How to Search Orleans Parish Court Records
There is no single free portal that searches every Orleans Parish court record. Civil District Court records, divorce case files, successions, land records, mortgage records, and conveyance records route through the Clerk of Civil District Court Online Records subscription system. Criminal District Court records route through the Clerk of Criminal District Court and the Docket Master or Clerk Connect access path. Municipal and Traffic Court records use the city portal at traffic.nola.gov/search. Jail custody information routes to OPSO and LA VINE, while Orleans marriage certificates may route to LDH or the Secretary of State depending on record age.
Start with the record type and court source, not with a name search alone. A person may have a civil suit at Loyola Avenue, a criminal case at Tulane Avenue, a traffic attachment at Broad Street, and a jail custody entry in OPSO records. Juvenile matters are restricted, and older civil or criminal records may require the City Archives or the Civil Clerk's Research Center.
- Identify the record type: civil, criminal, traffic, probate/succession, custody, marriage, divorce, land, or historical archive.
- Choose the official channel: Civil Clerk subscription, Criminal Clerk or Clerk Connect, Municipal and Traffic portal, OPSO, LA VINE, LDH, Secretary of State, or archive office.
- Search with the strongest identifier available, such as case number, citation number, exact party name, date of birth, filing date, or division/section.
- If the portal is subscription-only, pre-2002, sealed, unavailable, or incomplete, contact the clerk by phone, email, mail, or in person.
- Request certified copies from the clerk or agency that maintains the original record, because a website printout is not the same as an official certified copy.
The official Clerk of Civil District Court site shows the civil clerk's role, office divisions, and records access links for civil and land records. The screenshot below is useful because many Orleans Parish searches begin with deciding whether the Civil Clerk, rather than a criminal or municipal clerk, holds the file.
Use that office for civil lawsuits, divorce case files, successions, land records, mortgage records, conveyance records, and Civil District Court public-record requests.
Orleans Parish Court System
Louisiana district courts are the general-jurisdiction trial courts, but Orleans Parish is the major local exception. The district court function is split into separate Civil District Court and Criminal District Court systems. Civil District Court has original jurisdiction over civil matters in Orleans Parish and has fourteen elected divisions. Criminal District Court states that it exercises exclusive jurisdiction over criminal offenses committed in Orleans Parish unless jurisdiction is vested by law in another court. Lower-level local matters route to the Municipal and Traffic Court of New Orleans, First City Court, Second City Court, and Orleans Parish Juvenile Court.
Appeals from Orleans Parish trial courts go to the Louisiana Court of Appeal, Fourth Circuit, which includes Orleans, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard parishes. Louisiana also has a Supreme Court, five courts of appeal, district courts, juvenile and family courts, city and parish courts, mayor's courts, and justices of the peace.
Case flow: local or limited court, when applicable › Civil District Court or Criminal District Court › Louisiana Court of Appeal, Fourth Circuit › Louisiana Supreme Court review when available.
| Court or Office | Jurisdiction | Records to Request There |
|---|---|---|
| Orleans Civil District Court | Civil matters in Orleans Parish | Civil suits, domestic/divorce, successions, judgments, civil dockets |
| Orleans Criminal District Court | Criminal offenses not assigned elsewhere | Charges, motions, minute entries, dispositions, sentencing, expungement filings |
| Municipal and Traffic Court of New Orleans | Traffic and municipal misdemeanor matters | Citations, municipal cases, payments, failures to appear, attachments |
| Orleans Parish Juvenile Court | Juvenile matters under the Louisiana Children's Code | Restricted delinquency and youth records when access is legally allowed |
| Louisiana Court of Appeal, Fourth Circuit | Intermediate appeals from Orleans, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard | Appeal records, writs, appellate filings, appellate dispositions |
The Orleans Civil District Court site identifies the civil court's divisions, jurisdiction, address, language-access links, and scam warnings. That matters because civil records and probate-style succession records are not handled at the Criminal District Court building.
For civil filings, judgments, domestic files, and succession records, the civil courthouse and Civil Clerk are the usual starting points.
Main Orleans Parish Courthouse Locations
Orleans Parish has no single all-purpose courthouse for every record category. Civil court, criminal court, municipal/traffic matters, juvenile matters, federal records, and archive searches can involve different addresses. The most common civil-record starting point is the Civil District Court and Civil Division Clerk at 421 Loyola Avenue. Criminal case documents come from the Criminal District Court complex at 2700 Tulane Avenue. Traffic and municipal misdemeanor case searches route to Municipal and Traffic Court at 727 S. Broad Street.
