Search Orleans Parish Court Records
Orleans Parish is different from most Louisiana parishes because the district court function is split between civil and criminal district courts. Civil District Court records, land records, mortgage records, conveyance records, successions, and divorce files route through the Clerk of Civil District Court. Criminal District Court case files route through the Clerk of Criminal District Court and the court's docket information links. Municipal and Traffic Court records use a separate city portal for traffic and misdemeanor cases.
Start with the office that created the record. A civil lawsuit or succession belongs with the Civil Clerk. A felony or other Criminal District Court matter belongs with the Criminal Clerk. A traffic citation or municipal misdemeanor belongs with Municipal and Traffic Court. Juvenile records are restricted and should not be treated as broad public lookup records.
- Identify the court type from the citation, notice, pleading, summons, or case number.
- Use Civil Clerk Online Records for civil, domestic, succession, land, mortgage, and conveyance records when subscription access is appropriate.
- Use the Criminal District Court clerk route or Clerk Connect for criminal docket information, then contact the Criminal Clerk for certified records.
- Use Municipal and Traffic Court case search for traffic and municipal misdemeanor cases by case number, name, or date of birth.
- If an online search fails, request the file from the clerk by case number, party name, date range, and record type.
The Civil Clerk online records page shows how Orleans Parish court records are divided among subscription systems.
This source is useful because it explains that civil records, land records, mortgage records, and conveyance records are not searched through the same public city case portal.
Orleans Parish Court Records Search Fields
The free Municipal and Traffic Court portal exposes the clearest public search fields. Civil Remote Access and Clerk Connect require login or subscription before full case-search fields are visible, so the public-facing field list is narrower for those systems. Use the exact case number from court papers when available. If no case number is known, a name and date of birth search may work in the municipal system, while civil and criminal clerk staff may need a broader date range.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Number | Text | Unspecified | Used by Municipal and Traffic Court; pre-2002 cases require direct court contact. |
| Last Name | Text | Unspecified | Supports name search for Municipal and Traffic Court cases. |
| First Name | Text | Unspecified | Best used with last name or date of birth. |
| Date of Birth | Date / text | Unspecified | Helps distinguish defendants with similar names. |
| Username | Text | Yes for Civil Remote Access | Visible on the Civil Remote Access subscriber login page. |
| Password | Password | Yes for Civil Remote Access | Required for subscriber access to civil record systems. |
The Civil Remote Access login page is the visible public doorway for subscription access.
The login view confirms that full civil search tools are behind an account rather than an open public case-name screen.
Types of Orleans Parish Court Records
Orleans Parish court records include more than civil lawsuits and criminal cases. The Civil Clerk receives personal injury cases, successions, foreclosures, domestic matters, divorce, child support, and related civil filings. The Land Records Division records property transfers, donations, mortgages, liens, encumbrances, and other instruments that must be preserved as public records. The Research Center and Notarial Archives hold older materials that matter for property, genealogy, architecture, and long-range title research.
Criminal District Court records include charges, bills of information, indictments, arraignment entries, bond, motions, pleas, verdicts, sentencing, probation entries, expungement filings, and appeal notices. Municipal and Traffic Court records include citations, municipal misdemeanor cases, violation descriptions, payment status, appearance dates, and attachments issued after missed court action. Some records overlap in daily use, but the custodian is different.
- Civil court records cover lawsuits, judgments, domestic cases, successions, motions, orders, and appeals.
- Criminal court records cover formal prosecution from charge filing through disposition and sentence.
- Municipal and traffic records cover traffic citations, city misdemeanor cases, payments, attachments, and dispositions.
- Land and notarial records cover conveyances, mortgages, liens, donations, notarial acts, and historical archives.
- Juvenile records are restricted and should be requested only through lawful Juvenile Court channels.
The Civil Remote Access account application shows the subscriber details required before some Orleans Parish court records can be searched online.
That account step is important for researchers who expect the civil court database to work like a no-cost public search page.
What Orleans Parish Court Records Show
A typical Orleans Parish court record may show the case number, court, division or section, judge, filing date, party names, attorney names, docket entries, motions, orders, judgments, hearing dates, service returns, certified-copy status, and costs. Civil division pages add details about local docket practice, including rules to show cause, motion deadlines, continuances, settlement conference papers, trial settings, exhibit lists, proposed judgments, and notices of signing judgment.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | The court file identifier shown on pleadings, notices, citations, or docket sheets. |
| Court / Division / Section | The Orleans court, civil division, criminal section, or Municipal and Traffic Court venue. |
| Parties | Plaintiffs, defendants, petitioners, respondents, or criminal defendants named in the case. |
| Docket or Minute Entries | A running list of filings, hearings, court actions, and clerk notes. |
| Orders and Judgments | Signed rulings, final judgments, notices of signing, and related certified-copy activity. |
| Disposition | The outcome, such as judgment, dismissal, plea, conviction, acquittal, or sentence. |
The Clerk Connect portal is relevant to Orleans Parish criminal court records because the Criminal District Court clerk page links docket information through that route.
Clerk Connect should be understood as a portal path, not as a guarantee that every Orleans record type is free or open without clerk help.
Public Access for Orleans Parish Court Records
Louisiana public access starts with the general right to examine public documents, including the definitions in La. R.S. 44:1. Court records also depend on the court and clerk rules that apply to the file. La. C.C.P. art. 253 allows paper pleadings, documents, and exhibits to be converted into electronic records, which explains why some file images may be electronic while other materials still require clerk handling.
The practical Orleans Parish access rule is simple: request the record from the office that keeps it. 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. Traffic and city misdemeanor cases route to Municipal and Traffic Court. Police reports and public safety records are separate from court case files and may route through NOPD or OPSO.
Note: Online access does not replace certified copies when a court, agency, school, or title office requires clerk certification.
Restricted Orleans Parish Court Records
Not every Orleans Parish court record is open for public search. Restricted categories include juvenile delinquency records, adoption-related records, sealed or expunged criminal files, mental health or incapacity proceedings, and personal identifiers inside otherwise public files. Louisiana Children's Code articles 918 through 920 create a process for juvenile expungement and sealing. Adult expungement under Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure articles 971 through 995 removes qualifying records from public access but does not destroy them.
For adult criminal matters, the person seeking expungement files in the court that holds the record. Orleans felony and other Criminal District Court matters usually route through the Criminal Clerk at 2700 Tulane Avenue. Municipal and Traffic Court misdemeanor or DWI expungement paperwork follows that court's records and checklist process. The order limits public access after it is signed, but law enforcement and other defined agencies may still have access.
Orleans Parish Court Record Requests
In-person and email requests matter because Orleans Parish has several separate record offices. Civil Clerk public records requests may be sent to cdcclerk@orleanscivilclerk.com. Municipal and Traffic Court records requests may be mailed, emailed to MTCNOClerk@nola.gov, or made in person, and the request should include the defendant's full name, aliases, date of birth, violation or arrest dates, violation description, and a return email or mailing address. Older court records may require the New Orleans City Archives or the Civil Clerk Research Center.
Clerk of Civil District Court
421 Loyola Avenue, Room 402
New Orleans, LA 70112
(504) 407-0000
Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Clerk of Criminal District Court
2700 Tulane Avenue, Suite 114
New Orleans, LA 70119
(504) 658-9000
Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
The Land Records fee and recording page is the source for the separate land record certification and margin rules.
Land and conveyance records are public court-adjacent records, but they are handled through the Civil Clerk's Land Records Division rather than the case docket counter.