Lafayette Parish Court Records

Lafayette Parish court records serve as historical documentation of legal proceedings in the parish's district court divisions, justice of the Peace courts, and city court. They contain filed paperwork, materials submitted as evidence, dockets, electronic recordings, transcripts, judgments, and case details such as party names and case titles. While they are generated in Lafayette Parish, they are also called Louisiana court records.

The general public needs these documents and case information to track personal and public legal matters, and lawyers and judges use them for research. Courts also rely on their records to organize legal cases and keep the judiciary accountable to the people.

The Lafayette Parish Clerk of Court is the custodian for records generated in the district civil and criminal courts. Individuals must approach other court offices for records not maintained by the clerk.

Are Court Records Public in Lafayette Parish?

Yes, La. Code Civ. Proc. art. 251 instructs court clerks to provide court records for review and reproduction upon public request. La R.S. 44:31 also grants members of the public the right to inspect and order copies of Lafayette Parish court records unless the requested document or information is restricted to the public by law. Per the statute, court clerks must provide reasonable explanations when an individual’s request cannot be completed.

People requesting the following information will typically be denied unless they are eligible to view them by law:

• Juvenile court case records
• Sensitive victim and witness information
• Family law documents
• Confidential investigation materials
• Law enforcement investigation techniques
• Expunged and sealed court documents
• Personal details like social security numbers and financial records

Lafayette Parish Court Records Search

People seeking Lafayette Parish court records will typically have to go through the clerk of court’s office. However, knowing the right department to visit or resource to use can help them find those records faster.

While the clerk’s office maintains and issues records generated in the district court, individuals have to decide whether they want to view court case details or get copies of filed and issued documents. That way, they can make the right provisions, such as signing up to use online systems, preparing the required request information, and understanding copy fees.

The type of documents one wants to obtain can also alter plans, as a different office may be the right custodian to approach. For example, people looking for Lafayette Parish arrest records where the suspect has not been charged may have to contact the arresting agency instead of the clerk’s office.

Lafayette Parish Court Records Search by Name

When one lacks specific details of a case such as docket numbers, they may need to search court records by attorney or party name. They can do so using the online systems provided by the Clerk of Court or city court. Individuals may also receive assistance at courthouses when researching cases by name.

Third-party vendors generally allow customers to search court cases by party name and allow them to query multiple record types from one space. They may charge fees for such specialized services in some cases.

Lafayette Parish Courts

Lafayette Parish falls under Louisiana’s 15th judicial district. However, it is also served by justices of the peace and people living in the City of Lafayette are under the jurisdiction of the city court in certain cases. The following address information will enable members of the public contact these courts:

Lafayette parish courthouse
800 South Buchanan Street
Lafayette, LA 70501
Phone: (337) 291-6400

City Court Of Lafayette
105 East Convent Street
Lafayette, LA 70501
Phone: (337) 291-8720

Lafayette Parish Superior Court Case Search

Louisiana's judiciary comprises the supreme, appeal, and district courts. Therefore, there is no superior court in Lafayette Parish. The parish's district court is its court of general jurisdiction and handles cases similar to superior courts in states like Washington and Connecticut.

Lafayette Parish District Court Records

As mentioned, Lafayette Parish is served by Louisiana’s 15th Judicial district. It comprises civil, criminal, and specialty courts which handle felony matters, civil lawsuits, and misdemeanors occurring outside the limits of municipal courts.

People who want to collect and inspect documents created in these courts must go through the Lafayette Parish Clerk of Court office. The office provides an online system for civil, probate, criminal, and traffic cases. People can access probate and civil images from May 24, 2006 and indexes from April 20, 1961. Criminal and traffic case records include charges, files, case history, minutes, disposition, and services. Access costs $50 every thirty days. People looking to print criminal and traffic documents must pay a $10 entry fee (one minute access).

