| Clerk of Court | Caddo Parish Clerk of Court — Web Inquiry (Clerk Connect) |
|---|---|
| Clerk address | Caddo Parish Clerk of Court, Caddo Parish Courthouse, 501 Texas Street, Room 103, Shreveport, LA 71101 |
| Phone | (318) 226-6786 (Criminal Department) |
| Hours | Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m., excluding holidays |
| Earliest records noted | 1980 |
| Plain copy fee | $1.00 per page (statutory maximum for district-court clerks under R.S. 13:841; a clerk may charge less) |
| Certified copy fee | $5.00 certification fee per copy under R.S. 13:841, on top of the $1.00 per-page copy charge; several parish clerks (for example Livingston and Tangipahoa) post $10.00, so check the parish schedule |
Caddo Parish, anchored by Shreveport in the northwest corner of the state, is its own judicial district — the First Judicial District Court — and the Caddo Parish Clerk of Court keeps every record that court produces: felony prosecutions, civil suits, divorces and protective orders, and successions (Louisiana's term for probate). The clerk's office is in the Caddo Parish Courthouse at 501 Texas Street in downtown Shreveport, and the same office doubles as the parish recorder of mortgages, conveyances, and UCC filings.
Caddo is one of the better-digitized parishes in Louisiana. The clerk has indexed civil cases by computer since 1982 and criminal cases since 1980, added criminal minutes to the database in 1984, and has been scanning filed documents since 2002, with a back-scanning project working through older civil files. Two online doors lead into those records: a free index search through the Louisiana Clerks' Remote Access Authority (eClerks LA), and the clerk's paid Web Inquiry service on the multi-parish Clerk Connect platform, which adds case detail, minutes, and document images for a daily, monthly, or yearly fee.
What the parish clerk does not hold is anything from Shreveport City Court, a separate court with its own clerk and its own online portal that handles city-ordinance violations, misdemeanors, traffic tickets, and smaller civil matters inside Ward 4. A traffic ticket written by Shreveport police will not turn up in the parish clerk's index, so check the right court before concluding a record does not exist.
Search Caddo Parish court records online
Clerk of Court
Caddo Parish Clerk of Court — Web Inquiry (Clerk Connect)
- Cost
- $20 for 24 hours; $50 per month; $500 per year; $0.60 per page printed; 3.45% convenience fee on card payments
- Coverage
- Records inquiry, civil and domestic cases, criminal cases, and marriage records for the First Judicial District Court in Caddo Parish
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family, Probate
Accounts are created on Clerk Connect using the "Don't Have a Login" link. Pricing shown is the schedule effective March 1, 2024, posted on the clerk's Web Inquiry page. A free name index for the same records is available through eClerks LA (below) without a subscription.
Other courts
eClerks LA — Free Record Search (Louisiana Clerks' Remote Access Authority)
- Cost
- Free index search
- Coverage
- Free name index for Caddo Parish clerk of court records, linked from the clerk's civil and criminal department pages as "FREE RECORD SEARCH"
- Records
- Civil, Criminal
The free search returns index entries only; to see minutes or document images you need the clerk's paid Web Inquiry subscription or a trip to the courthouse.
Other courts
Shreveport City Court
- Coverage
- City-ordinance violations, state misdemeanors, traffic tickets, evictions, peace bonds, and civil matters within Ward 4 of Caddo Parish
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Traffic
A separate court at 1244 Texas Ave, Shreveport, LA 71101, (318) 673-5830, with its own online case management portal for hearing and record searches and online payments. Its cases are not in the parish clerk of court's index.
What is available online
Civil cases have been computer-indexed since 1982 and scanned since 2002, with a back-scanning project that is gradually adding pre-1980 civil filings. Criminal cases have been indexed since 1980, criminal minutes since 1984, and criminal documents scanned since 2002. The free eClerks LA search shows the index only; the paid Web Inquiry subscription on Clerk Connect adds case detail and images. Copies of any record — criminal, civil, or land — can also be ordered by email at $1.00 per page. Shreveport City Court records live on a separate city portal.
Which clerk has your record
In Louisiana, the clerk who keeps a file depends on which court heard the case. Check the court name on the case notice, citation, or order, then use the office and coverage details above to identify the record holder. Court names and responsibilities differ by state; a county clerk may not keep court case files. For federal cases, see the PACER guide. The full court structure is on the Louisiana page.
| Court | Typical cases | Records kept by |
|---|---|---|
| District Courts | Felony criminal cases; Divorce, custody, and other domestic matters; Civil suits above the district court's minimum amount in dispute | Clerk of Court of the parish (in Orleans Parish, the Clerk of Civil District Court for civil/family/probate and the Clerk of Criminal District Court for criminal cases) |
| Family and Juvenile Courts | Divorce, custody, and child support (where a standalone family court exists); Juvenile delinquency and child-in-need-of-care cases | Clerk of the Family or Juvenile Court, or the parish clerk of court where no separate court exists |
| City Courts and Parish Courts | Civil suits up to the court's jurisdictional limit (commonly $35,000–$50,000); Misdemeanors and municipal ordinance violations within city limits; Small claims and traffic tickets | Clerk of the individual city or parish court |
| Justice of the Peace and Mayor's Courts | Small claims and minor civil disputes outside city limits; Municipal ordinance violations in towns without a city court | Justice of the peace or mayor's-court clerk for that ward or municipality |
Request records in person or by mail
Caddo Parish clerk offices
Caddo Parish Clerk of Court, Caddo Parish Courthouse, 501 Texas Street, Room 103, Shreveport, LA 71101
Phone: (318) 226-6786 (Criminal Department)
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m., excluding holidays
In person. Visit the clerk of court in Room 103 of the Caddo Parish Courthouse, 501 Texas Street, Shreveport, between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays. Bring the case number or the party names and approximate year. Computer printouts and copies are $1.00 per page and certification is $5.00 per copy; a criminal background check by name is $20.00.
