Parish · code 22071
Orleans ParishLouisiana
Orleans Parish is a parish in Louisiana whose seat is New Orleans. The parish was created on April 14, 1807, as a civil division reusing earlier ecclesiastical boundaries.
- Founded1807
- County seatNew Orleans
- Land area169 sq mi + 180 sq mi water
- Population383,997 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped161,741 checked 15 October 2026
Open the free map
Click any parcel in Orleans Parish: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.
Where it is
Orleans on the map of Louisiana
Louisiana has 64 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.
History
Founded in 1807
An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.
Orleans Parish was created on April 14, 1807, as one of nineteen civil parishes that reused earlier ecclesiastical boundaries and replaced a dual county and parish system that had been in place since 1805. The parish experienced boundary changes over more than a century, losing territory to the creation of Jefferson Parish in 1825 but later gaining areas back through city consolidations and annexations in the 1870s.
- 1807Orleans Parish created Orleans Parish created within Orleans County. The nineteen parishes created on 14 April 1807 were civil divisions which reused the earlier ecclesiastical boundaries and names. The division into civil parishes did not abolish the twelve counties established on 10 April 1805. This and subsequent laws set up a dual system in which the counties existed "for the purpose of making the election of the representatives or the territory, and levying the territorial taxes", while the parishes took over jurisdiction of all civil, criminal, probate and other judicial matters. The dual county / parish system remained in effect until the state constitution of 1845. Though there was no legislative act formally abolishing the old counties, the 1845 constitution dropped all reference to the county as a civil or legislative division and redefined the limits of parish autonomy and authority. · Orleans Terr. Acts 1807, 1st. Leg., 2nd sess., ch. 1, sec. 9/ p. 10; Calhoun, 85-93
- 1824Lost territory Orleans technically lost Grand Isle to Lafourche Interior (now Lafourche), and implicitly lost jurisdiction over the Cheniere Caminada Peninsula when Lafourche Interior boundary defined. Uncertainty over the relative locations of Grand Isle and Cheniere Caminada resulted in dispute when both Orleans and Lafourche Interior claimed control over the area.to Lafourche Interiorto Lafourche· La. Acts 1824, 6th Leg., 2nd sess., p. 68; La. Acts 1830, 9th Leg., 2nd sess., p. 64
- 1825Lost territory Orleans lost to creation of Jefferson; loss included the disputed area of Cheniere Caminada and Grand Isle. · La. Acts 1825, 7th Leg., 1st sess., pp. 108-112
- 1870Gained territory Orleans gained from Jefferson when the cities of New Orleans and Jefferson were consolidated. · La. Acts 1870, 1st Leg., extra sess., pp. 30-49
- 1874Gained territory Orleans gained from Jefferson when the city of Carrollton was annexed to the City of New Orleans. · La. Acts 1874, 3rd Leg., 2nd sess., pp. 119-122
Show all 12 changes
- 1807Orleans Parish created Orleans Parish created within Orleans County. The nineteen parishes created on 14 April 1807 were civil divisions which reused the earlier ecclesiastical boundaries and names. The division into civil parishes did not abolish the twelve counties established on 10 April 1805. This and subsequent laws set up a dual system in which the counties existed "for the purpose of making the election of the representatives or the territory, and levying the territorial taxes", while the parishes took over jurisdiction of all civil, criminal, probate and other judicial matters. The dual county / parish system remained in effect until the state constitution of 1845. Though there was no legislative act formally abolishing the old counties, the 1845 constitution dropped all reference to the county as a civil or legislative division and redefined the limits of parish autonomy and authority. · Orleans Terr. Acts 1807, 1st. Leg., 2nd sess., ch. 1, sec. 9/ p. 10; Calhoun, 85-93
- 1809Changed Part of the boundary between Orleans, Plaquemines and St. Bernard defined (no change) · Orleans Terr. Acts 1809, 2nd Leg., 2nd sess., ch. 30/p. 80
- 1811Changed Part of the boundary between Orleans, Plaquemines and St. Bernard defined (no change). · Orleans Terr. Acts 1811, 3rd Leg., 2nd sess., ch. 19/p. 72
- 1812Lost territory Orleans lost small area to St. Bernard when St. Bernard was enlarged "to include the plantation of Julien Poydras and V. Delassize". · La. Acts 1812-1813, 1st Leg., 2nd sess., p. 8