Civil District Court and Civil Clerk
421 Loyola Avenue, Room 402
New Orleans, LA 70112
(504) 407-0000
orleanscivilclerk.com
Criminal District Court
2700 Tulane Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70119
(504) 658-9100
criminalcourt.org
Municipal and Traffic Court
727 S. Broad Street
New Orleans, LA 70119
(504) 658-8500
mtcourt.nola.gov
Research Center and Historical Records
1340 Poydras Street, Suite 360
New Orleans, LA 70112
(504) 407-0106
orleanscivilclerk.com
The Orleans Criminal District Court site gives the Tulane Avenue courthouse address, criminal jurisdiction, public hours, entry rules, and certified-document route. Criminal records should not be requested from the Civil Clerk unless the matter is actually a civil or domestic case.
The criminal clerk at that courthouse is the practical route for certified criminal documents, dispositions, background checks, and expungement records.
Types of Court Records Available in Orleans Parish
Orleans Parish court records include civil pleadings, domestic case files, divorce decrees, succession filings, land and mortgage instruments, criminal charges, minute entries, motions, traffic citations, municipal misdemeanors, custody records, warrant or attachment references, appeals, and historical court files. Each category has its own custodian.
- Civil court records: petitions, answers, motions, exceptions, orders, judgments, service returns, notices, trial settings, and appellate filings.
- Criminal court records: charges, bills of information or indictments, arraignment entries, bond, pleas, verdicts, sentencing, probation entries, and appeal notices.
- Traffic records: citation or case number, defendant information, violation date, payment or contest status, disposition, and attachment consequences.
- Probate Records: Orleans succession matters filed in Civil District Court, including wills, letters, tutorship, curatorship, accounts, orders, and judgments.
- Marriage and divorce records: Orleans marriage certificates through LDH or State Archives by age, and divorce decrees through the Civil Clerk.
- Inmate records: OPSO and LA VINE custody records showing detainee identity, charges, bond, and roster information when public.
Search Fields by Orleans Parish Portal
Search fields differ sharply by system. The Municipal and Traffic Court portal exposes public fields immediately. Civil Remote Access requires subscriber login before full search options appear. The OPSO phone search uses name digits instead of a web form. For best results, use the exact case number, citation number, or full legal name from court paperwork when available.
| Portal or Channel | Search Fields or Request Facts | Important Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Civil Remote Access | Subscriber username, password, account setup fields, and full search tools after login | Paid subscription required for full civil and land-record access |
| Clerk Connect / Criminal Clerk | Criminal docket access through Clerk Connect plus clerk assistance for certified documents | Features vary, and certified documents require the Criminal Clerk |
| Municipal and Traffic Court portal | Case Number, Last Name, First Name, Date of Birth, Clear Search | Municipal and Traffic cases only; pre-2002 cases require direct contact |
| Municipal and Traffic records request | Full name and aliases, DOB, violation or arrest dates, violation description, return email or mailing address | Submit by mail, email, or in person |
| OPSO phone detainee search | Two digits of last name and two digits of first name | Custody lookup, not a pre-arrest warrant search |
| LDH marriage mail request | Completed application, photo ID copy, correct fees, and mailing address | LDH estimates about 8-10 weeks for delivery |
The Municipal and Traffic Court records page explains the city portal, request methods, and the information needed for traffic or misdemeanor records. It is the clearest public search path for citations and municipal cases.
Use that court for traffic cases, municipal misdemeanor records, pre-2002 direct-contact questions, and failures to appear that may lead to attachments.
Public Access Laws and Orleans Parish Limits
Louisiana Public Records Law supplies a general right to request public documents, but Orleans Parish court files still depend on the court, clerk, record type, sealing status, and age of the file. Civil, domestic, succession, land, mortgage, and conveyance records route to the Clerk of Civil District Court. Criminal District Court records route to the Clerk of Criminal District Court. Municipal and Traffic Court records route to the city court clerk. OPSO and LA VINE are custody sources, not substitutes for a full criminal court file.
Key Statutes:
La. R.S. 44:1 defines public records and public bodies for Louisiana Public Records Law.
La. C.C.P. art. 253 allows clerks to convert paper pleadings, documents, and exhibits into electronic records.
La. C.Cr.P. art. 971 explains that Louisiana expungement removes qualifying records from public access but does not destroy them.
Louisiana Children's Code art. 918 addresses juvenile expungement and sealing grounds.
