St. Landry Parish Civil Court Records
St. Landry Parish civil court records are filed and maintained at the Clerk of Court office in Opelousas, Louisiana, where the clerk serves as the official keeper of civil case filings, land records, marriage licenses, and a historically significant archive that includes documents going back to 1805. You can search St. Landry Parish civil records through the online database at stlandry.org, visit the Opelousas courthouse in person, or contact the clerk's office by phone during regular business hours.
St. Landry Parish Quick Facts
St. Landry Parish Clerk of Court
Charles Jagneaux serves as the St. Landry Parish Clerk of Court. His office is located at 118 South Court Street, Suite 207, in Opelousas. The clerk's office sets a high bar for itself. As Clerk Jagneaux states, "My staff and I appreciate your visit and hope to be of assistance to you. My office is continuously updating and upgrading in order to better serve the public." He goes further: "I am proud to say that we are recognized as one of the most advanced clerk of court offices in the state of Louisiana, if not the nation." That confidence in the office's capabilities reflects real investment in modern systems and public access tools.
Online access to St. Landry Parish civil records is available through the database at stlandry.org. A subscription is required for full access. For land records specifically, staff at the land records department can be reached at extension 5121. The civil courts department uses extension 5113. Both can be reached by calling the main office number at (337) 942-5606. The fax number for court filings is (337) 948-1653. The mailing address is P.O. Box 750, Opelousas, LA 70571. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.
| Clerk of Court | Charles Jagneaux |
|---|---|
| Address | 118 South Court Street, Suite 207 Opelousas, LA 70570 |
| Mailing Address | P.O. Box 750, Opelousas, LA 70571 |
| Phone | (337) 942-5606 |
| Land Records | Ext. 5121 |
| Courts | Ext. 5113 |
| Fax (Court) | (337) 948-1653 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM |
| Website | stlandry.org |
How to Search St. Landry Parish Civil Court Records
The St. Landry Parish Clerk of Court offers an online database at stlandry.org for civil case and land record searches. A subscription is required for full access to document images and detailed case information. The database covers civil district suits from 1813 to the present, marriage licenses from 1807 to the present, and conveyances going back to 1805. That depth makes St. Landry one of the most historically rich clerk of court archives in Louisiana.
The statewide eClerks LA portal also covers St. Landry Parish and provides free index searches across all 64 Louisiana parishes. If you just need to confirm whether a civil case exists or get basic case information, start with eClerks LA before subscribing to the parish database. Clerk Connect is another option for statewide record access and may provide additional lookup tools for this parish.
For marriage record copies, regular page copies cost $1.00 per page. Certified copies are $7.00 each. Call the office or check the website for current civil court record copy fees before submitting a request.
In person, staff at the Opelousas courthouse can run case searches by name or case number during regular business hours. For land records, call extension 5121 before visiting to confirm what you need and whether it is available at the counter. For civil courts matters, use extension 5113. Having the party name, approximate filing year, or case number ready will make the search faster.
The eClerks LA statewide portal provides free index searches for St. Landry Parish civil records. Use this to check for a case before subscribing to the parish's online database for full document access.
The St. Landry Parish Clerk of Court office in Opelousas maintains civil district suit records from 1813 to the present, along with one of the deepest historical archives of land and marriage records in Louisiana.
Civil Court Records in St. Landry Parish
The St. Landry Parish Clerk of Court handles all civil filings for the 27th Judicial District Court. Civil case types include personal injury suits, contract disputes, property matters, debt collection actions, successions, and family law matters. Every document filed in a case becomes part of the permanent case file. Files grow as pleadings, motions, judgments, and orders are added over time.
Under the Louisiana Public Records Act, La. R.S. 44:1-41, anyone can inspect civil court records at no charge. Inspection is free. Copies cost money. Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Article 251 places the duty to maintain filed records on the Clerk of Court. You do not need to be a party to the case to look at it. You do not need to give a reason for your request. These rights apply equally to the general public.
St. Landry Parish has a particularly notable archive. The clerk's office describes it this way: "The archives are located in room 11 in the basement of the Court House. It is the depository for a vast collection of primary historical documents." The records span an extraordinary range. According to the office, the archives contain "Civil District Suits, 1813 to Present; Marriage Licenses, 1807 to Present; Conveyances, 1805 to Present." For genealogists and historians, these records offer a window into Louisiana's early history.
The depth of the archive reflects St. Landry's historical role as a central parish in the region. Before some neighboring parishes were carved out of it in the mid-1800s, St. Landry covered a much larger area. As a result, the clerk's office holds some records that technically relate to what are now Acadia, Evangeline, Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, and Jefferson parishes. Researchers looking for pre-statehood or early Louisiana records for those areas may find relevant documents in the St. Landry archives.
Records that are not public include adoption files, juvenile court proceedings, sealed case documents, and any records restricted by court order. These cannot be accessed through public portals or in-person requests at the counter. For questions about whether a specific type of record is available, call the clerk's office and ask before making the trip to Opelousas.
The clerk's emphasis on technology upgrades means the online database is actively maintained. Whether you are a title agent searching conveyances, an attorney checking civil case history, or a member of the public looking for a filed judgment, the tools available through stlandry.org cover a wide range of needs. The clerk's office stands behind its systems and is available to help you navigate them.
Nearby Parishes
These parishes are near St. Landry Parish in south-central Louisiana. Civil cases are filed in the parish where the parties live or where the dispute arose. If you are searching for records in the Acadiana region, these neighboring parishes are worth checking as well.