Search St. Mary Parish Court Records
The main online entry point for St. Mary Parish court records is the St. Mary Parish Clerk of Court eSearch portal. It is a COTT-hosted system for Clerk of Court records under Clerk Greg Aucoin. It covers released indexes such as civil suits, criminal, probate, marriages, conveyances, mortgages, bonds, chattel mortgages, incorporations, miscellaneous records, notarial adoptions, oaths, and partnerships. For court use, the key indexes are civil suits, criminal, probate, and marriages.
The portal is not a free full case-file viewer. The Clerk's own notices say civil, probate, and criminal eSearch can show verdict index and docket history, but no pleading images are available for those court records. Online images are limited to conveyance and mortgage records. Official public records in the Clerk's office control when a certified copy, full pleading, judgment, or official file is needed.
- Start at the Clerk homepage or go directly to the eSearch login.
- Open Certified Dates before searching, since index coverage and release status can vary.
- Create an account if online searching is needed, then choose the correct index for the record type.
- Review docket history as a locator, not as a certified court file.
- Contact the Clerk of Court for certified copies, pleadings, judgments, or records that are not visible online.
| eSearch field | How it works |
|---|---|
| User ID | Account sign-in field for registered users. |
| Password | Case-sensitive password field. |
| Password Reminder | Recovery link below the login box. |
| Create an Account | Registration, terms, subscription choice, and credit-card payment. |
| Certified Dates | Indexing information and statistics that should be checked before a search. |
The St. Mary Parish Clerk homepage shows the local service links that lead users into eSearch, eClerk, eRecording, eFiling, forms, fees, jury duty, marriage licenses, and public records services.
Those service blocks matter because the same office may route one user to online index access, another to Tybera eFiling, and another to an in-person certified copy request.
St. Mary Parish Court System
St. Mary Parish is part of the 16th Judicial District Court, a three-parish district covering Iberia, St. Martin, and St. Mary Parishes. The 16th JDC states that it has original jurisdiction over civil and criminal matters in those parishes. It has eight elected judges in Divisions A through H, and some official judge pages list New Iberia or St. Martinville addresses even when the St. Mary case is local.
Louisiana's court structure runs from district courts to the Louisiana Courts of Appeal and then the Louisiana Supreme Court. Lower local matters can involve city courts, mayor's courts, and justice of the peace courts. That means a St. Mary Parish traffic citation, municipal bench warrant, or small local matter may not be found in the district court eSearch path.
Case flow: City, mayor's, or justice of the peace court › District Court › Louisiana Court of Appeal › Louisiana Supreme Court
| Court | Jurisdiction | Case Types |
|---|---|---|
| 16th Judicial District Court | General trial jurisdiction in St. Mary, Iberia, and St. Martin Parishes | Civil, criminal, family, juvenile, probate/succession, and related district court matters |
| City, mayor's, and justice of the peace courts | Limited local jurisdiction | Municipal, traffic, local ordinance, small civil, marriage, and bench-warrant matters where allowed |
| Louisiana appellate courts | Review of trial court judgments | Appeals from district court orders and judgments |
The 16th Judicial District Court homepage is the official source for the district court's structure, divisions, family court links, local rules, interpreter services, and calendar links.
The court site helps confirm where a matter belongs, but it does not replace the Clerk of Court as the record custodian for filed case documents.
St. Mary Parish Courthouse Offices
The St. Mary Parish Courthouse in Franklin is a multi-office government building for court and public-record work. The Clerk of Court is listed in Suite 201, the District Attorney's St. Mary office is on the third floor, the Sheriff's headquarters is on the fourth floor, and the 16th JDC family-court hearing officer is listed in Suite 601. Jury instructions also place jurors on the sixth floor when the recorded jury message directs them to report.
St. Mary Parish Clerk of Court
500 Main Street, Suite 201
Franklin, LA 70538
(337) 828-4100
St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office
500 Main Street, 4th Floor
Franklin, LA 70538
337-828-1960 or 985-384-1622
St. Mary Parish District Attorney
500 Main Street, 3rd Floor
Franklin, LA 70538
(337) 828-4100 ext. 350
St. Mary Parish Court Record Types
St. Mary Parish court records can span civil suits, criminal cases, family filings, successions, marriage licenses, traffic matters, and juvenile proceedings. The Clerk eSearch index is broad, but the public-facing court record path is still limited. Civil, probate, and criminal docket history may be searchable, while pleadings and official certified copies must be requested through the Clerk.
Record routing depends on the issuing court and the source agency. A criminal case file is different from a sheriff booking record. A court traffic record is different from a Louisiana OMV driving record. A succession file is a district court and Clerk matter, while a federal bankruptcy file belongs in federal court systems.
- Criminal records - case files can include charges, pleas, motions, minute entries, disposition, sentence, and expungement orders.
- Civil records - suits can include damages, open accounts, promissory notes, evictions, garnishments, custody, support, contempt, and judgments.
- Family and divorce records - district court filings may involve custody, child support, domestic violence, spousal support, property use, and community property.
