Credit reporting agency duties, security alerts, and security freezes
LA Credit Report and Security Freeze Law
Credit reporting · Financial · Children
Gives Louisiana consumers rights to copies of their credit reports, to dispute inaccurate items with a 45-day investigation deadline, to place free 90-day security alerts, and to place free security freezes that credit bureaus must apply within set deadlines. A separate section lets parents and guardians freeze the credit file of a child under 16 or an incapacitated person, including creating a file for that purpose.
- Where
- Louisiana
- Citation
- La. R.S. 9:3571.1; La. R.S. 9:3571.3 (protected persons)
- Status
- In force
- Last amended
- 2018-05-15
- Enforced by
- Private civil actions
- People can sue
- Yes
- Penalties
- Consumers damaged by intentional or negligent violations of the file-access, accuracy, and freeze provisions may recover actual damages plus reasonable attorney fees; persons denied credit, insurance, or employment because of erroneous information may also recover under R.S. 9:3571.1(G).
- Applies to
- Credit reporting agencies doing business in Louisiana (check services and fraud prevention companies and certain resellers excluded from freeze and alert duties)
- Consumers, and representatives of protected persons (children under 16 and interdicted or incapacitated persons)
Rights it gives people
- Consumers may obtain a copy of their credit report within five business days of a written request (fee capped, CPI-adjusted) and free after an adverse decision based on the report.La. R.S. 9:3571.1(A), (D)
- Place a security alert of at least 90 days within five business days of request and notify report requesters of the alert; nationwide agencies must run a 24/7 toll-free alert line.La. R.S. 9:3571.1(I)-(K)
- Place a security freeze within five business days of a mail request (requests may also be made by phone or secure website), issue a PIN or password, and lift a freeze temporarily within three business days of a mail request or 24 hours of an electronic or phone request.La. R.S. 9:3571.1(M)-(N), (R)-(S)
- A representative of a child under 16 or an incapacitated person may request a protected person security freeze, which must be placed within 30 days, creating a record if no file exists.La. R.S. 9:3571.3(C)-(E)
Practices it requires
- Use reasonable care to ensure maximum possible accuracy, and investigate disputed items, correcting them or reporting status within 45 calendar days; consumers may file a dispute statement.La. R.S. 9:3571.1(B)-(C)
- Do not charge consumers for placing, reinstating, temporarily lifting, or removing a security freeze.La. R.S. 9:3571.1(W)
Sources
Checked against these sources on 2026-09-25 by research agent (Claude), primary sources.
Unverified: First effective date of Acts 1990, No. 671 not confirmed; possibly the default for the 1990 regular session (September 7, 1990); the history note gives none. Security freeze provisions date from Acts 2004, No. 766 (eff. July 1, 2005); protected-person freezes from Acts 2014, No. 201 (eff. Jan. 1, 2015). | Whether protected-person freeze fees under R.S. 9:3571.3(I) survive the federal free-freeze rule (15 U.S.C. 1681c-1) was not analyzed.
Research reference, not legal advice.