Civil Court and Probate Records
Civil records in Orleans Parish come from Civil District Court and the Clerk of Civil District Court. The Civil Clerk's Online Records subscription covers systems maintained by that office, including Civil Remote Access, Land Records, mortgage records, and conveyance records. Research notes list subscription options of 24 hours for $20, 30 days for $100, and 365 days for $700, with separate escrow accounts needed for printing or downloading images in some systems.
Probate-style records are called successions in Louisiana. In Orleans Parish, succession filings are Civil District Court records handled through the Civil Clerk, not through a separate surrogate or orphans' court. Docket 1 succession forms include letters of administration, curatorship, trusteeship, dative testamentary executor, tutorship, notarial and statutory will orders, oaths, notices, accounts, tableaux, and sale-authority forms. Older notarial materials may require the Research Center at 1340 Poydras Street.
Criminal Court, Charges, and Dockets
Criminal District Court records show the path from arrest, summons, or bill of information into formal prosecution. A case may include the charging document, arraignment, bond, motions, status dates, plea, verdict, sentencing, probation entries, attachments, expungement filings, and appeal notices. The Criminal Clerk at (504) 658-9000 is the records route for certified criminal documents, background checks, dispositions, and expungements.
Formal court charges are different from booking charges. OPSO or LA VINE may show custody charge rows, bond, attachment labels, or fugitive indicators after arrest, while the court file shows how the charge was filed and resolved. A charge is also not the same as a conviction; confirm the disposition, sentence, dismissal, or expungement status in the court record.
Orleans Parish Sheriff and Jail Lookup
OPSO detainee information is separate from court docket information. The official OPSO detainee page links the web detainee search, visitation, attorney visitation, regular visitation, detainee information, commissary, detainee search by phone, mail instructions, programs, Travis Hill School, and chaplain resources. LA VINE provides an Orleans roster channel that state materials describe as live jail roster data updated every 30 minutes from the jail's JMS. OPSO also has a phone IVR search using two digits of the last name and two digits of the first name.
Custody results may show name, identifiers, race, gender, DOB, booking or arrest date, charge code, charge description, bond, and warrant or attachment indicators. Use Orleans Parish inmate records for full custody channels and warrant records for the limitations of warrant and attachment searches. The Orleans Sheriff App on Google Play is documented as a public safety app for community reports, tips, alerts, and OPSO news; the research did not verify an inmate or warrant lookup feature inside the app.
The OPSO detainee services page links the official detainee search, visitation pages, phone search, commissary, mail instructions, and program information. It is the jail-service hub, while court dispositions still come from the relevant clerk.
When a person has moved from parish custody to state custody, use Louisiana DPS&C offender information rather than the parish jail roster alone.
Traffic Tickets, Attachments, Marriage, and Divorce
Traffic court records in Orleans Parish are handled primarily by the Municipal and Traffic Court of New Orleans. The portal searches Municipal and Traffic Court cases only by case number, name, or date of birth. Cases filed before 2002 require direct court contact. Records requests can be mailed to 727 S. Broad Street, emailed to MTCNOClerk@nola.gov, or made in person. A delinquent open traffic case can lead to additional fines or fees, license suspension, and an arrest attachment. If a date was missed, the City says to appear at court immediately.
Marriage records are also unusual in Orleans Parish. LDH maintains Orleans Parish marriage records within vital records, and the Secretary of State handles older historical Orleans marriage records. LDH mail requests require a completed application, a photo ID copy, and correct fees mailed to Vital Records Registry, P.O. Box 60630, New Orleans, LA 70160, with delivery estimated at about 8-10 weeks. Divorce decrees are different: they are maintained by the Clerk of Court in the parish where the divorce was granted, which means the Civil Clerk for Orleans divorces.
Orleans Parish Court Records Fees
Fees depend on the office and record type. Civil online records use subscriptions. Land and Research Center certifications have separate copy charges. Municipal traffic payments follow city instructions. Expungement court-order costs are governed by Louisiana criminal procedure, and the statute says total expungement costs generally may not exceed $550 unless an exception or waiver applies.
| Item | Amount or Rule | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Civil online records subscription | 24 hours $20; 30 days $100; 365 days $700 | Clerk of Civil District Court |
| Land Records certification | $30 per document plus copy cost | Land Records Division |
| Research Center legal-size black-and-white copy | $2 per page | Research Center and Historical Records |
| Research Center certification | $30 per document plus copy charges | Research Center and Historical Records |
| Architectural drawing copies | $15, $25, $35, $250, or $350 by size and mounted status | Research Center and Historical Records |
| Land Records margin surcharge | $20 per act if required margins are missing | Land Records Division |
| Expungement court-order costs | Generally not more than $550, subject to statute and exceptions | Criminal, municipal, or appropriate court |
Specialty Courts, Appeals, and Federal Records
Orleans Criminal District Court's Court Intervention Services identifies Drug Court, Misdemeanor Monitoring Court, Domestic Violence Monitoring Court, and Veterans Court, with Court Intervention Services at (504) 658-9400. The District Attorney also operates an Adult Pre-Trial Diversion Program as a voluntary alternative to prosecution for eligible defendants. Orleans Parish Juvenile Court lists Teen Court, and city materials identify a juvenile drug court program.
