Search Ouachita Parish Court Records
The main online route for Ouachita Parish court records is Clerk Connect civil, criminal, and land record inquiry, linked from the Ouachita Parish Clerk of Court. Clerk Connect covers different modules, including civil suits, criminal cases, land records, e-filing, and printing where access is allowed. It is not a fully open free database for every record image. The help material describes login, subscription, one-day access, account, payment, and prepaid balance options.
Use the court level before the search field. Felony cases, divorce, probate successions, larger civil suits, and district-level traffic or criminal matters point to the Fourth Judicial District Court and the Clerk of Court. Monroe City Court and West Monroe City Court hold many city traffic, misdemeanor, ordinance, limited civil, and juvenile matters. OPSO Records/Identification is the fallback for offense reports, accident reports, warrants, inmate booking documents, background checks, and fingerprinting.
- Open the Clerk site or go directly to the Ouachita Clerk Connect inquiry link.
- Choose the civil, criminal, records/land, ticket, attorney, name, or case-number path that matches the file.
- Enter the best known detail, such as suit number, case number, last name, first name, ticket number, date range, or attorney bar roll.
- Review result fields for party names, filing dates, charges, docket entries, court events, image links, and gated detail links.
- For certified copies or images that are not open online, contact Dana Benson's Clerk office at 318-327-1444 or use the counter, mail, email, or account/fax copy route.
The Clerk contact page lists the records office phone, email, mailing address, and weekday hours, which matter when the portal does not show a document image.
The Ouachita Clerk Connect inquiry link is the direct route into the parish civil, criminal, and land inquiry module.
Use the direct inquiry link when the Clerk site menu is slow or when a bookmark to the record search is easier for repeat lookups.
The Clerk Connect portal is the official multi-parish search starting point used by the Ouachita Clerk.
Portal results should be treated as an index or access tool, not as a substitute for a certified copy from the Clerk.
Ouachita Parish Judicial System
Ouachita Parish is served by the Fourth Judicial District Court, often shortened to 4JDC. The court covers Ouachita and Morehouse Parishes and states that it has original jurisdiction over civil and criminal matters in both parishes. Appeals from Ouachita Parish route to the Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal, and the state court system is headed by the Louisiana Supreme Court.
Lower courts are not minor details for record searches. Monroe City Court handles Monroe traffic, misdemeanors, limited civil matters up to $25,000, evictions, and some juvenile matters. West Monroe City Court handles city civil, misdemeanor criminal and traffic, ordinance, DWI, juvenile, and probation matters. A blank district-court search may mean the case belongs to one of those city courts.
Case flow: City Court, Mayor's Court, or Justice of the Peace Court › District Court › Court of Appeal › Louisiana Supreme Court.
| Court or Office | Ouachita Parish Role | Common Records |
|---|---|---|
| Fourth Judicial District Court | Primary trial court for Ouachita and Morehouse | Felony, civil, divorce, probate, family, specialty court, district traffic |
| Ouachita Parish Clerk of Court | Legal custodian for district filings and recorded records | Civil, criminal, probate, marriage, land, copies, certifications |
| Monroe City Court | Local court for Monroe matters | Traffic, misdemeanor, limited civil, eviction, juvenile matters |
| West Monroe City Court | Local court for West Monroe matters | Traffic, ordinance, DWI, misdemeanor, civil, juvenile matters |
| Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office | Law-enforcement and jail records custodian | Warrants, arrests, booking documents, offense reports, accident reports |
The Fourth Judicial District Court site identifies the district court's regional jurisdiction and official court functions.
That regional structure explains why some forms, dockets, and specialty court pages refer to both Ouachita and Morehouse Parishes.
Ouachita Parish Courthouse Contacts
The main district courthouse is the Ouachita Parish Courthouse at 300 St John Street in Monroe. The Clerk of Court public counter is listed at 301 South Grand Street, Suite 104, with mailing address PO Box 1862, Monroe, LA 71201-1862. Dana Benson is the Ouachita Parish Clerk of Court. The Clerk phone is 318-327-1444, and the posted office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
Fourth Judicial District Court
300 St John Street
Monroe, LA 71201
Judges Office: 318-361-2250
Ouachita Parish Clerk of Court
301 South Grand Street, Suite 104
Monroe, LA 71201
318-327-1444
The Ouachita Clerk contact screen is the official source for the Clerk's posted mailing address, phone, email, hours, and map.
That contact page is the practical fallback when a search result needs a certified copy, older index lookup, or counter review.
The Ouachita Parish Clerk of Court homepage is the source for Clerk departments, links, fees, marriage, traffic, jury duty, forms, and Clerk Connect access.
Use the Clerk office for district case copies, certified copies, land records, marriage records, and older index questions.