Individuals who want to subscribe are required to fill out the Credit Application for Charge Account and Online Court Records Agreement forms and submit to the clerk's office via email. They can call (337) 291-6477 for additional information.

Individuals can also visit the clerk's office in person or send mails to make inquiries about in-person and mail-in records requests, especially if they want to order copies of court documents. They may have to contact specific departments within the office depending on the type of record they want to obtain.

Lafayette Parish Criminal Records

Lafayette Parish arrest records typically contain booking information, confinement location, details about charges, and arrest time, date, venue.

If a person was arrested by the sheriff's office, interested parties can use its online inmate search tool to find recently booked inmates and people awaiting trial. The database shows details of each inmate’s arrest and court date. The public can also contact the office’s records division by mail, in person, or by email to obtain more information.

Individuals can also approach local police departments, such as the Lafayette PD to obtain arrest reports or request their criminal history.

Lafayette Parish Criminal Court Case Lookup

Lafayette criminal records are generated by the criminal court and the City Court of Lafayette. The City Court has jurisdiction over state misdemeanor offenses and city ordinances violated within its territory. The court can also hear certain juvenile criminal and traffic matters. Other criminal cases, especially felonies and violations occurring outside the city court's jurisdiction are handled by the district court.

In this case, the type of criminal case record one wants to find will determine which office to approach.

People who want to view records generated in the district court can use the Clerk of Courts’ online portal as explained earlier. They can also submit records requests to the clerk's Criminal Department via email. The email must contain the docket number, caption, title of requested documents, and number of regular or certified copies. The requestor must also indicate how they will pay for the copies and provide their name, phone number, email, fax number, or mailing address.

Individuals searching for Lafayette Parish criminal records created in the city court can use the court's Case Search utility. It allows users to search by name or docket number and displays defendant name, case number and citation numbers, violation description, and case status. Individuals can also contact the court using the following information to ask about requesting copies of court documents:

City Court Of Lafayette
105 East Convent Street
Lafayette, LA 70501
Phone: (337) 291-8720
Fax: (337) 291-8774 (criminal/traffic), (337) 291-8181 (juvenile)

Get Lafayette Parish Civil Court Records

Civil court cases are matters that do not involve prosecutions. They are heard in the Lafayette city court and the parish’s civil court.

The city court has jurisdiction over small claims matters worth $5,000 or less and civil cases like general damages, open account, personal injury, and contract actions where claims are equal to or less than $20,000. It can also hear eviction disputes between landlords and tenants where annual rent does not exceed $36,000 and monthly rent is $3,000 or less. Other cases are handled by the district court's civil division.

People can contact the city court to view and collect copies of documents for cases that fall within its jurisdiction. Other case records can be obtained through the Lafayette Parish Clerk of Court office. They can contact the office’s civil department by email to obtain certified copies of case records. They can also use the clerk’s online records search tool to find case information and print court documents.

Lafayette Parish Family Court Records

Family law cases cover child custody, marriage, parentage, adoption, juvenile, and other domestic matters. They are handled in the district court's civil division and the Lafayette City Court.

The city court handles child in need of care (CINC) and families in need of service (FINS) legal proceedings within its territorial jurisdiction. Individuals can approach the court for these case records. The parish clerk's family court department dispenses family-related records created by the civil court.

Interested parties should note that most family court records can only be accessed by case parties and specific entities authorized by law.

Lafayette Dissolution of Marriage Records

Dissolution of marriage matters in Lafayette Parish are filed to end people's marriages. These cases are handled in various district court divisions depending on whether minors are involved. People must approach the clerk’s family department to obtain these Lafayette Parish marriage records, which include certified copies of their divorce decrees and copies of case records generated during divorce proceedings.

Lafayette Parish Marriage and Divorce Records

Apart from divorce records, which are the same as dissolution of marriage records, individuals can approach the clerk to obtain copies of their marriage licenses. These documents are classed under Lafayette Parish vital records.