- Probate and succession records - Louisiana successions can include petitions, affidavits, wills, inventories, tutorship papers, and judgments of possession.
- Traffic records - citation files may involve district, city, mayor's, or justice of the peace court channels.
The official Louisiana St. Mary Parish profile identifies Franklin as the parish seat and lists municipalities such as Franklin, Morgan City, Patterson, Baldwin, and Berwick.
Those local names matter because citations, warrants, arrests, and small court matters can begin in different municipal or local channels before a district court file exists.
What St. Mary Parish Court Records Show
A St. Mary Parish court record often starts with the case number assigned by the Clerk, but official public sources did not publish a universal case-number format. Records may also show the court, parish, division or judge, filing date, party names, case type, docket history, fees, minute entries, judgments, and release or index dates. The eSearch warning about released records is important: a record can have an official number before it is indexed and released for online viewing.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | Clerk-assigned identifier; exact format should be confirmed in the official file or eSearch account. |
| Filing Date | Date the case or document was filed, which may differ from online release or index date. |
| Parties | Plaintiff and defendant, state and defendant, petitioner and respondent, or succession of a decedent. |
| Charges / Cause | Criminal charges, civil cause, family claim, probate matter, or traffic citation issue. |
| Docket History | Chronological list of filings, settings, court actions, verdict entries, and related events. |
| Disposition / Judgment | Outcome of a case, charge, motion, judgment, or sentence when the record has reached that stage. |
- Docket
- The chronological list of filings, settings, and court actions in a case.
- Minute entry
- A short official note of what happened in court.
- Disposition
- The final outcome of a charge or case.
- Expungement
- Removal of eligible records from public access, not destruction.
St. Mary Parish Public Access Rules
Louisiana public-records law gives adults a general right to inspect, copy, or reproduce public records unless another law limits access. In St. Mary Parish, that right runs through the office that holds the record. The Clerk of Court is the custodian for district court, civil, criminal, probate, marriage, mortgage, conveyance, and related records. Sheriff's reports, jail records, warrants, and traffic fines use sheriff or court channels outside the Clerk's official case-file process.
Key Statutes:
Louisiana R.S. 44:1 defines public records, public bodies, and custodians.
Louisiana R.S. 44:31 states the general duty to provide access unless another law restricts it.
Louisiana R.S. 44:32 covers examination, copies, fees, and limited reduced or free copies.
Louisiana Children's Code article 412 makes juvenile-court records confidential except for traffic and authorized disclosures.
The public-access rule does not make online eSearch records official. The Clerk warns that only official public records provided in the Clerk's office should be treated as official. For that reason, a name search can help locate a case, but it cannot replace a certified copy when a court, agency, employer, school, or title process requires proof.
Restricted St. Mary Parish Records
Some St. Mary Parish court records are not ordinary public lookup records. Juvenile matters are confidential under Louisiana Children's Code article 412, except traffic violations and other authorized disclosures. This matters locally because an official 16th JDC judge page states that Juvenile Court is handled in St. Mary Parish. Adoption files, mental-health or incapacity material, protected personal identifiers, and sealed attachments should also be treated as restricted unless the Clerk or court confirms release.
Expunged arrest or conviction records are also confidential under Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure article 973. Expungement removes eligible records from public access, but it does not destroy them. Law-enforcement, licensing, or criminal-justice access may still exist when Louisiana law allows it. A person seeking a sealed, juvenile, adoption, or expunged record usually needs statutory authority, party status, attorney access, or a court order.
St. Mary Parish Specialty Courts
Specialty and court-adjacent programs help explain why a case may not move like a simple docket entry. The 16th Judicial District Attorney directory lists Adult Drug Court contacts for St. Mary Parish. Judge Curtis Sigur's Division G page states that he presides over full court dockets including drug court. The research did not locate official eligibility rules, program length, or graduation data, so drug court content should be limited to the verified contact and docket role.
The St. Mary Family Court hearing officer page is more detailed. Hearing Officer Jill M. DeCourt hears and makes recommendations on custody, child support, domestic violence litigation, spousal support, use of property, community property, ancillary divorce or custody issues, and criminal nonsupport. Juvenile Court is also part of the local court picture, but juvenile record access is restricted rather than a normal public search.
The Louisiana State Public Defender District 16 page lists the St. Mary Parish public defender office in Franklin and names District Defender Maggie S. LeBlanc.
That office is part of the criminal court access picture because represented defendants may need case, charge, bond, and hearing information through counsel.
St. Mary Parish Sheriff and Jail
The St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Office is the official local source for jail, inmate roster, most-wanted, sex-offender, crime tip, app, report, and warrant-related information. The Sheriff's homepage identifies Sheriff Gary Driskell. It also links to the current inmate roster, released inmates, sex offender information, reports, fine-payment instructions, and the sheriff's app page.
The jail page calls the detention facility the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center and states that it houses 320 inmates. The inmate roster is a custody and booking system. It can show a mugshot, name, booking number, age, booking date, charges, bond, and a profile link, but it is not the official criminal court case file. Full case outcomes and sentencing belong in district court and Clerk records after charges are filed and handled in court.