Ouachita Parish Court Record Types
Ouachita Parish court records include civil suits, felony criminal cases, divorce files, probate successions, traffic filings, land and mortgage records, marriage licenses, docket and minute entries, and city-court matters. The Clerk's Civil Department files civil suits, probates, pleadings, exhibits, citations, writs, subpoenas, docket entries, minutes, costs, judgments, evictions, name changes, interdictions, tutorships, and minor settlements. The Criminal Department receives formal charges from the Fourth Judicial District Attorney for felony and district-level criminal matters.
Traffic records are split. The Clerk Traffic Department files citations from Louisiana State Police, OPSO, and municipalities around the 4JDC, but the Clerk does not set or collect fines. The 4th DA, Monroe City Court, and West Monroe City Court may handle payment, court dates, diversion, or contesting depending on the ticket.
- Civil records: petitions, answers, rules, writs, subpoenas, judgments, evictions, name changes, interdictions, tutorships, and costs.
- Criminal records: bills of information, indictments, arraignments, pleas, motions, dispositions, sentencing entries, bond forfeiture notices, and subpoenas.
- Family and divorce records: district civil filings, separation and divorce judgments, forms, hearing cover sheets, and certified decrees from the Clerk.
- Probate records: successions, small successions, wills, judgments of possession, interdictions, tutorships, minor settlements, and related civil filings.
- Traffic court records: citations, court dates, payments, pleas, dispositions, DWI or hit-and-run matters, and driver-record effects.
Common terms: A pleading is a formal filed document. A disposition is the outcome of a case or charge. A certified copy is a copy issued with official court certification.
What Ouachita Parish Records Show
A case search may show different fields based on the portal module. Civil results can show suit number, plaintiff, defendant, caption, filing date, cause, and detail links where permitted. Criminal results can show defendant, birth date, sex, race, case number, ticket number, division, filing date, charges, warrant count, arrest date, and detail links. Public court events can show date and time, case or suit number, name, caption, courtroom, judge, and hearing type.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case or Suit Number | The court's filing number used to locate the case directly. |
| Filing Date | When the petition, charge, citation, or document entered the court record. |
| Parties | Plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, or named person in the event record. |
| Charges or Cause | The criminal charge, civil cause, ticket matter, or filing category. |
| Judge or Division | The division, section, courtroom, or judge tied to the event or case. |
| Disposition | The outcome, such as judgment, dismissal, plea, conviction, or other resolution. |
Ouachita Parish Public Access Laws
Louisiana Public Records Law gives broad public access, but it works through the custodian that holds the file. For district court and recorded records, that custodian is usually the Ouachita Parish Clerk of Court. For sheriff offense reports, accident reports, warrants, inmate booking documentation, background checks, and fingerprinting, the custodian is OPSO Records/Identification. For prosecution-office records, the 4th District Attorney requires a written public-records request and prepayment of fees.
Key Statutes:
La. R.S. 44:1 defines Louisiana public records and public bodies.
La. R.S. 44:31 gives adults the right to inspect, copy, or reproduce public records unless another law restricts access.
La. C.C.P. art. 251 makes the clerk the legal custodian of court records for public examination and copying, unless the law says otherwise.
Online access has practical limits. Clerk Connect may require a login, subscription, or payment. City-court files may require a phone call or counter request. DA records require a written request sent by hand delivery, mail, email, or fax.
Restricted Ouachita Parish Records
Some Ouachita Parish court records are public only in part, or not public at all. Monroe City Court says juvenile proceedings are confidential and closed. Louisiana Children's Code art. 412 makes juvenile records confidential except for traffic violations and authorized disclosures. Adoption records are confidential under Louisiana Children's Code art. 1186. Sealed, expunged, mental-health, victim-sensitive, and personal identifying details may be withheld, redacted, or available only by court order.
Expungement restricts access to eligible criminal records; it does not mean every trace disappears from every system at once. The Clerk fee endpoint lists a $200 Clerk expungement fee, $250 Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Investigation fee, $50 Sheriff fee, $50 District Attorney fee, and an added $50 Department of Public Safety and Corrections fee for DWI cases. The Clerk links expungement forms through the Louisiana Justice and Accountability Center.
Ouachita Parish Sheriff Records
The Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office is the law-enforcement source for parish arrests, warrants, jail records, and booking documentation. OPSO lists Sheriff Marc Mashaw as the current sheriff, sworn in on July 1, 2024. OPSO Records/Identification is led by Lt. Dayna Sampognaro and maintains offense reports, accident reports, warrants, inmate booking documents, public-records requests, background checks, fingerprinting, and evidence records.
OPSO operates the public Inmate Inquiry portal, but the agency's app page says the bookings page is being reconfigured and directs users to the Ouachita Sheriff App for latest booking information. The app listing advertises inmate bookings, active arrest warrants, most wanted, alerts, submit-a-tip, locations, FAQ, and links. For jail details, use Ouachita Parish inmate records; for active warrant channels, use Ouachita Parish warrant records.
