Lafourche Parish, Louisiana State Court Records
Lafourche Parish court records are official documents that include lawsuits, court rulings, and other judicial activities in the parish's trial courts. These records provide a detailed account of court proceedings, including hearing dates, filed motions, court orders, and judgments. Lafourche Parish court records also contain comprehensive case information, such as the case number, the nature of the case (civil, criminal, or family-related), parties' names, and the case's current status. The Lafourche Parish Clerk of Court is the primary custodian of the parish's court records and provides access to civil, criminal, conveyance, and mortgage records.
Court records may be connected to other records. For instance, an arrest record may subsequently result in a criminal court case if a prosecutor files criminal charges. Divorce and probate cases may connect to vital records when someone needs proof of marriage, divorce, birth, or death. Different offices often maintain these records. The Clerk of Court typically handles court files, while law enforcement oversees arrest records. Requesters may access vital records through the Clerk of Court or Louisiana Vital Records, depending on the record type and date.
Are Lafourche Parish Court Records Public?
Yes. The Louisiana Public Records Act (La. R.S. 44:1 et seq.) guarantees the general public's right to access court records in the state. Likewise, Article 12, § 3 of the Louisiana Constitution states that the general public may examine public court documents, except in court proceedings that the law expressly restricts.
Despite the general openness of Louisiana court records, certain documents are not accessible to the public. For example, juvenile, adoption, sealed, or expunged records are not publicly available for inspection or copying. In addition, the courts may restrict public access to records involving minors, confidential family matters, and records restricted by court order or statute.
What Information is Available in Lafourche Parish Court Records?
Typical features of a Lafourche Parish court record may include:
- Names of parties and attorneys
- Case number, case type, and filing date
- Docket entries
- Complaints or petitions
- Motions and orders
- Judgments and dispositions
- Hearing dates, trial dates, and sentencing information (where applicable)
- Case status
Depending on the case type, Lafourche Parish court records may also include criminal charges, civil claims, family filings (where public), probate or succession filings, guardianship-related or interdiction records (where accessible), financial obligations, fines, fees, and warrant or commitment entries, if they appear in the court record.
It is worth noting that the courts may limit access to sealed, expunged, juvenile, adoption, victim-related, confidential, or otherwise restricted records.
Lafourche Parish Court Records Search
Requesters wishing to perform a general search of Lafourche Parish court records may do so using the following resources:
Online Access
Requesters may visit the Lafourche Parish Clerk of Court's public record search portal to look up both Civil & Criminal and Conveyance & Mortgage records. The portal provides access to indexes from July 1, 1982 to the present, minute entries from January 1, 2001 to the present, and images from March 2018 to the present. Please note that access to court records may differ by case type.
In-Person Access
Residents and visitors may also visit the Lafourche Parish Clerk of Court's Office to make record requests. The Clerk's Office has different departments responsible for responding to record requests or assisting with inquiries on records generated and stored by the Clerk's Office. The office also provides access to computers and indexes in the public research area for researching the Clerk of Court's Office records.
For record requests or inquiries, interested parties may contact the Clerk of Court's Office during business hours (8:30 p.m to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, excluding holidays) or send an email via the office's "Contact Us" page. The locational address of the Clerk of Court's Offices is as follows:
Lafourche Parish Annex
303 West Third Street
Thibodaux, LA 70301
Mail and Phone Requests
Requesters may also send their record requests by mail. Before sending the mail request, they may confirm the correct department, fees, copy requirements, and payment method by calling the Clerk's general phone number at 985-447-4841. Applicants should send their mail request to:
Lafourche Parish Clerk of Court
P.O. Box 818
Thibodaux, LA 70302
Fees for Court Records in Lafourche Parish
Individuals who wish to view or inspect Lafourche Parish court records typically do not have to pay a fee. Typically, fees apply when searching for documents or printing copies. Listed below are the copy and certification fees charged by the Lafourche Parish Clerk of Court:
- Plain copies cost $1.00 per page
- Certified copies cost $10.00 per document
- Stamped copies cost $5.00 per document
- Certified extract of court minutes (certification per document) costs $5.00
- Copies of Maps/Surveys: 8-1/2×14 - $2.00, 11×17 - $4.00, 24×18 - $8.00, 36×24 - $16.00
- Reduced or enlarged (per page) - $2.00
- Sending fax or email costs $1.00 per page
- Criminal background search per name costs $20.00
Subscription fees for accessing the Clerk of Court's public search portals:
• 30-Day Unlimited Access is $50.00 each month.
