Search Alexandria Civil Court Records

Alexandria civil court records are filed with the Rapides Parish Clerk of Court at the downtown courthouse on Murray Street. The Rapides Parish Clerk handles all civil case filings, judgments, and land records for the 9th Judicial District Court. You can search records online through the RAPID E-Search portal or the free eClerks LA index, visit the clerk's office in person, or send a written request by mail.

Which Court Handles Alexandria Civil Cases

Alexandria is the parish seat of Rapides Parish. Civil cases filed by or against Alexandria residents go through the 9th Judicial District Court. The Rapides Parish Clerk of Court is the keeper of those records. The clerk's office and the courthouse are both located on Murray Street in downtown Alexandria, making it easy to visit both in one trip.

Alexandria also has its own city court at 901 Murray Street. The Alexandria City Court handles city ordinance matters and lower-value civil disputes. For most civil cases, including contract disputes, property claims, injury suits, and family law matters, you will deal with the Rapides Parish Clerk rather than the city court. The clerk's office at 701 Murray Street is your primary stop for civil record searches.

One thing worth knowing about Rapides Parish records: they don't go back as far as most Louisiana parishes. As the clerk's office states, "The Records of Rapides Parish begin in 1865. The records prior to that date were destroyed in a courthouse fire during the Civil War." If you need records from before 1865, they simply do not exist. Available records begin the year the courthouse was rebuilt after the fire.

Rapides Parish Clerk of Court

Karan A. Corley serves as the Rapides Parish Clerk of Court. The office is at 701 Murray Street, Suite 102, in Alexandria. Staff files all petitions, motions, orders, and judgments in civil cases. The office also records mortgages, conveyances, and other legal instruments. The clerk's website is at rapidesclerk.org.

The Rapides Parish Clerk's Office operates on fees, not tax money. As the clerk notes, "The Rapides Parish Clerk's Office is self-supporting and operates on the fees collected for services rendered. No tax revenues are used." That means every service has a fee attached, though inspection of public records in person is always free under Louisiana law.

The office also makes clear that most records are public. Per the clerk: "By law the records are open to the public with the exception of adoptions, judicial commitments, and any record ordered sealed by the court." If you need a record and it is not in one of those sealed categories, you can view it.

Note: Effective January 1, 2026, fax filing is no longer accepted in Rapides Parish under Act No. 352. Attorneys and parties who previously submitted civil filings by fax must use e-filing or in-person delivery going forward.

How to Search Alexandria Civil Court Records

The Rapides Parish Clerk offers online record access through RAPID E-Search at rapidesclerk.org/rapidesearch.htm. This is a subscription-based portal that gives you access to case indexes and document images for civil, land, and other court records. Subscription fees apply. The system is set up for attorneys and title searchers who need regular access, but anyone can sign up.

The Alexandria City Court handles city-level matters while district court civil cases are managed through the Rapides Parish Clerk of Court on Murray Street.

For free index searches, use eClerks LA at eclerksla.com. This statewide portal lets you look up civil records across all 64 Louisiana parishes at no cost. The index search shows party names, filing dates, and case types. To get document images or certified copies, you need a subscription or a visit to the clerk's office. eClerks LA is a good starting point if you just need to confirm a case exists.

eClerks LA provides free civil record index searches for Rapides Parish, covering Alexandria cases filed in the 9th Judicial District Court.

To search in person, go to the clerk's office at 701 Murray Street during business hours. Staff can look up cases by party name or case number. Bring the full name of at least one party or the case number if you have it. You can view the case file at no charge. Copies cost extra. Request certified copies if you need them for legal purposes.

Mail requests are also accepted. Write to the Rapides Parish Clerk at 701 Murray Street, Suite 102, Alexandria, LA 71301. Include the case number or party names, the type of record you need, and payment or a check for the copy fees. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope if you want documents sent back by mail.

Civil Court Records in Alexandria

The Rapides Parish Clerk of Court keeps records for all civil cases filed in the 9th Judicial District Court. That includes personal injury suits, contract disputes, debt collection cases, property disputes, succession filings, family law matters, and much more. Each case file contains all the documents filed in that case: the original petition, answers, motions, court orders, and the final judgment if one was issued.

Under the Louisiana Public Records Act, La. R.S. 44:1-41, inspection of civil court records is free. You pay only when you ask for copies. The clerk charges $0.50 per page for civil copies. Criminal record copies are also $0.50 per page. Certified copies of marriage records cost $25. Property record copies are $0.50 per page, and certified property copies are $10. These rates are set by the clerk's fee schedule. Call ahead if you are not sure what a specific document will cost.

Records that are not open to the public include adoptions, judicial commitments, and anything sealed by court order. Those categories are off limits. Everything else is a public record that you can inspect in person at no charge or get copies of for the copy fee.

If you are doing a civil background check or looking up past judgments against a person, the clerk's office can run that search for you. You need the full name of the person and, if possible, their date of birth to help narrow results. Search results may include cases from 1865 forward. Records before that date were lost in the courthouse fire and are not available anywhere.

The 9th Judicial District Court covers all of Rapides Parish. If a civil case was filed in Alexandria or anywhere else in Rapides Parish, the records are at this same clerk's office. There is no separate records office for Alexandria city cases at the district court level.

Nearby Cities

Alexandria is the largest city in central Louisiana. Other qualifying cities in the region with their own civil record pages are listed below. Civil records for each city are filed in the clerk's office for the parish where the city is located.