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Address Confidentiality Program
Louisiana's Address Confidentiality Program is administered by the Louisiana Secretary of State's Office and was modeled after the original program developed in the State of Washington in 1991. In 2006, the Louisiana Legislature passed legislation governing the program which are found in La. R.S. 44:51-57.
The ACP provides relocated victims of abuse, sexual assault or stalking with a substitute address to use in place of their actual address when they apply for or receive state or local government services (e.g., driver's license, voter registration, public school records, etc.). The goal of the ACP is to prevent an assailant or potential assailant from finding the location of a victim through the state's public records. The ACP is not a witness protection program and does not assist participants in obtaining new names, social security numbers or in relocating to a new residence. The ACP does not provide legal advice to the participant, but acts as the agent of a program participant for purposes of service of process and forwarding all first-class, certified or registered mail.
Additional resources for victims of crime can be found by visiting the following websites:
Eligibility Requirements
Any person attempting to escape from actual or threatened abuse, sexual assault or stalking can apply for participation in the program. To participate, you must meet the following criteria:
- be a victim of abuse, sexual assault or stalking;
- be concerned for the safety of yourself, your children or your household members;
- be a resident of Louisiana or plan to relocate to an address unknown to your abuser in which you have not made any public record (e.g., telephone number, utilities, driver’s license, etc.) and live in a residence that the victim does not own (the ACP cannot protect a victim if a house has been purchased in their name); and
- be 18 years of age or older, a parent or guardian acting on behalf of a minor or a parent or guardian acting on behalf of an incapacitated individual.
How to Apply
Once a victim of abuse, sexual assault or stalking moves to a new location in Louisiana that is unknown to his/her abuser where no public record of the new address has been created (e.g., telephone number, driver's license, utilities, etc), the victim should call the ACP. The victim is then referred to an agency with a certified ACP application assistant to meet with and apply for participation in the program. When the application is complete, the application assistant sends the application to the Secretary of State's Office where it is reviewed to verify requirements are met before certifying the victim as a program participant. The new participant is assigned an ACP code and an ACP authorization card is issued for each member of the household. The program participant, and co-participants if applicable, can now apply for state and local government services using the substitute address as his/her legal address. The ACP forwards all first-class, certified and registered mail to the program participant's actual mailing address. The program participant's actual residential address and telephone number are not public record.
Contact Us
Address Confidentiality Program
P.O. Box 91301
Baton Rouge, LA 70821-1301
800.825.3805
225.925.4792