PART III. PROVISIONS AFFECTING ONLY
PARISH OF ORLEANS
§5581. Sheriff for parish of Orleans; election; term
A. There shall be one sheriff for the parish of Orleans, who shall be elected by the
qualified electors of the parish of Orleans. He shall be elected at the election for parochial
and municipal officers in Orleans Parish and shall serve for a term of four years. However,
the sheriff elected at the election for parochial and municipal officers in Orleans Parish in
2029 shall serve until his successor takes office on January 9, 2034. Each sheriff elected
thereafter shall take office on the second Monday in January following election.
B. When the sheriff provided for in Subsection A of this Section takes office, the
separate offices of the civil sheriff and the criminal sheriff for the parish of Orleans shall be
abolished, and the sheriff shall be the successor to and exercise all of the functions, duties,
and responsibilities of their respective offices, which shall be merged and consolidated
within the office of the sheriff for the parish of Orleans.
C.(1) All books, papers, records, money, actions, and other property of every kind
and description, movable and immovable, real and personal, possessed, controlled, or used
by the civil sheriff and the criminal sheriff shall be transferred to the office of the sheriff.
(2) The sheriff shall have and shall exercise all of the powers, duties, and functions
of the civil sheriff of the parish of Orleans and the criminal sheriff of the parish of Orleans.
The sheriff shall provide for the ongoing merger and consolidation of the offices of the civil
and criminal sheriff within his office and shall develop a plan for retaining, appointing,
removing, assigning and promoting such deputies and other personnel necessary for the
efficient and effective operation of his office. The sheriff shall complete the merger and
consolidation as soon as practicable after taking office. This plan shall include detailed
procedures for the realignment, distribution, assignment, consolidation, and coordination of
the powers, duties, functions, and responsibilities of each office and also shall include
procedures for the transfer and utilization of positions, personnel, funds, office space,
facilities, and equipment, including relocation of facilities if deemed appropriate. The sheriff
shall accomplish the consolidation of the offices of the civil and criminal sheriff into his
office with the least possible disruption of services and the least possible expenditure of
public funds.
D. Whenever the civil sheriff of the parish of Orleans or the criminal sheriff of the
parish of Orleans is referred to or designated by law, rule, or regulation on the date that those
offices are abolished, such reference or designation shall be deemed to apply to the sheriff
of the parish of Orleans.
Acts 2006, No. 621, §4 (see notes for eff. date); Acts 2008, No. 873, §1, eff. July 9,
2008; Acts 2009, No. 125, §1, eff. June 25, 2009; Redesignated from R.S. 33:1500 pursuant
to Acts 2011, No. 248, §3; Acts 2026, No. 317, §1.
NOTE: See Acts 2006, No. 621, §23. The Section is effective on the date
the sheriff elected at the election of parochial and municipal offices in
Orleans Parish in 2010 takes office, except that R.S. 33:5581(A) is effective
on June 23, 2006, only for purposes of qualifying and election of sheriff in
2010. Acts 2008, No. 873, §1, extended the date to 2014; Acts 2009, No.
125, §1, changed the date to 2010.
NOTE: See Acts 2006, No. 621, §31, prohibiting a special election if a
vacancy occurs in the office of civil or criminal sheriff.