Guide · Moving here
Moving to Louisiana: your first 30 days
When you move to Louisiana you have 30 days to transfer your driver’s license, register your vehicles and get a Louisiana inspection sticker. If your car was already registered to you in another state, the use tax is capped at $90 when you register it within 90 days. Register to vote online once you have a Louisiana license. If you buy a home, apply for homestead with your parish assessor and line up flood insurance. Louisiana has 64 parishes where other states have counties.
Reviewed by Nicole Gaudet, REALTOR®
Updated October 29, 2026
Checklist
Your first 30 days in Louisiana
In order, with the deadline the state sets for each one.
- Transfer your driver’s license (30 days).Louisiana requires the transfer within 30 days of making Louisiana your home. Bring original or certified documents. A REAL ID needs two documents with your Louisiana street address from separate sources, and costs the same as a standard license: $32.25 until age 69, plus up to $8 at some offices.
- Register your vehicles (30 days).Apply for Louisiana registration at an OMV office or a public tag agent within 30 days of establishing residency.
- Get a Louisiana inspection sticker (30 days).Each vehicle needs a valid Louisiana safety inspection certificate within the same 30 days.
- Pay the vehicle use tax, capped at $90.Since January 1, 2025, a new resident’s use tax cannot exceed $90 if the vehicle is mainly for personal use, was already registered or leased to you in another state, and is registered within 90 days of coming to Louisiana.
- Register to vote.Register online through GeauxVote at least 20 days before an election, or in person or by mail at least 30 days before. Online registration needs a Louisiana driver’s license or ID. Closed party primaries begin in 2026.
- Set up utilities.Your address decides your electric provider. See the table below.
- Make a hurricane plan.Louisiana’s emergency agency, GOHSEP, says to decide ahead of time where you would go if told to evacuate, and to leave immediately when advised.
- If you buy: apply for homestead.Homestead is not automatic. Apply with your parish assessor; you must own and live in the home by December 31 of the tax year.
Sources: Louisiana OMV, license transfers; Louisiana OMV, REAL ID; Louisiana OMV, new licenses and fees; La. R.S. 47:513.2; Louisiana Department of Revenue, RIB 25-011 (new-resident vehicle use tax); Louisiana Secretary of State, register to vote; Louisiana Secretary of State, closed party primaries; GOHSEP, family plan; East Baton Rouge Parish Assessor, general information.
Utilities
Who provides electricity and gas
The Louisiana Public Service Commission regulates investor-owned utilities and every electric cooperative. City-owned utilities are not under its authority, and Entergy New Orleans answers to the New Orleans City Council.
| Provider | Where it serves | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Entergy Louisiana | More than 1.1 million customers across much of the state, including the Baton Rouge area | Investor-owned; regulated by the LPSC |
| Entergy New Orleans | More than 209,000 customers in Orleans Parish | Investor-owned; regulated by the New Orleans City Council |
| DEMCO | Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Livingston, St. Helena, Tangipahoa and West Feliciana parishes | Electric cooperative; regulated by the LPSC |
| Cleco | About 295,000 customers in 24 parishes | Investor-owned; regulated by the LPSC |
| SLEMCO | Acadiana | Electric cooperative, formed in 1937; regulated by the LPSC |
| Lafayette Utilities System (LUS) | City of Lafayette | Citizen-owned public power; not regulated by the LPSC |
| Delta Utilities | Natural gas customers that Entergy served in the Baton Rouge area and New Orleans | Bought Entergy’s gas business on July 1, 2025 |
Sources: Louisiana Public Service Commission, about; New Orleans City Council, utility committee; Entergy, sale of gas business to Delta Utilities (July 1, 2025); DEMCO, about; Cleco, our company; SLEMCO, about; Lafayette Utilities System, electric.
Taxes and homestead
Taxes the year you move
Louisiana moved to a flat income tax in 2025.
Homestead does not cover city taxes outside Orleans Parish, and you do not need to reapply each year unless the title changes. See our homestead exemption guide and cost of living in Louisiana for sales tax, prices and utilities.
Sources: LDR, 2025 IT-540 instructions; East Baton Rouge Parish Assessor, general information.
Hurricanes and flood
Hurricane season and flood insurance
Plan for both before your first June.
Most homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage. Check the flood zone of any address before you make an offer, and price flood insurance even outside high-risk zones. See our flood zones and insurance guide, pros and cons of living in Louisiana and buyer closing costs.
Sources: National Hurricane Center, tropical cyclone climatology; FloodSmart, buy a policy; GOHSEP, Get a Game Plan.
Louisiana by the numbers
A few facts for newcomers
Parishes correspond to counties, and police juries to county boards of commissioners. Some parishes, such as East Baton Rouge, have a combined city-parish government instead.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 state population estimates; Louisiana Police Jury Association, parish government structure.
Questions
Moving to Louisiana: questions
How long do I have to get a Louisiana driver's license after moving?
30 days. Louisiana's OMV says a license must be transferred within 30 days of establishing a domicile in the state.
Source: Louisiana OMV.
How long do I have to register my car in Louisiana?
Within 30 days of establishing residency, along with a Louisiana safety inspection sticker.
Source: La. R.S. 47:513.2.
Do I pay sales tax on my car when I move to Louisiana?
For a new resident, the use tax is capped at $90 if the vehicle is mainly for personal use, was already registered or leased to you in another state, and is registered within 90 days of coming to Louisiana.
Do I have to file a Louisiana tax return the year I move?
Part-year residents can file a resident or nonresident Louisiana return, whichever is more beneficial. The state income tax is a flat 3%.
Source: LDR IT-540 instructions.
What is a parish in Louisiana?
Louisiana's 64 parishes correspond to counties in other states, and police juries correspond to county boards of commissioners.
Source: Louisiana Police Jury Association.
Who provides electricity in Louisiana?
It depends on your address. Entergy Louisiana, Entergy New Orleans, Cleco, DEMCO, SLEMCO and Lafayette Utilities System each serve different areas.
Sources: provider websites; Louisiana Public Service Commission.
Keep reading
Next
Next step
Moving to Louisiana?
Tell us where you will work and what you need. We will show you homes in the areas that fit, with the flood zone and insurance picture for each one.
Nicole Spellman Group serves Baton Rouge, Ascension, Livingston, Acadiana and the New Orleans metro.