About the DeSoto Parish Clerk of Court
In DeSoto Parish the clerk of court keeps more than one public counter. The main office is in the parish courthouse at 101 Texas Street in Mansfield. A satellite office operates in the town of Stonewall, at 1746 Highway 171, Suite B. Older volumes are kept in a separate Archives Building at 214 Washington Avenue in Mansfield. All three appear on the clerk's website.
Lisa Lobrano Burson is the Clerk of Court; the Louisiana Clerks of Court Association lists her in office since July 2024, and the clerk's own website names her. Like every Louisiana clerk of court, she is elected to a four-year term and wears several hats at once: clerk of the district court (here the 42nd Judicial District Court), ex officio notary public, recorder of conveyances and mortgages for the parish, and chief election officer. She is also the parish's custodian of voting machines.
The office also does work that has little to do with courts. It prints certified Louisiana birth and death certificates, accepts passport applications, and runs a jury portal for people summoned to serve.
The parish dates from 1843, and the clerk says its conveyance and plat records go back to that year. The U.S. Census Bureau spells the name "De Soto"; this directory follows the Louisiana Clerks of Court Association's "DeSoto." The 2020 Census base counted 26,816 people, and the July 2024 estimate rose to 27,274. Land area is about 876.4 square miles. Mansfield is the parish's only city, and Keachi, Logansport, and Stonewall are its towns, according to the State of Louisiana.
To compare offices across the state, start with the Louisiana Clerks of Court directory.
Court records in DeSoto Parish
The Civil and Probate division handles successions, adoptions, non-support, small claims, divorce, custody, and tutorship filings. The Criminal division keeps the records of felony and misdemeanor prosecutions in the 42nd Judicial District Court. According to the criminal page (fee schedule dated July 1, 2024, viewed October 2026), copies are $1.00 per page, a certification adds $5.00 per document, and an extract of court minutes is $10.00. That division does not take credit or debit cards, so bring cash or a check. Fines and traffic tickets are generally paid through the sheriff, the clerk's page says.
Remote searching uses DeSoto Parish E-Search, the clerk's own indexing system. The clerk lists a $20.00 daily subscription, a $35.00 monthly subscription, and $0.40 per page to print or download (October 2026). It covers civil and probate suits along with mortgage and conveyance records. Two cautions come from the clerk's site itself: only "released" records appear, and online images are not official records. If you need a document for court or for a closing, order a certified copy.
Civil pleadings can be filed electronically through the same portal for $5.00 per package plus payment processing fees, and the clerk says an E-Services account carries no monthly subscription. Records drawn from the statewide eClerks LA portal come with a legal string attached: state law bars users from reselling or reposting them on another website.
Juvenile cases in DeSoto are heard in the district court, which its website says has juvenile jurisdiction, and those records are confidential by law. The guides to civil records and court records in Louisiana cover the statewide rules.
Land, mortgage, and property records
The Mortgage and Conveyance division records deeds, mortgages, and other instruments, issues mortgage certificates on written request, and keeps public view stations for UCC filings. The clerk's site gives two different search periods for a mortgage certificate (ten years on the division page, twenty years on the fee schedule), so confirm the scope when you order one.
For electronic recording, the clerk offers its own public portal at $3.00 per instrument and also accepts filings through CSC, Simplifile, and EPN, according to its eRecording page. Anyone filing a sale should know that Louisiana requires a conveyance to name the person responsible for paying property taxes and the address where tax notices should go.
DeSoto shares lines with Caddo, Red River, Natchitoches, and Sabine parishes, and with Panola and Shelby counties in Texas. Land is recorded only in the parish where it lies, so a tract that crosses a parish line needs searches in both offices. The Caddo Parish Clerk of Court keeps the books for land on the Caddo side, and the Sabine Parish Clerk of Court in Many and the Red River Parish Clerk of Court in Coushatta hold their own conveyance books. Anything on the Texas side is outside Louisiana's recording system entirely. More background is in the property records guide.
Marriage licenses and family records
The DeSoto clerk issues marriage licenses, and its page (October 2026) sets the fee at $32.50, paid in cash or by check. The application takes about 15 to 20 minutes in person. Bring photo identification, certified birth certificates for both parties, Social Security cards, and, if either of you was married before, a certified copy of the divorce decree. A worksheet posted on the clerk's site lets you gather the information in advance.
Louisiana lets a couple buy a license in any parish, no matter where they live or where the wedding will be. Once issued, a DeSoto license lasts 30 days, and the ceremony must wait 24 hours unless a justice of the peace or judge grants a waiver for serious reasons. If the 30 days run out, the couple can surrender the expired license and get a new one.
Marriage records from DeSoto stay with this clerk; the state Vital Records Registry keeps marriage records only for licenses bought in Orleans Parish. Divorce, custody, and support judgments from the 42nd Judicial District Court are filed with the Civil and Probate division, which is where certified copies are ordered. The marriage records and divorce records guides explain how these records work across Louisiana.
Courts that serve DeSoto Parish
DeSoto Parish forms the 42nd Judicial District Court by itself. The court's website says it has original jurisdiction over civil, criminal, and juvenile matters in the parish and that it has two elected judges, sitting in Divisions A and B. The site posts self-help forms. The Supreme Court's 2025 Guide to Louisiana Courts lists the court administrator's office at (318) 872-1366.
The Supreme Court's 2025 Guide to Louisiana Courts lists no city court in DeSoto Parish, so the parish's small claims and juvenile matters are handled by the district court. The state constitution also continues justice of the peace courts and mayors' courts, subject to change by law, so check the paperwork for which court issued a citation.
Appeals go to the Court of Appeal, Second Circuit in Shreveport. R.S. 13:312 lists DeSoto among that circuit's parishes.
Visiting the DeSoto Parish courthouse
The DeSoto Parish Courthouse at 101 Texas Street dates from 1911. Favrot & Livaudais designed it in the Beaux Arts style, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. The clerk's main office there is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., per the clerk's website.
The Stonewall office keeps shorter hours, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., according to the same site. It offers birth and death certificates, among other services. The clerk's pages list different phone numbers for the Stonewall office, so use the main Mansfield number if one does not connect.
Passport applicants should plan their timing. The clerk's passport page (October 2026) lists a $35.00 acceptance fee and $13.00 for photos and asks applicants to arrive by 3:30 p.m. The Archives Building on Washington Avenue has its own phone line listed on the clerk's site, 318-270-6207, which is the place to ask about older volumes before you drive over.
Other DeSoto Parish offices
The DeSoto Parish Sheriff's Office, at 205 Franklin Street in Mansfield according to the Louisiana Sheriffs' Association, is led by Sheriff Jayson Richardson and has its own site at dpso.org. As in every parish but Orleans, the sheriff collects state and parish property taxes and runs the parish jail. See the guides to sheriff's offices and warrants.
Haus Cordray is the assessor; the Louisiana Assessors' Association lists his office at 212 Adams Street in Mansfield, phone 318-872-3610. The DeSoto Parish Assessor website runs a property search. If you disagree with an assessment, review goes to the parish governing authority first, then the Louisiana Tax Commission, then the courts. The assessor and property tax guide covers the details.
The DeSoto Parish Police Jury governs the parish from 101 Franklin Street in Mansfield. Its site lists hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and the phone number 318-872-0738.