Most Louisiana public records are kept by parish offices rather than one state agency. The parish clerk of court holds court files and land records, the sheriff keeps the jail and (outside Orleans) collects property taxes, the assessor sets property values, and the parish governing authority keeps its own ordinances and minutes. Start with the office in the parish where the case was filed, the event happened, or the property sits.
Your right to see public records
The Louisiana Constitution says no person shall be denied the right to "examine public documents, except in cases established by law" (art. XII, §3). Under the Public Records Law, any person may obtain a copy of a public record, and the custodian has the burden of proving that a record is not open (R.S. 44:31).
Not everything is open. Juvenile court records are confidential (Ch.C. art. 412), expunged records are removed from public access (C.Cr.P. art. 973), and certain law enforcement records are exempt, although booking records and an officer's initial report are public (R.S. 44:3).
Where each kind of record is kept
Court records. The clerk of court in each parish keeps the district court's case files. See court records, civil records, and criminal records, and the Louisiana courts guide for which court hears what.
Property records. The clerk of court is also the parish recorder of conveyances and mortgages (R.S. 44:71). See property records for deeds and mortgages, and assessors and property taxes for values, homestead exemptions, and who collects the bill.
Family records. Outside Orleans, the clerk of court issues marriage licenses and keeps the record; in Orleans, licenses come from the state registrar of vital records or a city court judge (R.S. 9:221). See marriage records. Divorce judgments are kept by the clerk of court in the parish where the divorce was granted, as explained on the divorce records page.
Law enforcement. Each sheriff keeps the parish jail (R.S. 13:5539). See inmate search, warrant information, and sheriff's offices.
Parish government. Police juries, parish councils, and consolidated governments keep their own ordinances, minutes, and budgets. See parish government.
To find the right office for a particular parish, use the Louisiana Clerks of Court directory or the parish map. Examples: the Rapides Parish Clerk of Court, the East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court, and the Caddo Parish Clerk of Court.
What is online statewide, and what is not
By law, every district clerk of court had to facilitate remote access through the Louisiana Clerks' Remote Access Authority portal by January 1, 2026 (R.S. 13:754). That portal, eClerks LA, says users can search all 64 parishes for land record, marriage license, and civil, family, and probate indices. It requires an account, and document images usually need a subscription to a parish's own system.
No official statewide public search for criminal cases, warrants, or criminal history was found. The Louisiana State Police describes Louisiana as "a closed record state" for its criminal history repository. This website does not search any records; it points to the official offices and tools.
Orleans Parish is different
Orleans has had one clerk of court since May 4, 2026: Act 15 of the 2026 Regular Session abolished the separate clerk of criminal district court and moved its records to the clerk of court for the parish of Orleans. Orleans marriage licenses come from the Louisiana Department of Health's Orleans Parish Marriage License Office, not the clerk. Orleans has one sheriff and one assessor, and the City of New Orleans, not the sheriff, collects property taxes. See the Orleans Parish clerk of court page.