DeSoto Parish Court Records

DeSoto Parish court records are official documents that contain information about legal cases and operations handled by local courts within the parish. They serve as reference points for decisions issued and enforced by the judicial system. Court records also help to keep the public well-informed about how the legal system functions and are used by regulatory bodies to ensure compliance with legal standards.

Some of the information and documents that make up DeSoto Parish court records include, but are not limited to, case information, judgments, rulings, court orders, motions, dockets, court hearing transcripts, and exhibits.

Are Court Records Public in DeSoto Parish?

Yes. Most court records in DeSoto Parish are subject to Louisiana's Public Records Law, codified in La. R.S. 44:1 - 44:1. The law stipulates that documentary materials used, prepared, generated, or retained by public bodies to facilitate the conduct, transaction, or performance of any public business are considered public records. Thus, court records are part of the DeSoto Parish Public Records and are generally available to anyone who requests them from local courts and other custodians.

However, the provisions of Louisiana's Public Records Law are not absolute. Numerous statutes under the law and other relevant state and federal laws exempt certain records from public disclosure. Some of these exempt records and information include, but are not limited to:

• Adoption records
• Juvenile court records
• Medical and mental health records
• Records on an ongoing criminal investigation
• Personally identifiable information, such as a Social Security number and driver's license
• Certain family law cases, such as those involving protection from abuse and child custody

DeSoto Parish Court Records Search

Interested persons may search for DeSoto Parish court records via any of the following:

• The DeSoto Parish Clerk of Court office (in person)
• Online resources provided by the DeSoto Parish Clerk of Court.
• Third-party websites.

DeSoto Parish Courts

DeSoto Parish has three types of courts: District, Justice of the Peace, and Mayor's Courts. These courts are responsible for handling different legal disputes that may arise in the parish based on their respective jurisdictions, and they have numerous courthouses throughout the parish. The physical addresses and contact information of these courthouses are outlined below:

DeSoto Parish District Courts
DeSoto 42nd Judicial District Court(Main Office)
DeSoto Parish Courthouse
101 Texas Street,
P.O. Box 1206,
Mansfield, LA 71052
Phone: (318) 872-3110
Fax: (318) 872-4202 2

DeSoto 42nd Judicial District Court (Stonewall Satellite Office)
1324 Hwy 71,
P.O. Box 618,
Stonewall, LA 71078
Phone: (318) 925-6655
Fax: (318) 925-6667

DeSoto Parish Justice of the Peace Courts
Justice of the Peace District 1
182 Helen Lane,
Logansport, LA 71049
Phone: (318) 697-5707

Justice of the Peace District 2
1801 Hwy 171,
Stonewall, LA 71078
Phone: (318) 925-0569

Justice of the Peace District 3
P.O. Box 853,
Mansfield, LA 71052
Phone: (318) 872-4821

Justice of the Peace District 4
2286 South Washington Street,
P.O. Box 66,
Mansfield, LA 71052
Phone: (318) 872-3291

Justice of the Peace District 5
195 Van Rambin Road,
Pelican, LA 71063
Phone: (318) 755-2341

Justice of the Peace District 6
2204 Old Mansfield Road,
Logansport, LA 71049
Phone: (318) 469-7655

DeSoto Parish Mayor's Courts
Grand Cane Mayor's Court
8356 Old Hwy 171,
P.O. Box 82,
Grand Cane, LA 71032
Phone: (318) 858-3251
Fax: (318) 858-3555

Logansport Mayor's Court
309 Main Street,
P.O. Box 400,
Logansport, LA 71049
Phone: (318) 697-5359
Fax: (318) 697-5107

Mansfield Mayor's Court
705 Polk Street,
P.O. Box 773,
Mansfield, LA 71052
Phone: (318) 872-0406
Fax: (318) 872-0402

South Mansfield Mayor's Court
120 Britney Drive,
P.O. Box 995,
Mansfield, LA 71052
Phone: (318) 872-3960
Fax: (318) 872-9198

Stonewall Mayor's Court
1318 Hwy 171,
P.O. Box 92,
Stonewall, LA 71078
Phone: (318) 925-9338
Fax: (318) 925-9339

DeSoto Parish Criminal and Civil Records

DeSoto Parish criminal records are generated and maintained by various government agencies and entities, including local law enforcement agencies, correctional facilities, and courts. These agencies typically report arrest records they generate to the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information (BCII). The BCII is the central repository for most criminal records generated by relevant agencies across Louisiana parishes, including DeSoto Parish. Criminal records available through the BCII include arrest records, dispositions of arrests, probation/parole bookings, and incarceration information for individuals arrested anywhere in Louisiana. Consequently, some of an individual's DeSoto Parish arrest records and other criminal records can be accessed through the BCII.

Under Louisiana law, criminal records maintained by the BCII may only be released to authorized individuals, such as the record's subject or individuals authorized per a court order. Eligible persons may obtain these records from the BCII by requesting a background check. This generally requires providing the search subject's fingerprints to facilitate the search. Requests may be addressed to the BCII at:

Louisiana State Police
7919 Independence Blvd
P.O. Box 66614, Box A-6
Baton Rouge, LA 70806

The BCII also provides an online channel where interested persons can conduct background checks via its Internet Background Check (IBC) system.

