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Louisiana court records

Who holds it: State court system: district courts are the trial courts of general jurisdiction (judicial districts of one or more parishes); each parish's elected clerk of court keeps district court records; Orleans has separate Civil and Criminal District Courts and clerks; plus city, parish, juvenile/family, justice of the peace and mayor's courts1

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. How the courts keep their files
  2. What is public and what is sealed
  3. Related records in Louisiana
  4. How Louisiana handles it
  5. Court records in Louisiana parishes with a full guide
  6. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  7. Sources

Fees

Statutory ceilings for district court clerks (R.S. 13:841): certification of copy $5; copies $1 per page; conformed copies $3; filing first page $6, each subsequent page $42

How the courts keep their files

Clerk copy rules
Clerks may set uniform written reproduction procedures; private copying equipment in the clerk's office is prohibited unless a court orders it3

What is public and what is sealed

What is public
Court records held by clerks are public records under the Public Records Law unless an exception applies; any person of the age of majority may inspect, copy or reproduce any public record4
Sealed and confidential records
Expunged arrest/conviction records are confidential and not public records (C.Cr.P. art. 973)5
Criminal history checks: state repository
Louisiana State Police, Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information (BCII) – Louisiana Computerized Criminal History (LACCH)6
Criminal history checks: fee
Right to Review: $26.00 processing fee; $10.00 fingerprint fee if printed at LSP Headquarters (form rev. 9/29/2020); $5 technology fee added to background checks since Dec 1, 20247
Divorce records: who holds it
Clerk of court of the parish where the divorce was granted (district court record); the state Vital Records Registry cannot issue divorce decrees8
Probate: who holds it
Successions (probate) are opened in the district court of the parish of the decedent's domicile; records are kept by that parish clerk of court9

How Louisiana handles it

  • Louisiana has 64 parishes instead of counties; the parish clerk of court is both court clerk and recorder of conveyances and mortgages (land records), so deeds, mortgages, UCC filings, court cases and most marriage licenses are at one office.1
  • Orleans Parish: land records at the Clerk of Civil District Court Land Records Division (former Recorder of Mortgages, Register of Conveyances, Notarial Archives consolidated); marriage licenses and 50-year marriage records at LDH Vital Records; property taxes collected by the City Bureau of Treasury, not the sheriff.10
  • UCC financing statements are filed at any parish clerk of court, not at the Secretary of State; SOS provides online filing to the clerks and a paid Direct Access subscription to the UCC database.11
  • Clerks of district court (and the Second City Court of New Orleans) can issue state birth and death certificates from the state database, at higher fees than LDH.12
  • Probate is called a 'succession' and is opened in the district court of the parish of domicile.9

Court records in Louisiana parishes with a full guide

The local office, its official online search and its own fee, for each parish with a full guide. Local fees can differ from the statewide figures above.

ParishOfficeSearch onlineFee
Ascension Parish———
Bossier Parish—26th Judicial District Court13Fees: records: Mail copies $1 per page; certification $5 for the entire document plus copy14
Caddo Parish—First Judicial District Court15Filing and copy costs are on the Clerk's Civil Court Costs and Copies pages. Statutory ceilings for district court clerks (R.S. 13:841): certification $5; copies $1 per page; conformed copies $316
Calcasieu Parish——Civil: copies $1.00/page; certified copies $5.00 per seal (+$1.00/page if clerk provides copy); 10-year civil name search $15.00 per name. Criminal: copies $1/page; certification $5; extract of court minutes $10; criminal record background check $20.17
East Baton Rouge Parish—19th Judicial District Court18Clerk copies $1.00 per page; certification $10.0019
Jefferson Parish——Photocopies $1.00 per page; certified copy $5.00 per document plus copy costs (civil)20
Lafayette Parish—15th Judicial District Court21—
Livingston Parish—21st Judicial District Court22Statutory ceilings for district court clerks (R.S. 13:841): certification of copy $5; copies $1 per page; conformed copies $3; filing first page $6, each subsequent page $423
Orleans Parish—Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans24—
Ouachita Parish—4th Judicial District Court25clerk's docket suits ($5,000 or less) $300. Criminal copies $1/page26
St. Tammany Parish—22nd Judicial District Court27
22nd Judicial District Court28		Civil customer service: copy $1.00 per page; certified copy $5.00 per document plus per-page copy fee; record search/issue certification $15.00; advance deposit required to file suits (call (985) 809-8776)29
Tangipahoa Parish—21st Judicial District Court (Tangipahoa, Livingston and St. Helena parishes) - criminal30
21st Judicial District Court - civil31		Criminal: copies $1.00 per page, conformed copy $3.00, certified copy $5.00; Civil/Probate search fee $10.00 (Copy Department)32

For any other parish, see the parish list on the Louisiana guide.

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any Louisiana office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Rules in other states: court records in every state. Everything else in Louisiana: Louisiana public records guide.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. Louisiana Governmental Audit Guide 200-1040 Clerks of CourtLouisiana Legislative Auditorchecked November 4, 2026
  2. La. R.S. 13:841 – Enumeration of clerk fees in civil mattersLouisiana State Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  3. La. R.S. 44:32 – Duty to permit examination; copies; feesLouisiana State Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  4. La. R.S. 44:31 – Right to examine recordsLouisiana State Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  5. La. C.Cr.P. art. 973 – Effect of expunged record of arrest or convictionLouisiana State Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  6. Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information (BCII) – Background Checks / Right to ReviewLouisiana State Policechecked November 4, 2026
  7. Right to Review Authorization formLouisiana State Police, BCIIchecked November 4, 2026
  8. Marriage Certificates & LicensesLouisiana Department of Health, Center for Vital Records and Statisticschecked November 4, 2026
  9. La. C.C.P. art. 2811 – Court in which succession openedLouisiana State Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  10. Mortgages, Conveyances, Notarial ArchivesCity of New Orleanschecked November 4, 2026
  11. File Financing StatementsLouisiana Secretary of State (Department of State), Business Serviceschecked November 4, 2026
  12. La. R.S. 40:39.1 – Certified copies of birth and death certificates; clerks of district courtsLouisiana State Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  13. Instructions and Subscriptions - Bossier Parish Clerk of Court - 26th Judicial District CoBossier Parishchecked November 8, 2026
  14. Copy Fees - Bossier Parish Clerk of Court - 26th Judicial District Court of LouisianaBossier Parishchecked November 8, 2026
  15. Clerk homeCaddo Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  16. La. R.S. 13:841 – Enumeration of clerk fees in civil mattersLouisiana State Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  17. Fees & Costs (By Department)Calcasieu Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  18. EBR Clerk of Court (home)East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  19. CopyEast Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  20. FeesJefferson Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  21. FeesLafayette Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  22. eClerks LA (statewide portal)Louisiana Clerks' Remote Access Authority (LCRAA)checked November 4, 2026
  23. La. R.S. 13:841 – Enumeration of clerk fees in civil mattersLouisiana State Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  24. Online RecordsClerk of Court for the Parish of Orleanschecked November 4, 2026
  25. Ouachita Parish Clerk of Court homeOuachita Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  26. Fees - CivilOuachita Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  27. St. Tammany Parish Clerk of Court homeSt. Tammany Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  28. Clerk of Court: CriminalSt. Tammany Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  29. Civil Department Fees (PDF)St. Tammany Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  30. Criminal Record eSearchTangipahoa Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  31. Civil Record eSearchTangipahoa Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  32. Criminal Department FeesTangipahoa Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026