By mail or email. The clerk accepts copy requests through its Copies page and at copies@caddoclerk.com for criminal, civil, and land records. Copies are $1.00 per page whether printed or delivered electronically (for electronic index records, 55 entries count as one page), plus postage if mailed. Include the case or instrument number where you have it, state whether you need a certified copy, and expect to pay for every page of a document when ordering online.
Online. Run a free name search through eClerks LA to confirm a case exists and get its number, then subscribe to Web Inquiry on Clerk Connect ($20 per day, $50 per month, or $500 per year) to read the case history, minutes, and scanned documents, printing at $0.60 per page.
Shreveport City Court cases. Contact the city court at 1244 Texas Avenue or use its own online portal; the parish clerk of court has no city court records.
Fees
| Item | Typical cost in Louisiana |
|---|---|
| Plain copy | $1.00 per page (statutory maximum for district-court clerks under R.S. 13:841; a clerk may charge less) |
| Certified copy | $5.00 certification fee per copy under R.S. 13:841, on top of the $1.00 per-page copy charge; several parish clerks (for example Livingston and Tangipahoa) post $10.00, so check the parish schedule |
R.S. 13:841 sets the ceiling for district-court clerk fees in civil matters — copies $1.00 per page, certification of a copy $5.00, conformed copies $3.00 — and says each clerk's fee "may be less than, but shall not exceed" those amounts. In practice most parish clerks charge the full $1.00 per page; the certification fee varies from $5.00 to $10.00 by parish, and criminal-side copy fees are set separately. Many clerks also charge for a ClerkConnect or eSearch subscription to view records remotely. Confirm the current fee with the specific parish clerk before sending payment.
Need a copy an agency will accept? See how to get certified copies of court records.
Sealed and restricted records
Louisiana's Public Records Law (Revised Statutes Title 44) presumes public records — including most court filings — are open, and R.S. 44:31 gives any adult the right to inspect, copy, or reproduce a public record unless a specific law says otherwise. Several categories are removed from public view:
The Louisiana guide lists every category of sealed and restricted record, and our guide to expunging or sealing a criminal record explains how to remove one from public view.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free way to search Caddo Parish court records online?
Yes. The clerk's civil and criminal department pages link to a free record search on eClerks LA, the Louisiana Clerks' Remote Access Authority. It returns index entries; case minutes and document images require the paid Web Inquiry subscription.
How much does the Caddo Parish Clerk's Web Inquiry cost?
As of the schedule posted for March 1, 2024, a 24-hour pass is $20, a month is $50, and a year is $500, with printing at $0.60 per page and a 3.45% convenience fee on card payments. Confirm current pricing on the clerk's website before subscribing.
How far back do Caddo Parish online records go?
Criminal cases are indexed from 1980 and civil cases from 1982; scanned images of filed documents generally start in 2002, though the clerk is back-scanning older civil files. Older records must be pulled by staff.
Where do I look up a Shreveport traffic ticket?
At Shreveport City Court, 1244 Texas Avenue, which handles tickets and misdemeanors inside the city's Ward 4 and runs its own online case portal. Those cases are not part of the parish clerk of court's records.
Sources
- Caddo Parish Clerk of Court — https://www.caddoclerk.com/
- Caddo Parish Clerk of Court — Web Inquiry — https://www.caddoclerk.com/web-inquiry/
- Caddo Parish Clerk of Court — Copies — https://www.caddoclerk.com/copies/
- Caddo Parish Clerk of Court — Criminal Department — https://www.caddoclerk.com/criminal/
- Caddo Parish Clerk of Court — Civil/Domestic Court — https://www.caddoclerk.com/civildomestic-court/
- eClerks LA — Louisiana Clerks' Remote Access Authority — https://www.eclerksla.com/Home
- Shreveport City Court — https://www.shreveportla.gov/223/City-Courts
- Louisiana Supreme Court — Judicial Branch overview — https://www.lasc.org/
- Louisiana Supreme Court Case Search — https://www.lasc.org/Search
- Louisiana State Police — Bureau of Criminal Identification & Information — https://lsp.org/about/leadershipsections/support/bcii/fingerprints-and-background-checks/
- eClerks LA — Louisiana Clerks' Remote Access Authority — https://www.eclerksla.com/about/statewideportal
- re:SearchLA — https://researchla.tylerhost.net/CourtRecordsSearch/Home
- Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure, Article 971 — Expungement, legislative findings — https://legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=919662
- Louisiana Revised Statutes 44:31 — Right to examine records — https://legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=99688
- Louisiana Revised Statutes 13:841 — Enumeration of fees in civil matters — https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=78097
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana — https://www.laed.uscourts.gov/
- PACER — Federal court records — https://pacer.uscourts.gov/
See also: all Louisiana counties.