- 1824Lost territory Orleans technically lost Grand Isle to Lafourche Interior (now Lafourche), and implicitly lost jurisdiction over the Cheniere Caminada Peninsula when Lafourche Interior boundary defined. Uncertainty over the relative locations of Grand Isle and Cheniere Caminada resulted in dispute when both Orleans and Lafourche Interior claimed control over the area.to Lafourche Interiorto Lafourche· La. Acts 1824, 6th Leg., 2nd sess., p. 68; La. Acts 1830, 9th Leg., 2nd sess., p. 64
- 1825Lost territory Orleans lost to creation of Jefferson; loss included the disputed area of Cheniere Caminada and Grand Isle. · La. Acts 1825, 7th Leg., 1st sess., pp. 108-112
- 1847Gained territory Orleans gained small area from Jefferson when the limits of Orleans were extended to "all that portion of Felicity Road from Levee street to the rear of the city, lying between the center of said street, and to the line of the second Municipality of New Orleans, on the north side of the same, which ground is within the limits of the city of LaFayette, parish of Jefferson." · La. Acts 1847, 1st Leg., 2nd sess., pp. 100-101
- 1850Boundary clarified Orleans boundary with Jefferson redefined (no change).with Jeffersonno change· La. Acts 1850, 3rd. Leg., pp. 243-244
- 1852Changed City of New Orleans annexed the independent municipality of LaFayette, extending the limits of New Orleans upriver as far as Toledano Street and into Jefferson Parish. The act of annexation stipulated that the 1847 line along Felicity Street was to remain the boundary between the parishes of Orleans and Jefferson (no change). · Swanson, 100-102
- 1870Gained territory Orleans gained from Jefferson when the cities of New Orleans and Jefferson were consolidated. · La. Acts 1870, 1st Leg., extra sess., pp. 30-49
- 1874Gained territory Orleans gained from Jefferson when the city of Carrollton was annexed to the City of New Orleans. · La. Acts 1874, 3rd Leg., 2nd sess., pp. 119-122
- 1979Gained territory Orleans gained when boundaries through Lake Pontchartrain were defined. · La. Acts 1979, vol. 2, reg. sess., pp. 2042, 2043-2044
Land and parcels
What the maps cover in Orleans
Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.
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Parcels Good enough
Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 161,741 parcels. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 24 April 2024 · checked 15 October 2026 -
Address points Missing
No public address points layer found for Orleans Parish yet.
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Buildings Reference
Roof outlines traced from aerial imagery from FEMA Response Geospatial Office with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Good for seeing what is on a lot; not accurate enough to set a fence from.
checked 18 October 2026
- Official
- from the office that keeps the record
- Good enough
- a reliable statewide or national copy
- Fallback
- a guide only; check the official record
- Missing
- nothing public found yet
People and land
Orleans by the Census
Population
383,997 2020 Census count
Housing units
193,840 2020 Census count
Land area
169 square miles
Water area
180 square miles · 52% of the county, including large bodies of water
People per sq mi
2,266 population ÷ land area
Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census; US Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files. Not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Rules and offices
Who to ask before you build, dig or sell
Official county pages only. We link to them; we do not copy them, because they change.
Inside a city or town, permits usually come from that city rather than the county.
Zoning and code
County government
- County government
The official website of Orleans Parish.
See your own lot on these maps
Open Orleans Parish on Parcel Chart's free map and click your parcel. Save it with a free account; the full record of your place (site map, projects, documents) is Pro, in early access.
Questions
Common questions about Orleans Parish
- When was Orleans Parish founded?
- Orleans Parish was founded in 1807.
- What is the county seat of Orleans Parish?
- The county seat of Orleans Parish is New Orleans.
- Is there an online parcel map for Orleans Parish?
- Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 161,741 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has Orleans Parish's boundary or name changed?
- Orleans Parish was created in 1807. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 9 later changes, chiefly involving Jefferson Parish, St. Bernard Parish and Plaquemines Parish.
- Who issues building permits in Orleans Parish?
- The county's page on building permits: Food Pop-Up Host Permit. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
- Who issues septic and well permits in Orleans Parish?
- The county's page on septic systems and wells: Contact.
- Is my lot in a flood zone?
- We do not have flood maps for Orleans Parish yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
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