Find DeSoto Parish Civil Court Records

DeSoto Parish civil court records are filed and maintained at the Clerk of Court office in Mansfield, Louisiana, where Hon. Lisa Lobrano Burson serves as the official custodian of all civil case filings, judgments, land records, and related documents for the parish. The clerk's office maintains an online eSearch portal for civil and land record lookups, and a satellite office in Stonewall serves the eastern part of the parish. You can search civil records online, visit either office in person, or contact the clerk by email or phone.

DeSoto Parish Clerk of Court

Hon. Lisa Lobrano Burson leads the DeSoto Parish Clerk of Court. The main office is at 101 Texas Street in Mansfield. A satellite office in Stonewall at 1746 Hwy 171, Suite B, provides additional access for residents in that part of the parish. Each location has its own phone number. The clerk's office handles all civil case filings for DeSoto Parish, along with land records, mortgages, conveyances, successions, and more.

The office notes that in the civil department you can find "successions, adoptions, non support, small claims, damage suits, divorce, custody, collection, expropriation, tutorship, or other civil litigations in DeSoto Parish." That covers a wide range of civil matter types. Cases are indexed by party name, which means you search by the name of the plaintiff or defendant to find a case. The office also maintains an archives building at 214 Washington Avenue in Mansfield that holds older records.

Contact the clerk's office at desotoparishclerk.org or by email at info@desotoparishclerk.org. The main office phone is (318) 872-3110 and the Stonewall satellite is (318) 925-6655.

How to Search DeSoto Parish Civil Court Records

DeSoto Parish maintains its own eSearch portal for online civil and land record access. The portal is hosted at cotthosting.com/ladesoto and lets you search by party name. This is the fastest way to find a civil case without visiting the courthouse in person. Cases are indexed by party name, so you need at least the last name of one party to start a search.

The office notes that you can search for "successions, adoptions, non support, small claims, damage suits, divorce, custody, collection, expropriation, tutorship, or other civil litigations" through the portal. Results show the case type, filing date, and party names. For older records, the archives building at 214 Washington Avenue in Mansfield holds historical case files. Staff can pull those records for you during office hours.

In-person visits to either the Mansfield main office or the Stonewall satellite allow you to view full case files and request copies on the same day. Bring the party name or case number to speed up the search. The Stonewall office closes at 3:30 PM, an hour earlier than the main location, so plan accordingly if you are heading there.

The Louisiana Supreme Court at lasc.org provides statewide civil court information and links to parish-level court resources across Louisiana.

Online Access and Fees for DeSoto Parish Civil Records

The DeSoto Parish eSearch portal gives you direct access to civil and land record indexes. Search by party name at the eSearch portal to find case results quickly. The portal uses a pre-paid or credit card payment system for copy requests. Credit card payments carry a service fee of $0.30 plus 0.03% of the transaction amount. To reduce that cost, the office offers pre-paid accounts: "to save even more money, you can fund a pre-paid account," the office notes.

Under the Louisiana Public Records Act, La. R.S. § 44:1-41, viewing civil court records is always free. You pay only for copies. Standard copy fees follow Louisiana law at $1.00 per page for plain copies and $5.00 to $10.00 for certified documents. Call (318) 872-3110 to confirm current fees before visiting or submitting a request. For older records held at the 214 Washington Avenue archives building, contact the main office to arrange access.

Civil Court Records in DeSoto Parish

DeSoto Parish civil cases cover a wide range of legal matters. The clerk's office handles successions, adoptions, non-support, small claims, damage suits, divorce, custody, debt collection, expropriation, tutorship, and other civil litigation filed in the parish. Each case gets a file that grows as the case moves forward. All filings and court orders are public record unless sealed by the judge.

Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Article 251 requires the Clerk of Court to maintain all filed documents and make them open to the public. You do not need to be a party in the case to view a file. No reason is required. You pay nothing to look at a record. You only pay when you need copies to take with you. That rule applies at both the Mansfield main office and the Stonewall satellite location.

Some records are restricted. Adoption files, juvenile records, mental health filings, and court-sealed records are not open for general public inspection. If you need access to a sealed record, you must petition the court. The clerk cannot provide those files without a court order.

Bring a valid photo ID when visiting either DeSoto Parish Clerk of Court location to request civil record copies.

Nearby Parishes

These parishes border or are close to DeSoto Parish. Civil suits are filed in the parish where at least one party lives or where the subject of the dispute is located. If you are unsure which parish handled a case, check the address of the parties at the time of filing.