On the otherhand, the DeSoto Parish Clerk of Court is the custodian of court records for civil and criminal cases handled within the parish court system. Therefore, record seekers can access or obtain copies of public criminal and civil court records by querying the DeSoto Parish Clerk of Court office. Requesters may make in-person queries at the clerk's main office in the DeSoto Parish Courthouse during office hours. Furthermore, they are typically required to provide information about the sought record, such as the party name or case number, to assist in its identification. Requesters are generally charged $1 and $5 per page for uncertified and certified copies of documents, respectively. Additionally, searches for criminal cases that are 20 years or older incur a $20 fee according to the Clerk's Criminal Department fee schedule.

It is worth noting that the DeSoto Parish Clerk of Court office also provides a Public Record Search portal that interested persons can use to access most records under the clerk's custody. However, users must create an account and pay a subscription fee to use the portal.

DeSoto Parish Marriage Records

The Parish Clerk of Court's office is tasked with managing and disseminating DeSoto Parish marriage records. Therefore, individuals interested in obtaining marriage records may visit the clerk's office during office hours to request the records in person. Alternatively, record seekers may access marriage records online through the clerk's Public Record Search portal. Generally, marriages recorded from 1908 to the present are available via the portal. Interested individuals can contact the DeSoto Parish Clerk of Court office at (318) 872-3110 for further questions and inquiries about accessing or requesting DeSoto Parish marriage certificates.

DeSoto Parish Divorce Records

Like marriage records, the DeSoto Parish Clerk of Court is responsible for maintaining divorce records in the parish. Therefore, all requests for divorce records should be directed to the Clerk of Court's office. Requests can be made in person at the Clerk of Court's main office during office hours. Note that divorce records are unavailable on the DeSoto Parish Clerk of Court Public Record Search portal. Thus, in-person requests are the only option for accessing divorce records.

Although most divorce records are public and available to everyone who requests them, certain types of records, specifically divorce decrees, may be restricted from public access. Divorce decrees, also called divorce judgments, are typically only available to eligible individuals. These eligible individuals include divorcees (the divorced parties), their legal representatives, parents, and other direct adult relatives.

DeSoto Parish Birth Records

The Clerk of Court's office maintains DeSoto Parish's vital records, such as birth and death certificates. Consequently, birth records can be obtained through the Parish Clerk of Court's office.

Generally, DeSoto Parish birth records are not considered public. As a result, they may only be requested and obtained by eligible persons, such as the registrant (the record's subject), their mother, father, child, grandparent, grandchild, sister, brother, legal guardian (with a judgment of custody), and current spouse. Furthermore, requesters must present the required forms of identification when requesting a birth certificate.

To request a DeSoto Parish birth certificate, eligible persons can complete the Certified Copy of Birth/Death Certificate request form and submit it to the Parish Clerk of Court's office in person during office hours. They must also present the appropriate form(s) of identification and pay the required fee to facilitate their request. A birth certificate costs $34.00, while a birth certificate/card costs $48.00.

The DeSoto Parish Clerk of Court's office only maintains birth records under 100 years old. Record seekers may contact the Louisiana Secretary of State for older birth records.

DeSoto Parish Death Records

As previously mentioned, the DeSoto Parish Clerk of Court's office is the county's death record custodian. Individuals who wish to access or obtain copies of DeSoto Parish Death Records may contact the Clerk of Court's office.

Death records are not subject to Louisiana's Public Records Law, making them inaccessible to the general public. Only eligible individuals are allowed access to death records. These include the decedent's immediate family members (i.e., mother, father, child, grandparent, grandchild, sister, brother, or surviving spouse) and legal guardian (with judgment of custody). Eligible individuals are typically required to present certain forms of identification when requesting a death certificate and are usually charged $26.00 per certificate.

In DeSoto Parish, eligible individuals may request death certificates using the Certified Copy of Birth/Death Certificate request form. Requesters should complete the request form and submit it to the DeSoto Parish Clerk of Court's office with other required items, such as a valid photo ID and applicable fees.

It is worth noting that the DeSoto Parish Clerk of Court's office only retains death records under 50 years old. Interested individuals may contact the Louisiana Secretary of State for older death records.

DeSoto Parish Probate Court Records

The DeSoto Parish Clerk of Court's office has a dedicated civil/probate division responsible for maintaining probate court and other relevant records. Hence, interested persons can query the Clerk of Court's office to obtain these records. Queries can be made in person by visiting the clerk's office during regular office hours. Alternatively, record seekers may use the Public Record Search portal to access probate court records online.

DeSoto Parish Property Records

Two public offices primarily maintain DeSoto Parish property records: the Parish Clerk of Court office and the Assessor's office. The former has a Mortgage and Conveyance division that operates as the parish recorder, receiving and filing all deeds, mortgages, and other legal instruments related to properties in the parish. Meanwhile, the latter (the Assessor's office) generates and maintains assessment records for properties within the parish.

To obtain property records held by the Clerk of Court office, interested persons can visit the office and make an in-person request for the desired record or use the office's Public Record Search portal to look up records remotely. Similarly, record seekers can visit the Assessor's office to request property assessment records in person or use the office's Property Portal to search records online.

DeSoto Parish Court Records Online

Alternative to government-owned databases, interested persons may access DeSoto Parish court records online via third-party aggregate websites like Louisianacourtrecords.us. These websites provide user-friendly interfaces that enable users to search for court records by subject name or case number. One advantage of using these websites is that they impose no geographical restrictions. As a result, searches for various types of court records across multiple parishes can be conducted through them simultaneously. However, the records obtained through third-party aggregate websites may not be up-to-date or accurate since they operate independently of official custodians. Hence, record seekers are advised to verify the records they obtain via third-party sites.