Orleans Parish Civil Clerk
Orleans Parish uses a split clerk structure. The Clerk of Civil District Court is the primary clerk for civil court case files, successions and probate filings, domestic matters such as divorce and child support, land records, mortgage and conveyance records, and the Notarial Archives. The current Civil Clerk is Chelsey Richard Napoleon, Clerk of Court and Ex-Officio Recorder. The official Civil Clerk site says the office consists of two divisions: Land Records and Civil.
The Civil Division receives personal injury cases, accidents, successions, foreclosures, domestic matters, divorce, child support, and other civil actions. Land Records records property ownership changes, sales, donations, mortgages, liens, encumbrances, and related instruments. The Notarial Archives Research Center in the Land Records Division holds documents dating back to the 1700s and supports property, genealogy, architectural, and landscape research. Criminal case records are handled by the separate Clerk of Criminal District Court, so certified criminal documents, dispositions, background checks, and expungements do not use the civil clerk's public-record email.
Clerk of Civil District Court
Clerk: Chelsey Richard Napoleon
421 Loyola Avenue, Room 402
New Orleans, LA 70112
(504) 407-0000
cdcclerk@orleanscivilclerk.com
Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
The Civil Clerk hours and locations page is the source for the main civil office, Land Records Division, and Research Center contacts.
The contact page is useful because Orleans Parish civil records are split across Loyola Avenue and Poydras Street offices.
Orleans Parish Clerk Duties
The Clerk of Civil District Court keeps the civil record system for Orleans Parish. The office receives civil pleadings, maintains case files, processes civil forms, manages successions and domestic filings, handles civil copy and certification requests, and operates online records systems for subscribers. It also acts as Ex-Officio Recorder through the land records side of the office, preserving property records and contracts filed into the public record.
- Civil case records: personal injury, accidents, foreclosures, judgments, and other civil matters.
- Domestic records: divorce, child support, divorce or annulment cover sheets, and related domestic forms.
- Probate records: successions, letters of administration, tutorship, curatorship, and estate filings.
- Land records: property transfers, donations, mortgages, liens, encumbrances, and related instruments.
- Historical records: Notarial Archives, genealogical records, architectural drawings, and older notarial acts.
Remote Access Account Fields
The Civil Clerk's Online Records subscription covers records systems maintained by the Clerk of Civil District Court. The official online records page states that coverage includes Clerk's Office data entry and images from December 14, 2015 forward, images back to 2010, Clerk's Office data entry from 1985, Land Records index from February 18, 2014 forward and images from 2005, Mortgage index from September 21, 1987 through February 14, 2014, and Conveyance index from January 1, 1989 through February 14, 2014. Users may request images not already present.
Subscription costs in the research file are 24 hours for $20, monthly 30 days for $100, and annual 365 days for $700. Separate escrow accounts are required for printing or downloading images in Remote Access and Land Records systems. Land Records accounts requested outside business hours are processed the next business day.
| Field label | Type | Required | Format notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Text | Yes | First name, middle initial, and last name. |
| Company Name | Text | Yes | Required by the account application. |
| Username | Text | Yes | User-created login name. |
| Email and Re-type Email | Yes | The repeated email must match. | |
| Phone | Text | Yes | Contact number for the account. |
| Fax | Text | No | Optional field. |
| Address 1, Address 2 | Text | Address 1 yes | Address 2 is optional. |
| City, State, Zip | Text | Yes | Required combined location fields. |
The PACER CM/ECF lookup page is a federal records source shown in the manifest, while the table above remains the Orleans Parish Civil Remote Access account inventory.
Although PACER is federal, the manifest image marks a lookup context; Orleans civil clerk subscription access remains a separate local account system.
Request Certified Civil Copies
Certified copies prove that a copy came from the clerk's official record. They are common for divorce decrees, judgments, succession letters, property documents, and court orders used with agencies, banks, title companies, or other courts. The public request route for civil records is cdcclerk@orleanscivilclerk.com, and the Civil Clerk states that the office is available in person, by mail, by telephone, and through the website.