Obtaining a certified copy of a marriage license involves completing the Request for Certified Copies of Marriage License form and sending it to the clerk's marriage license department. Requesters must include the full names of each spouse, date of marriage, marriage license number (if known), and their mailing address. Each certified copy costs $5 flat. Mails are to be sent to:

Marriage License Department
Lafayette Parish Clerk of Court
P.O. Box 2009
Lafayette, LA 70502

It is important to note that the clerk’s office only mentions license copies. Individuals can contact the marriage department directly to inquire about obtaining a Lafayette Parish marriage certificate.

Lafayette Birth and Death Records

Lafayette Parish birth records and death documents are important paperwork required for various legal purposes. People can use birth certificates for sports participation, driver's license registration, passport application, school enrollment, and social security, retirement, and job applications. Death certificates can be used to close bank accounts, obtain insurance payments, secure bonds and stocks, execute a will, perform genealogy research, and collect retirement benefits.

Only eligible individuals are allowed to apply for and collect these records. However, a Lafayette Parish birth certificate becomes accessible to the general public after 100 years while a death certificate will be public after 50 years.

Interested parties can visit the Lafayette Parish birth certificate or death certificate department to learn whether they are eligible to apply and see the request process. They can also use options provided by the Louisiana State Registrar and Vital Records office.

Lafayette Parish Probate Court Records

Probate records are documents created during court proceedings initiated to settle a deceased person's estate. These include succession, inheritance, and property execution matters.

These actions are undertaken in the Lafayette parish civil court, and individuals can retrieve case records using the methods for obtaining and viewing civil court records.

Lafayette Parish Property Records

Property records are official and legal paperwork containing information about pieces of real estate in the parish. These records include UCC filings, mineral leases, assessment data, subdivision maps, chattel records, and every other document generated during property transactions.

People can approach the Lafayette Parish Clerk of Courts' Land Records/Copy Department and Assessor to find different types of property records.

The clerk's land records/copy department maintains records from 1936 to date that can be searched using onsite computers. People can also send email requests to CopyDepartment@lpclerkc.com after filling out the Copy Order form. They must provide their name, phone/fax number, mailing address, and how they intend to pay.

Interested parties can also call (337) 291-6300 or Fax: (337) 291-6393 to make inquiries. Another option involves subscribing to the clerk’s land records online service for unlimited access to conveyance and mortgage land records indexes and images. It costs the following:

• $20 Daily
• $50 Monthly
• $600 annually
• $1.50 per page printing fee.

The next option is going through the Parish assessor's office. The assessor provides the following online options:

• Real estate search: Allows members of the public to search for immovable property (particularly structures fixed to lands, such as buildings) within the parish. People can search by owner name, street address, assessment number, and subdivisions. They can also search by section, range, and township. The database displays property location, summary, owner, mailing address, and valuation. It also shows each property's tax and taxation history.
• Personal property search: Displays information about movable personal property (like machinery and merchandise) registered in the parish. Users can search by owner name, address, and account number. The database shows property valuation (details of assessment), owner, classifications, location, and mailing address.
• Assessor map: The assessor map allows individuals to locate any property on a map and click it to view its details. These details include parcel number, account status, property location and value, subdivision, and ownership information. It also shows searchers sales, tax, and valuation information.

Interested parties can contact the assessor's officers for questions regarding copies of official assessment records.

Lafayette Parish Court Records Online

People searching for different types of Lafayette Parish public records may find it challenging navigating multiple government resources. Using a third-party website like Louisianacourtrecords.us where records are centralized makes more sense in such cases. These sites allow customers to search various record types by name through one search field.

While some third-party vendors have partnerships with government entities, they are generally private businesses that operate independently. However, they populate their databases with records sources from official and statutory custodians. Apart from online search services, they can also help customers request certified copies of Lafayette court records. These services come at a cost and customers may have to pay per search or buy subscription plans.