Louisiana calls its county-equivalent units "parishes." Most (about 41 of 64) are governed by an elected "police jury" that combines legislative and executive authority, functioning much like a commission. The rest operate under home-rule charters with other structures — some elect a separate parish president alongside a council, and four (Orleans/New Orleans, East Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and Terrebonne) have consolidated city-parish governments. Contact your police jury, or parish council/president’s office under home rule, for a meeting or records request — the exact structure and contact point genuinely varies parish to parish.

Most states structure local government as counties with a small elected commission; Louisiana instead uses parishes — most governed by an elected "police jury" functioning similarly to a commission, while a substantial minority use home-rule charters with different structures — descending from French and Spanish colonial civil-parish administration rather than the county model used elsewhere.