- Identify the office: Civil Division for civil, divorce, domestic, and succession cases; Land Records for property instruments; Research Center for historical records.
- Collect the case number, party names, decedent name, property reference, filing date, or document title before contacting the clerk.
- Ask for a certified copy and state whether the request is for pickup, mail, or another available delivery method.
- Confirm the current copy, certification, and mailing fees before payment because civil filing and copy rules can change.
- Use the Criminal District Court Clerk instead if the requested certified record is a criminal disposition, background check, or expungement.
Note: A downloaded image is not the same as a clerk-certified copy unless the clerk certifies it.
Orleans Parish Request Fields
The research file does not identify one universal Civil Clerk public-record form, but it documents the practical fields a request should include. For Municipal and Traffic Court requests, the court asks for defendant full name, aliases, date of birth, dates, violation description, and return contact. For Civil Clerk requests, the same principle applies: give the clerk enough details to locate the file without guessing.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case number | If known | Use the exact number from notices, pleadings, judgments, or docket sheets. |
| Party names | Yes | Include all known names, former names, business names, or decedent names. |
| Document type | Yes | Examples include divorce decree, judgment, succession letters, mortgage, conveyance, or certified copy. |
| Approximate filing date | Helpful | Use a year or date range when the exact date is unknown. |
| Certification need | Yes for legal use | State whether a plain copy or certified copy is needed. |
| Return contact | Yes | Give email, mailing address, and phone so the clerk can respond about fees or pickup. |
Orleans Parish Clerk Fees
The Civil Clerk publishes multiple fee sources. The online records subscription has fixed rates in the research file. Land Records and Research Center pages publish certification and copy costs for those divisions. The Civil Division also publishes a civil filing fee schedule and states that civil filing fees are non-refundable, with in forma pauperis available when approved. Always verify filing fees before submitting a new case or succession because the clerk's fee PDF controls the current amount.
| Item | Amount or rule |
|---|---|
| Civil online records subscription | 24 hours $20; 30 days $100; 365 days $700 |
| Land Records certification | $30 per document plus copy cost |
| Research Center legal-size B/W copies | $2 per page |
| Research Center certification | $30 per document plus copy charges |
| Architectural drawing copies | $15, $25, $35, $250, or $350 depending on size and mounted status |
| Land Records margin surcharge | $20 per act if required margins are missing |
| Civil filing fees | Non-refundable; current fee schedule controls |
Common Civil Clerk Forms
The Civil Clerk forms page groups local forms by docket and task. Successions are under Docket 1. Domestic records are under Docket 5. Other categories include appeals, new suits, trial documents, default judgments, sheriff forms, remote access forms, unemployment compensation review, request for records stored offsite, and subpoenas. For divorce records, the domestic form category includes a cover sheet for divorce or annulment and income and expense forms. For estate records, the succession category includes letters, bonds, will orders, oaths, notices, and sale forms.
- Civil District Court forms - successions, domestic, appeals, new suits, trial, default, and offsite-record forms.
- Land Records forms - recording cover sheet and certificate or cancellation request forms.
- Civil Remote Access login - subscriber access for civil records systems.
Federal Clerk Context
Federal courts in New Orleans are separate from the Orleans Parish Clerk of Civil District Court. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, and PACER use federal records systems. A state civil divorce, succession, or land-record request should not be sent to a federal clerk unless there is a distinct federal case. The manifest includes federal court images for clerk context, so they are presented here as related but separate record channels.
The Eastern District court information page describes federal courthouse access and court information in New Orleans.
Use the federal court only for federal civil, criminal, or other federal case records, not parish civil clerk files.
The Eastern District Clerk's Office directory lists federal clerk resources and help desk contacts.
That directory is useful when a record is in federal CM/ECF rather than the Orleans Parish civil record system.
The Eastern District accessing court page covers federal courthouse entry and access details.
Federal courthouse access rules do not replace the Civil Clerk's local copy and filing procedures.
The Bankruptcy Court contact page is the federal bankruptcy source for Eastern District of Louisiana filings.
Bankruptcy files may affect property or estate issues, but they remain federal records separate from Orleans Parish civil clerk files.