• One-day Unlimited Access is $20.00 per day.
Note: The search portals operate independently and require separate subscriptions.
Lafourche Parish Courthouse Locations
According to official court and clerk sources, Lafourche Parish has 4 main court bodies, 5 court/courthouse locations, and 1 main Clerk of Court records-service office in Thibodaux. These court locations are listed as follows:
17th Judicial District Court - Old Courthouse
201 Green Street
Thibodaux, LA 70301
Phone: Civil Docket: 985-447-5550; Criminal Docket: 985-447-5512
17th Judicial District Court - Courthouse Annex
303 W. 3rd Street
Thibodaux, LA 70301
Phone: 985-447-4841
Lafourche Parish Clerk of Court, Thibodaux Main Office
200 W. 2nd Street, 3rd Floor
Thibodaux, LA 70301
Phone: 985-447-4841
Thibodaux City Court
1309 Canal Boulevard
Thibodaux, LA 70301
Phone: 985-446-7238
Golden Meadow Municipal/Mayor's Court
Golden Meadow Town Hall
107 Jervis Drive
Golden Meadow, LA 70357
Phone: 985-475-7942 or 985-475-5212
Lockport Magistrate/Mayor's Court
Lockport Town Hall Complex
710 Church Street
Lockport, LA 70374
Phone: 985-532-3117
Criminal Records Access in Lafourche Parish
In Lafourche Parish, individuals may request a review of their own Louisiana criminal history record through the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information, not through the parish court. These fingerprint-based background checks differ from parish court searches because they search the statewide criminal history database, not just one parish's court records. Louisiana also provides an Internet Background Check system under the Louisiana State Police for eligible background-check requests.
In contrast, requesters seeking local criminal case records may visit the Lafourche Clerk of Court's public records search portal (Civil and Criminal) to search for case information in the parish's district court.
Individuals with identifying information (e.g., case number) may visit the Lafourche Parish Clerk of Court's office to search public criminal case files. For inquiries, court record seekers may contact the Clerk's office at its main phone number (985-447-4841) or the 17th Judicial District Court at its listed phone number for criminal docket information (985-447-5512).
Lafourche Parish Probate Records
Lafourche Parish probate records are court records created when succession, estate, guardianship, conservatorship, trust, or related civil matters are filed in Lafourche Parish. The Clerk of Court maintains the parish's probate and succession filings, including wills and donations dating back to September 1817, as well as marriage records dating back to 1808. These documents usually contain evidence of the distribution of a deceased individual's assets and may provide significant details about family relationships and property.
Lafourche Parish Family Court Records
Lafourche Parish family court records refer to Lafourche Parish Clerk of Court-maintained civil court records filed in the 17th Judicial District Court. These records include divorce, custody, child support, domestic matters, adoption, name changes, and related family law proceedings.
Requesters may access the parish's family court records through the Lafourche Parish Clerk of Court's Civil and Criminal Search portal, but access may differ by case type. For example, they may view public divorce and custody case entries. Still, adoption records, juvenile matters, sealed filings, protective matters, and records involving minors or confidential personal information are typically restricted.
Individuals seeking in-person access to available Lafourche Parish family court records are expected to visit the parish's Clerk of Court as the primary record custodian. To clarify issues related to family court records, they may call the Clerk's main phone at 985-447-4841 or the 17th Judicial District Court-listed number (985-447-5550).
Interested parties may request copies of disclosable records from the Copy Department of the Lafourche Parish Clerk of Court. The Clerk charges $1.00 per page for plain copies, $10.00 per document for certified copies, and $5.00 per document for stamped copies. Requesters are typically expected to provide the case number, parties' names, type of document needed, and contact information to expedite the search process.
Federal Court Records in Lafourche Parish
In Lafourche Parish, federal court records comprise documents and case files created during legal proceedings in a federal court, which differ from those handled by the 17th Judicial District Court or the Lafourche Parish Clerk of Court. These records may include federal civil lawsuits, federal criminal cases, bankruptcy cases, civil rights claims, and constitutional claims. Other federal court records may involve federal tax matters, maritime cases, and cases involving federal law or qualifying disputes between parties from different states.
Lafourche Parish does not maintain federal court records through the parish courthouse. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana has jurisdiction over such records. At the same time, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana oversees bankruptcy matters.
Interested parties may access federal court records through the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER). The platform offers public access to federal court dockets and filings. To view records on the platform, users must register for a PACER account. Given that each federal court maintains its own case information, users who do not know a court's specific details can use the PACER Case Locator to find it.