Ouachita Parish Traffic Records
Traffic records in Ouachita Parish require careful routing. District or parish tickets may involve the Clerk Traffic Department and the 4th DA traffic office. Monroe City Court handles traffic citations and misdemeanor arrests inside Monroe city limits. West Monroe City Court handles city traffic, ordinance, DWI, misdemeanor, juvenile, and probation matters. Some West Monroe Police Department tickets are prosecuted by the DA, while others go to West Monroe City Court.
The court traffic record is not the same as a Louisiana OMV Official Driving Record. A court file can show citation, charge, court date, plea or payment, disposition, fine handling, and hearings. The OMV record shows DWI, major and minor traffic violations, suspensions, convictions, and personal or commercial driving privilege status. The OMV online record costs $16 plus a $2 service charge, and purchased online records remain printable for 30 days.
Marriage Divorce Probate Records
Ouachita Parish marriage licenses are issued by the Clerk of Court Marriage Department. Applicants must provide certified birth certificates, Social Security numbers, valid identification, and proof of divorce or death if a prior marriage ended. The license is generally purchased at least 24 hours before the ceremony and expires 30 days after issue. The Clerk's fee page and marriage page differ by one dollar on the license total, so applicants should confirm the current total with the Clerk before visiting.
Divorce decrees are district court civil records, not Louisiana Department of Health records. LDH keeps Orleans Parish marriage records and says divorce decrees must come from the parish Clerk where the divorce was granted. Probate is handled through the 4JDC civil system as successions and related civil matters, not through a separate Ouachita probate court.
- Succession
- Louisiana probate process for transferring a deceased person's property.
- Executor
- Person named to carry out a will or manage estate duties when authorized.
- Interdiction
- Court process involving legal authority over an adult who cannot manage personal or financial affairs.
Ouachita Parish Court Fees
The Clerk fee endpoint gives the most useful local fee baseline for copies, certifications, civil filings, probate filings, marriage, expungements, and recorded instruments. Fees can change and case costs can vary with service, exhibits, recording, filings, or court orders, so use the table as a starting point and confirm current totals with the Clerk.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Criminal copies | $1 per page |
| Court minutes | $10 per date |
| Certification additional | $5 |
| Certified copy, recording records | $10 plus copy fee |
| Civil original petition with one defendant | $300 |
| Successions or emancipation | $300 |
| Small succession petition through judgment | $250 |
| Marriage license with one certified copy | $33.50 |
Ouachita Parish Specialty Courts
The Fourth Judicial District Court has specialty programs that can affect criminal and traffic case paths. Adult Drug and Alcohol Court lists Hon. Sharon I. Marchman as presiding judge and places program staff in the courthouse and courthouse annex. The DA describes Drug/DWI Court as a specialty court for non-violent offenders with substance-abuse problems, where a defendant must plead guilty in regular court before transfer.
Re-Entry Court is a felony-offender program for certain non-violent, non-sex offenses, with an incarceration phase, mentor support, workforce training, and strict supervised release. The 4th DA also runs pretrial diversion for qualifying non-violent offenders and traffic diversion for some payable tickets. Traffic diversion requests go by email to traffic@4thda.org and may help keep an eligible ticket from affecting vehicle insurance.
Ouachita Parish Record History
Ouachita Parish has unusually deep local record indexing. The Clerk Research Department says written and computer indexes date back to 1843. That matters for old property transactions, mineral leases, separation and divorce judgments, chattel records, UCC filings, subdivision maps, civil files, probate records, mortgage and conveyance records, marriage files, and military records.
The courthouse setting is also local to the record search. The 4JDC directions describe the front entrance as facing the Ouachita River on South Grand and the disabled-access entrance on St. John Street opposite St. Francis. Free parking is identified at the Courthouse/Courthouse Annex lot, the St. Francis Parking Garage above the fifth floor, and the lot across the street by the river.
The 4JDC Ouachita directions page gives local courthouse approach details for I-20 drivers and record seekers visiting downtown Monroe.
Those directions are useful because Monroe court offices cluster near the courthouse, courthouse annex, district attorney, sheriff office, riverfront parking, and St. Francis parking area.
Ouachita Parish Records FAQ
Can Ouachita Parish court records be searched online? Many district civil, criminal, and land records start in Clerk Connect, but access may require a login, subscription, payment, or copy request through the Clerk.
Where are Ouachita Parish warrants listed? OPSO maintains warrants, and the official Ouachita Sheriff App advertises active arrest warrants. Court-level bench warrants may require the Clerk, 4JDC, Monroe City Court, or West Monroe City Court.
Who issues certified divorce decrees? The Ouachita Parish Clerk of Court issues certified divorce decrees for divorces granted in Ouachita Parish. LDH does not issue parish divorce decrees.