About the St. John the Baptist Parish Clerk of Court
The Mississippi River runs through the middle of St. John the Baptist Parish, and the clerk's office is built around that fact. The courthouse and the clerk's main office sit in Edgard on the west bank, while the parish's New Government Complex is across the river in LaPlace on the east bank. The clerk keeps an office on each side. Felicia Feist (Felicia C. Feist on the clerk's site) was sworn in on June 30, 2024, and the clerk's website says she is the first African-American elected to the position.
What the clerk does is fixed by the Louisiana Constitution and state statutes. The office is elected for four years, keeps the record of the district court, and doubles as notary public and as the parish recorder of conveyances, mortgages, and other acts. The Election Code also makes the clerk the chief election officer of St. John the Baptist Parish, and the clerk's site handles jury lists as well, posting them by court division.
St. John was established in 1807 as one of the original 19 parishes of the Territory of Orleans, and it was part of the German Coast, settled along the river by German immigrants in the 1720s. Water takes up a large share of the map: Census figures put its land at about 214.5 square miles and its water at about 195.5, so close to half of its total area is water. The 2020 Census base counted 42,472 residents, and the July 2024 estimate was 39,694.
For other parishes, use the Louisiana Clerks of Court directory.
Court records in St. John the Baptist Parish
Civil and criminal filings can start on either bank. According to the clerk, the Eastbank office in LaPlace accepts all civil, criminal, and real estate filings, and a clerk employee carries each day's filings over to the Edgard Courthouse. The record itself lives in Edgard.
The clerk's home page links Clerk Connect for "Civil & Criminal Inquiry and Civil E-Filing." The clerk's site does not list prices for that service, so check the Clerk Connect sign-in page before relying on it. The civil page posts forms that self-represented filers often need, including a certificate of clerk, a civil case reporting form, and an affidavit to proceed in forma pauperis (without prepaying costs).
The criminal department posts expungement forms and a motion to set aside. The clerk's instructions say the forms must be completed before filing and that fingerprints and the arrest report come from the St. John Sheriff's Office. State law limits expungement filings to the official statutory forms and caps the total cost of an expungement order at $550, apart from a few listed exceptions; processing fees are not refunded if the motion is denied. Expungement removes a record from public view, but it does not destroy it.
If you need a full criminal history, remember that the State Police calls Louisiana a closed record state: its statewide repository is not open to the public, and a person can request a certified copy of his or her own history, called a Right to Review, through a fingerprint appointment. Parish court files are the public part of the picture. See the guides to criminal records and court records in Louisiana.
Land, mortgage, and property records
Conveyance and mortgage recording happens at both offices. For remote work, the clerk's Land Records page tells users to create an eClerks LA account for "Recordings and Subscriptions" and to send questions to the vendor, Antares, at support@antaresnet.com. The home page adds that subscriptions are handled by a third party and are not refundable. eClerks LA, run by the Louisiana Clerks' Remote Access Authority, offers a free index search across parishes, with images through paid parish subscriptions.
Eight parishes touch St. John: Ascension, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, St. Charles, St. James, St. Tammany, and Tangipahoa. Under Louisiana's Civil Code, land is recorded in the parish where it sits. A tract that extends over the line into St. Charles must also be recorded with the St. Charles Parish Clerk of Court in Hahnville, and one that crosses into St. James belongs in part with the St. James Parish Clerk of Court in Convent. Tangipahoa and Livingston share a line with St. John as well, and the Tangipahoa Parish Clerk of Court and the Livingston Parish Clerk of Court keep their own conveyance books.
Every act of sale filed for recording must name the person responsible for paying property taxes and the address for tax notices, so have that information ready. The property records guide explains statewide practice.
Marriage licenses and family records
Both the Westbank office in Edgard and the Eastbank office in LaPlace issue marriage licenses. The clerk's marriage page (viewed October 2026) lists a $35.00 application fee payable by money order or cash, with exact cash preferred. At the Eastbank office, licenses are issued from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The page asks for photo identification, original certified birth certificates, and Social Security numbers for both parties. Anyone previously married brings a certified copy of the divorce judgment or, for a widowed applicant, a copy of the death certificate. The clerk's marriage page also posts its own note that there is a 30-day waiting period after a judge signs a divorce judgment, so a recently divorced applicant should ask the office how it applies before planning a date. Once issued, the license is valid for 30 days, and Louisiana requires a 24-hour wait before the ceremony unless a judge or authorized justice of the peace waives it for serious reasons.
A recorded St. John marriage license stays with this clerk; the state Vital Records Registry holds marriage records only for licenses bought in Orleans Parish. Divorce decrees follow the same logic. A divorce granted in St. John is a 40th Judicial District Court judgment, and Vital Records sends people to the clerk of the parish that granted it. Divorce cases must be filed where either spouse is domiciled or where the couple last lived together as a married couple, and that rule cannot be waived. Both offices also issue Louisiana birth certificates from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; the clerk lists the fee at $34.00, cash only (October 2026). The marriage records and divorce records guides cover the statewide rules.
Courts that serve St. John the Baptist Parish
The 40th Judicial District Court serves St. John the Baptist alone. According to the court's website, it has three divisions, A, B, and C, and general jurisdiction over civil, criminal, traffic, juvenile, family, and probate matters. No city court was found in the parish.
Where court is held has changed since Hurricane Ida. The 40th JDC's website, as viewed in October 2026, says all jury and bench trials, west bank traffic and misdemeanor matters, felony motions, drug court, and truancy court are heard in Edgard. It also posts a notice that no court is currently being held at the Arcuri Center in LaPlace, 1020 Cambridge Drive, because of damage from Hurricane Ida, and it lists that eastbank courthouse as closed. If a notice sends you to LaPlace, confirm with the court before going.
Appeals go to the Court of Appeal, Fifth Circuit in Gretna. R.S. 13:312 divides the Fifth Circuit into districts and splits St. John along the river: the east-bank portion is in the circuit's second district with St. James, and the west-bank portion is in the third district with St. Charles. Every appeal still goes to the same court in Gretna.
Visiting the St. John the Baptist Parish courthouse
Choose your bank first. The Westbank office is in the Edgard Courthouse at 2393 Highway 18, where trials are held and the record is kept. The Eastbank office is in the New Government Complex at 1811 W. Airline Highway in LaPlace, with its own phone line, 985-652-8041. Per the clerk's website, each side keeps weekday hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., though the LaPlace office shuts from noon to 1:00 p.m. daily.
For most errands, LaPlace is enough: it takes filings, issues marriage licenses, and sells birth certificates. Court and jury service, however, happen in Edgard. The clerk's site offers one practical tip for jurors and parties: the courtroom can be cold, so bring a layer.
The clerk's website does not describe parking or security screening at either building.
Other St. John the Baptist Parish offices
The Louisiana Sheriffs' Association lists Mike Tregre as Sheriff, with offices at 1801 West Airline Highway in LaPlace (LSA directory entry). The sheriff keeps the parish jail and collects property taxes, as sheriffs do everywhere in Louisiana except Orleans; the inmate search guide explains how LA VINE tracks people in parish jails.
Lucien J. Gauff, III is the assessor. The St. John the Baptist Parish Assessor's website is the place to check a property's assessment, and the Louisiana Assessors' Association lists the office in the same LaPlace complex as the clerk's Eastbank office, at 1811 West Airline Highway. See the tax assessors guide.
St. John the Baptist Parish Government is headed by Parish President Jaclyn Hotard, according to its official site.