City ordinances in effect during the 1850s indicate that the process of licensing vehicles, businesses, and professions in New Orleans was shared by the offices of the Mayor and Treasurer. Article 4 of ordinance #1913 (1854) notes that "no license shall be granted by the mayor, unless the party applying for the same shall first produce a receipt or certificate from the treasurer, stating what tax or dues have been paid." Article 87 of ordinance #3124 (1856), however, provides that, "all applications for licenses shall be made in writing to the treasurer..." Most of the surviving license record books, moreover, include original bindings indicating that they were maintained by the Treasurer.

In addition to paying an annual license fee, certain licensees were also required to obtain security bonds for their faithful compliance with laws and regulations concerning their professions or trades. It is fairly clear from the ordinances that this bonding process was a function of the Mayor's Office; all security bond records have thus been arranged and described as records of the Mayor. Although the license records themselves have a less certain provenance, it appears from the evidence that they are more directly related to the Treasurer's Office. Accordingly they have been arranged and described as records of that agency, but are cross-referenced to the Office of the Mayor as well.