About the Franklin Parish Clerk of Court
Franklin Parish's paper trail starts the year the parish began. According to the clerk's home page, the Legislature created Franklin on March 1, 1843, by Act 41, drawing it from parts of Ouachita, Catahoula, and Madison parishes, and the office holds records dating back to 1843. The same page tells how land for a central parish seat, then spelled "Winnsborough," was bought in 1844, and says the first courthouse went up on a spot that bear hunters had favored as a campsite. The parish is named for Benjamin Franklin.
Anita Gallagher-Wygal is the Clerk of Court. Her biography says she was sworn in on June 18, 2020, took office on July 1, 2020, and had worked in the office for more than 22 years before that. The site header shortens her name to "Anita Wygal," and the Louisiana Clerks of Court Association (LCCA) directory hyphenates it; all refer to the same person.
Louisiana's constitution makes the clerk an elected officer with a four-year term who doubles as ex officio notary public and as the parish's recorder of conveyances, mortgages, and other acts (Const. art. V, sec. 28). Election law adds the title of chief election officer. In Franklin, the clerk's home page lists the full range: birth certificates, marriage licenses, civil, criminal, juvenile, non-support, adoption, and appeal records, the jury commission, and election day duties, including commissioners and voting machines. State law makes each district clerk the parish custodian of voting machines.
One more detail from the home page explains how the office is paid for. It runs on fees rather than tax revenue, and the Franklin Parish Police Jury provides its office space and utilities.
Winnsboro is the parish seat and its only city, Wisner is a town, and Baskin and Gilbert are villages. The 2020 Census base counted 19,773 residents, with a July 2024 estimate of 19,107, across about 624 square miles of land. For the other parish offices, see the Louisiana Clerks of Court directory.
Court records in Franklin Parish
The Franklin clerk keeps the Franklin Parish record of the 5th Judicial District Court. On the civil side, the clerk posts its advance deposits, and as viewed in October 2026 the civil page lists $350.00 for a petition with one service, a figure effective since August 1, 2017.
The criminal page covers copies, certification, and a criminal history search at $20.00 (October 2026). That is the clerk's own fee for a search of its records, not a State Police check. Louisiana State Police describe the state as a closed record state, so its own criminal history repository is not open to the public, and when an arrest lacks a final disposition, LSP points people to the clerk, district attorney, or city prosecutor in the parish of conviction.
Online, the clerk's Resources page links eClerks LA and no other records system. eClerks LA's Statewide Portal searches civil, family, and probate index entries free after registration, and its Parish Search sells subscriptions for images. It does not describe a criminal case search, so for criminal files, contact the office in Winnsboro.
Public records requests are addressed to the clerk, according to the Resources page. Under the Public Records Law, a record that is immediately available must be presented immediately; if it is in active use, the custodian must set a time within three business days. Juvenile court records are a separate case: the Children's Code makes them confidential, apart from traffic matters. The statewide guides to court records and criminal records go further.
Land, mortgage, and property records
The Recording page lists the fee schedule for mortgages, conveyances, and UCC filings and explains how to order mortgage and lien certificates, which the office issues for a 10-year period.
For filers who would rather not mail paper, the clerk's E-Record page lists two vendors: CSC (shown as Ingeo or Indecomm, phone 1-866-652-0111) and eClerks LA, with terms of use posted for each. eClerks LA is the portal of the Louisiana Clerks' Remote Access Authority, which every district clerk was required to support for electronic recording and remote access by January 1, 2026. Its free statewide index finds land records by name; viewing the images needs a Franklin Parish subscription.
Five Louisiana parishes border Franklin. Civil Code article 3346 sends each mortgage or conveyance to the records of the parish where the land is, so a tract crossing a line needs a second search. The Richland Parish Clerk of Court in Rayville and the Caldwell Parish Clerk of Court cover two of those lines, and the Catahoula Parish Clerk of Court and the Tensas Parish Clerk of Court cover others. Since Franklin was formed partly from Ouachita, Catahoula, and Madison, anything recorded before March 1843 may sit in one of those parishes; ask the clerk before assuming.
Conveyances filed for registry must name the person responsible for property taxes and an address for tax notices, under R.S. 9:2721. The property records guide explains the rest.
Marriage licenses and family records
Franklin's marriage license fee is $34.50, according to the clerk's marriage license page as viewed in October 2026, and it covers both the license and a certified copy that the office mails to the couple. An extra certified copy is $6.00, a plain copy is $1.00, and the fees are not refundable.
The page says only one party needs to appear, as long as that person brings all documents for both and knows the other applicant's information. Original birth records are required. For anyone married before, bring a certified copy of the divorce judgment or the date of a former spouse's death; the office accepts a faxed copy only when it comes directly from another clerk's office. The marriage page links an online application on eClerks LA. A covenant marriage is different: the page says both parties must be present, with the minister or counselor there to complete the declaration of intent and affidavit.
The clerk's page reflects the state rules on timing. Under R.S. 9:241 a ceremony must wait 24 hours after the license is issued, and a judge or authorized justice of the peace may waive that wait for serious reasons. The license expires 30 days after issuance, and a couple who misses that window can get a new license by surrendering the expired one.
Recorded Franklin marriages remain with the clerk; the Department of Health holds marriage records only for Orleans Parish. Divorce, custody, and support judgments are part of the 5th JDC record, and a certified divorce decree comes from the clerk in the parish where it was granted. The marriage records and divorce records guides explain the statewide side.
Courts that serve Franklin Parish
Under R.S. 13:477, the 5th Judicial District Court is made up of West Carroll, Richland, and Franklin parishes. The court's website lists a courthouse in each seat: Oak Grove, Rayville, and Winnsboro. The Franklin Parish Courthouse is at 6550 Main Street, and the clerk's Judges page places one of the district's division offices next door at 6556 Main Street, on the second floor. Each parish's clerk keeps its own share of the district's records, so a Rayville case file is not in Winnsboro.
Winnsboro City Court is a separate court. The Supreme Court's 2025 Guide to Louisiana Courts lists separate criminal and civil clerks there and a phone number of 318-435-4508. Matters filed in city court stay in city court records.
Appeals from the 5th JDC go to the Court of Appeal, Second Circuit in Shreveport. Appeal records are among the files the clerk's home page says the office keeps.
Visiting the Franklin Parish courthouse
The clerk's office is in the Franklin Parish Courthouse at 6550 Main Street in Winnsboro. Posted hours are Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding holidays, according to the clerk's site. Mail goes to P.O. Box 1564, and the fax line is 318-435-5134.
The clerk's site does not publish an email address, and it does not describe parking, entrances, or security. Several offices share the same stretch of Main Street: the assessor is listed at 6552 and a 5th JDC division office at 6556.
Other Franklin Parish offices
The sheriff serves as chief law enforcement officer, runs the parish jail, and collects property taxes everywhere outside Orleans. The Louisiana Sheriffs' Association lists Bryan Linder as Franklin Parish Sheriff, at franklinsheriff.net. See Louisiana sheriff's offices and the inmate search guide.
According to the Louisiana Assessors' Association, Adron Henderson is the assessor, at 6552 Main Street in Winnsboro, phone 318-435-5390. No working assessor website was found. The assessors guide explains how values are set and appealed.
The Franklin Parish Police Jury governs the parish and, as noted, houses the clerk's office. No official police jury website was found.