Search St. Mary Parish Civil Court Records

St. Mary Parish civil court records are filed and kept at the Clerk of Court office in Franklin, Louisiana, where Greg Aucoin serves as the official custodian of all civil case filings, judgments, conveyances, and court documents. You can search civil records online through the EClerk Search portal, visit the Franklin courthouse in person, or send a written request by mail to get copies of case files.

St. Mary Parish Clerk of Court

Clerk of Court Greg Aucoin oversees the official records office for St. Mary Parish. The clerk's office files civil petitions, motions, and judgments in the 16th Judicial District Court. It also records conveyances, mortgages, and other parish documents. As the office notes, "The Clerk of Court is the official record keeper for St. Mary Parish." The office is entirely self-funded. It states that it "is self-supporting and operates solely on fees collected from services provided." No tax dollars support the day-to-day work of the clerk's staff in Franklin.

The Franklin courthouse is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Staff can help you search for a civil case file, pull documents, and process copy requests. Walk-in access is available during business hours. If you plan to come in person and need certified copies, plan to arrive before 4:00 PM to allow time for staff to assist you before the office closes.

How to Search St. Mary Parish Civil Court Records

The St. Mary Parish Clerk of Court gives you three ways to access civil records: the online EClerk Search portal, a visit to the Franklin courthouse, or a written mail request. Each method works for different needs, and the online option has one key limit you should know before you start.

The clerk's office offers online access through EClerk Search. The site says: "Access Index or Records Online. EClerk Search." The portal covers civil suits, conveyances, and mortgages. But there is an important restriction: "VIEWABLE IMAGES are only available for Conveyance and Mortgage records." This means you can find civil suit index data online (party names, filing dates, case numbers), but you cannot view the actual civil court documents through the portal. To get civil suit documents, you must visit in person or send a mail request. The EClerk portal is at cotthosting.com/LAStMary.

St. Mary Parish also participates in the eClerks LA statewide index. This free search covers all 64 Louisiana parishes. You can check if a case was filed in St. Mary Parish without calling the office first. Under La. R.S. § 44:1-41, public civil court records are open for inspection at no charge. You only pay when you want copies made.

eClerks LA at eclerksla.com provides a free index search for St. Mary Parish civil records along with all other Louisiana parishes.

For mail requests, write to the P.O. Box address above. Include the name of the party, the approximate filing year, or the case number if you know it. Add payment for copies along with a self-addressed stamped envelope. Staff will process your request and return copies by mail. Allow several business days for a response.

The St. Mary Parish Clerk of Court website at stmaryparishclerkofcourt.com lists contact details, fees, and links to the EClerk Search portal.

Civil Court Records in St. Mary Parish

St. Mary Parish is part of the 16th Judicial District, which it shares with Iberia Parish. The district court in Franklin handles all civil matters filed in St. Mary Parish. Civil cases here cover personal injury suits, contract disputes, property claims, debt collection, successions, divorce, custody, and other family law matters.

Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Article 251 places the duty on the Clerk of Court to keep and maintain all civil court filings. Every petition, answer, motion, and judgment in a civil case goes into the file. That file is a public record. Anyone can ask to see it during business hours. You do not have to be a party in the case. You do not need to explain why you want to look. Inspection is free under La. R.S. § 44:1-41.

Some records are not open to the public. Adoption files, sealed records, expunged records, and juvenile court matters are closed by law or by court order. If a file is sealed, the clerk will tell you so and cannot give you access to it.

Copy Fees

Looking at a record in person does not cost anything. Copy fees apply when you want to take documents with you. Current rates at the St. Mary Parish Clerk of Court are:

• Standard copies: $1.00 per page
• Certified copies: $5.00 plus $1.00 per page
• Conformed copies: $3.00 per document

Fees are set by state statute and apply to all copy requests, whether made in person or by mail. Call the office at (337) 828-4100 if you want to confirm rates before submitting a request.

Land and Property Records

Conveyance and mortgage records are searchable online with viewable images through the EClerk portal. These include acts of sale, mortgage documents, liens, and other property records. If you need land records rather than civil suit files, the online portal will let you view actual document images. Civil suit images are not available online, but land record images are. This is a key difference worth knowing before you start your search.

Getting Copies by Mail

Mail requests work for both civil suit records and land records. Write to the clerk's P.O. Box and describe what you need. Include the party name, the case number, or the approximate filing date to help staff find the file quickly. Add payment for copies and a return envelope. Staff will pull the file and mail copies back to you. There is no online payment option for mail requests, so include a check or money order payable to the St. Mary Parish Clerk of Court.

Nearby Parishes

These parishes border or are close to St. Mary Parish. If you are not sure which parish holds a civil case, check where the parties lived when the suit was filed. Cases go to the parish where at least one party resides or where the subject of the dispute is located.