About the St. Charles Parish Clerk of Court
Hahnville's history is tied to the courthouse. Wikipedia's article on the parish says the first courthouse was established in 1804 in a community then called "St. Charles Courthouse," which was later renamed Hahnville and became the parish seat. Today the clerk's office is at 15045 River Road there, and Lance Marino has been Clerk of Court since July 2012, according to the Louisiana Clerks of Court Association directory. Brian Fabre is listed as chief deputy on the clerk's contact page.
Like every Louisiana clerk, the St. Charles clerk holds an elected four-year office created by the state constitution. The clerk keeps the record of the district court and also serves as ex officio notary public and as recorder of conveyances, mortgages, and other acts. On top of that the Election Code designates the clerk as the parish's chief election officer, responsible among other things for an annual training course for election commissioners. The office also handles jury service.
Two details from the clerk's own description of the office stand out. First, it says it is funded by statutory fees rather than tax money. Second, St. Charles conveyance records reach back to 1725, and many of the early entries are handwritten in French and Spanish. Originals filed for recording are kept permanently and are not handed back.
The parish was formally established in 1807 and covers ground on both the east and west banks of the Mississippi River. The Census counted 52,548 people in its 2020 base and estimated 50,400 in July 2024. Land makes up about 278 square miles and water about 119.
For the rest of the state, see the Louisiana Clerks of Court directory.
Court records in St. Charles Parish
The clerk takes civil, probate, and criminal filings and assigns minute clerks to the three divisions of the district court, C, D, and E. The criminal and traffic page posts two forms people ask for often: a request for a new court date and a motion for an extension of time to pay.
Filing rules tightened in 2026. A notice posted on the clerk's home page on September 15, 2025, says that starting January 1, 2026, the 29th Judicial District Court no longer accepts attorney filings sent by U.S. mail or commercial carrier, citing Act 352 of 2025. The same notice says fax filings are no longer accepted under R.S. 13:850. The clerk's contact page adds that pleadings cannot be emailed to employees. Criminal e-filing runs through Clerk Connect, and the home page links "eRecording and eFiling" to eClerks LA.
For searching, the clerk's Public Records Search page publishes the date ranges of what is online:
- Civil indexes from 1988, with images from 1999
- Criminal records from 1986
- Probate from January 11, 1965
The same page lists subscription terms (viewed October 2026) of $25.00 per day, $50.00 per month, $300.00 for six months, or $600.00 per year, with copies at $1.00 per page and payment by card through PayPal. It links two portals, eClerks LA for land records and Clerk Connect for civil and criminal searches, without saying which one carries those terms, so check at sign-up. Anyone can view the same records free in the clerk's office during business hours, where copies run $2.00 per page.
That free option reflects state law: a records custodian may charge for copies under a posted schedule but cannot charge a person to inspect a public record. The guides to court records in Louisiana and civil records explain the statewide rules.
Land, mortgage, and property records
Recording covers conveyances, mortgages, cancellations, and mortgage certificates. According to the clerk's search page, conveyance indexes and images go back to January 4, 1932, and mortgage indexes to 1958, with mortgage images from 1973. E-recording is linked to eClerks LA, and the clerk's site also links eClerks alerts for anyone who wants notice when a mortgage or case is filed under a name.
St. Charles has three neighboring parishes: Jefferson, Lafourche, and St. John the Baptist. Because Louisiana records land in the parish where it is located, a tract that crosses into St. John the Baptist has to be recorded with the St. John the Baptist Parish Clerk of Court as well, and property continuing into Jefferson needs a filing with the Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court. Land that runs into Lafourche is recorded by the Lafourche Parish Clerk of Court.
Once a deed is recorded, valuation and the homestead exemption are matters for the assessor, whose office the Louisiana Assessors' Association lists at the same River Road address. The property records guide covers the statewide system.
Marriage licenses and family records
St. Charles runs marriage licenses by appointment. The clerk's marriage page (viewed October 2026) asks couples to apply online and then call to schedule a time to finish the process, which it says takes about 45 minutes. One applicant must be present, and applications are signed before a deputy clerk or a notary. The fee is $35.00 for a standard license and $45.00 for a covenant marriage license, by cash, check, credit card, or money order.
The license expires 30 days after issuance. The clerk's page notes a 24-hour waiting period unless a district judge or justice of the peace waives it, which matches state law. After the ceremony, the clerk asks that both copies of the completed license come back within 10 business days; state law puts the duty on the officiant to file them with the issuing clerk, who reports to the state registrar. Certified copies of a recorded license cost $7.00, and the clerk says its marriage records go back to the 1800s. The online index starts with licenses from August 21, 1878.
The clerk also issues Louisiana birth certificates for $34.00, cash only, but does not issue death certificates (October 2026). Divorce judgments from the 29th Judicial District Court are kept here; the Louisiana Department of Health does not provide divorce decrees. Statewide, a divorce without a covenant marriage generally requires 180 days of living apart when there are no minor children and 365 days when there are, measured as the Civil Code describes. See marriage records and divorce records for more.
Courts that serve St. Charles Parish
St. Charles makes up the 29th Judicial District Court on its own. The court's website describes original jurisdiction over civil, criminal, and juvenile matters and appellate jurisdiction over the parish's justice of the peace courts. It has three elected divisions (C, D, and E), and it lists an Adult Drug Court and a FINS diversion program. New local rules took effect August 1, 2026, according to the court. The court's mailing address is the same P.O. Box 424 in Hahnville that the clerk uses.
No city court was found in St. Charles, and the parish has no separate juvenile court, so juvenile cases are heard by the district court, as the Children's Code provides outside Caddo, Orleans, Jefferson, and East Baton Rouge.
Appeals from the 29th go to the Court of Appeal, Fifth Circuit, which sits in Gretna and also covers Jefferson, St. James, and St. John the Baptist.
Visiting the St. Charles Parish courthouse
The clerk's office is at 15045 River Road in Hahnville. The clerk's contact page lists hours of Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and a single phone number for every department: the clerk, elections, marriage licenses and birth certificates, mortgage and conveyance, civil, and criminal. That makes the first call simple, but have a case number or a name and date ready so the call reaches the right desk.
If you plan to view records in person, budget time. The free in-office search covers the same indexes and images as the paid service, and copies are $2.00 per page at the counter. For a marriage license, book the appointment first. The clerk's website does not describe parking, entrances, or security screening.
Other St. Charles Parish offices
The Louisiana Sheriffs' Association lists Gregory C. "Greg" Champagne as sheriff and gives the office's street address in Luling; the office's own website is the St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office site. Outside Orleans, Louisiana sheriffs are the collectors of state and parish property taxes as well as the parish's chief law enforcement officers. The sheriff's offices guide has the statewide picture.
Tab Troxler is the assessor. The St. Charles Parish Assessor's website is where to look up a property's assessed value, and the tax assessors guide explains how assessments are reviewed, first by the parish governing authority and then by the Louisiana Tax Commission.
The parish is governed by St. Charles Parish Government, which the 29th JDC links from its website. Its own site could not be loaded during research, so the parish president's name is not given here. The parish government guide explains how Louisiana parishes are organized.