annual fee for registration that must be paid at the time of registration. 

The following documents must be provided on the day of registration:

• Name and any aliases;
• Physical address or address of residence;
• Name and physical address of place of employment (which may include routes of travel);
• Name and physical address of the school where he is a student;
• 2 Forms of proof of residence, which may include a driver’s license, utility bill, telephone bill, or affidavit of residence from an adult living in the same residence;
• Offense for which he was convicted, date and place of conviction, court, docket number, statute, and sentence;
• A current photograph;
• Fingerprints, palm prints, and a DNA sample;
• Telephone numbers;
• Description of every motor vehicle registered to him, including the license plate numbers, VINs, and copies of his driver’s license;
• Social security number;
• Date of birth;
• Physical description, including sex, race, hair color, eye color, height, age, weight, and identifying marks;
• All e-mail addresses, screen names, or other online identifiers; and
• Travel and immigration documents, including passports.

If a person required to register plans to leave his main residence for a period of longer than 7 days, he must provide temporary lodging information more than 3 days before departure. If he will be traveling internationally, he must provide temporary lodging information regardless of the length of the trip and no later than 21 days prior to the date of departure.

Failure to comply with these requirements and those contained in the the remainder of Title 15, §540, et seq., can result in criminal prosecution. 

If you or someone you know has questions regarding sex offender registration or has been arrested for failure to register as a sex offender, call us at (318) 459-9111 to schedule an appointment.