Federal court records are not parish court records. Orleans Parish is in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana at the Hale Boggs Federal Building and Courthouse, 500 Poydras Street. Federal district and bankruptcy records use PACER and CM/ECF rather than the parish clerk systems. Bankruptcy cases are handled by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, also at 500 Poydras Street.
The Louisiana Court of Appeal, Fourth Circuit is the intermediate appellate court for Orleans Parish trial-court appeals. Its jurisdiction over Orleans, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard is important when a district-court judgment moves beyond the trial record.
Look for appellate filings and writs through the Fourth Circuit rather than through the trial clerk alone once a case is on appeal.
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana maintains federal civil and criminal records for the New Orleans federal district. Those cases are searched through federal systems, not Orleans Parish court portals.
Use PACER or the federal clerk when the case caption names the United States, a federal statute, bankruptcy, multidistrict litigation, or another federal jurisdiction marker.
Common Orleans Parish Court Record Terms
Louisiana and Orleans Parish records use several terms that may not appear in other states. Reading those terms correctly helps separate a public docket entry from a final case outcome.
- Succession
- Louisiana probate proceeding used to transfer a deceased person's estate through Civil District Court.
- Minute entry
- A clerk's summary of what happened in a court hearing or proceeding.
- Bill of information
- A prosecutor-filed criminal charging document, distinct from a grand-jury indictment.
- Attachment
- A local term often used for an arrest attachment or warrant after failure to appear or comply.
- Notice of signing of judgment
- Notice mailed after a judgment is signed and filed into the civil record.
- Expungement
- A court order removing qualifying records from public access while leaving them available to law enforcement and certain authorized agencies.
Historical Court Records and Archives
Orleans Parish court history is unusually deep. The Civil Clerk's Research Center and Notarial Archives hold notarial records dating from 1735 to July 1970, arranged by notary and date. Older records may be in French or Spanish because of New Orleans' colonial history, and the Research Center also has family-record indexes, building-contract indexes, corporate-charter indexes, city directories, Robinson's Atlas of 1883, and thousands of oversize architectural drawings known as Plan Book plans.
The City Archives reports that it holds Orleans Parish civil court records from 1804-1926 and criminal court records from 1830-1931. Civil District Court records from 1927-present should be requested from the Clerk of Civil District Court. For genealogy, architecture, property, and older litigation research, the archive path may be more accurate than a modern online case portal.
The Orleans Parish Juvenile Court site represents the separate juvenile-court system. Juvenile records are restricted, so public pages should not be treated like open adult civil or criminal searches.
Use juvenile-court channels only when law and court rules allow access, and expect confidentiality limits under the Louisiana Children's Code.
The Louisiana judicial branch overview places Orleans Parish courts within the broader state court structure. This helps distinguish district courts, courts of appeal, city courts, and the Louisiana Supreme Court.
When a record source is unclear, the state court hierarchy can clarify whether the file belongs with a trial court, an appellate court, or a specialized local court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there one Orleans Parish court records search?
No. Orleans Parish records are divided by court and agency. Civil and succession records route to the Civil Clerk, criminal records route to the Criminal Clerk, traffic and municipal cases route to Municipal and Traffic Court, custody records route to OPSO or LA VINE, and marriage certificates route through LDH or the Secretary of State depending on age.
Where do I get certified copies?
Certified copies come from the custodian of the original record. Civil judgments, divorce decrees, successions, and land records come from the Civil Clerk or related Civil Clerk division. Criminal certified documents, dispositions, and expungement records come from the Criminal Clerk. Traffic and municipal records come from Municipal and Traffic Court. Orleans marriage certificates come from LDH or historical records from the Secretary of State.
Can I search warrants online?
No universal official Orleans Parish active-warrant search was located for all courts. Municipal and Traffic Court records can show attachments tied to traffic or municipal cases. Criminal attachments may appear in criminal docket or custody information after arrest. OPSO and LA VINE can show custody after booking, but they are not a complete pre-arrest warrant search.