The Sheriff homepage also gives users a direct path to booking and public-safety tools that do not live on the Clerk's site.
This separation is important: jail and warrant information can move faster than the court record, while the court file controls pleas, rulings, disposition, and sentence.
St. Mary Parish Marriage and Probate
The Clerk of Court issues St. Mary Parish marriage licenses and keeps parish marriage records. The official marriage instructions require identity and birth or citizenship proof, prior-marriage termination proof when needed, and manual email of supporting documents rather than upload through the LCRAA application site. The marriage license fee is $35 and includes two certified copies mailed after the officiant returns the license.
Divorce filings use the 16th JDC and Clerk of Court. Certified divorce records come from the Clerk in the parish where the divorce occurred. Louisiana succession matters, often called probate elsewhere, are also district court and Clerk records. They can involve wills, affidavits, judgments of possession, tutorships, inventories, and recorded judgments.
- Succession
- Louisiana estate proceeding after death, often equivalent to probate.
- Testator
- A person who dies with a will.
- Tutorship
- A Louisiana proceeding involving care or representation of a minor.
St. Mary Parish Court Records Fees
The Clerk's fee schedules show that costs depend on the type of filing or copy. Civil filing deposits are not the same as copy fees, and online eSearch subscription costs are not the same as certified copies from the office. Sheriff's reports use a separate $5 copy fee and are available 7 to 10 days after the incident according to the Sheriff's reports page.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Civil copies | $2 per page |
| Certification | $5 |
| Conformed copy | $3 |
| Minute entries | $5 |
| eSearch 1-day subscription | $20 |
| eSearch 30-day subscription | $125 |
| Marriage license | $35, including two certified copies after officiant return |
| Sheriff criminal or traffic report copy | $5 |
Interpret St. Mary Parish Court Records
Read St. Mary Parish court records by separating the source from the outcome. A jail roster charge is a booking or custody entry. A prosecutor's charge is not the same as a conviction. A docket entry can show that a motion, hearing, minute entry, or judgment exists, but the full pleading or signed order may still require a Clerk request. The safest reading starts with the docket, then checks the underlying document when legal proof is needed.
| Term | Plain meaning |
|---|---|
| Charge | An allegation filed or listed after arrest; it can be amended, reduced, dismissed, or proven. |
| Conviction | A finding or plea that results in guilt on a criminal offense. |
| Bond | Security set to allow release from custody while requiring court appearance. |
| Bench warrant | A warrant often issued after failure to appear or contempt. |
The 16th Judicial District Attorney website is the official district attorney source for St. Mary, Iberia, and St. Martin Parishes.
District attorney material helps explain why an arrest entry may not match the later criminal case record after prosecutorial review.
St. Mary Parish Record Limits
Several St. Mary Parish access channels warn that records can lag or be incomplete. eSearch says released records are records that have been recorded, indexed, verified, and released for general public viewing. A record may have an official number before it appears online. The Sheriff's roster says charges and bail amounts may change after court appearances and may not be current, so detention staff should be contacted before posting bail.
Note: Confirm official copies, current bond, and sealed-record access with the originating office before relying on an online result.
St. Mary Parish Court History
St. Mary Parish's official Louisiana profile identifies Franklin as the parish seat. The local court system is anchored by the 16th Judicial District Court and the courthouse at 500 Main Street. Clerk history is especially notable. Local reporting states that Cliff Dressel served St. Mary Parish for 59 years as Clerk and Chief Deputy Clerk, was elected for 10 consecutive terms, and was the only Clerk elected president of the Louisiana Clerks of Court Association for two terms.
Gregory P. Aucoin was sworn in as Clerk of Court effective July 1, 2024, and the official Clerk site now identifies Greg Aucoin as the current Clerk. The 16th JDC judge biographies add more local detail, including St. Mary private practice, St. Mary prosecution backgrounds, Juvenile Court service, and Division G drug court docket references.
A local report on Gregory Aucoin's swearing-in documents the 2024 clerk transition.
That transition is useful local context because the official Clerk site controls current record access while older reports explain the office's long continuity.
Federal Cases for St. Mary Parish
Federal cases from St. Mary Parish do not use the St. Mary Parish Clerk's district court file system. Federal civil and criminal cases route to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. Federal bankruptcy records use federal bankruptcy court and PACER systems. Federal inmates should be searched through the Bureau of Prisons inmate locator once a person is in federal custody.
The Western District of Louisiana homepage is the federal court source for the district that serves St. Mary Parish.
This distinction keeps state district court records, parish jail records, federal prosecutions, and federal custody searches in the right system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can St. Mary Parish court records be searched online?
Yes, but online access is mainly index and docket-history access through Clerk eSearch. Civil, probate, and criminal pleadings are not visible through that public court-record path. Certified copies and official files come from the Clerk of Court.
Who handles St. Mary Parish criminal charges?
The Sheriff's Office may show booking charges on the jail roster, but the 16th Judicial District Attorney reviews and prosecutes charges in district court. A charge can change before disposition, so the court record controls the final outcome.
How are warrants checked in St. Mary Parish?
The official sheriff FAQ directs people to call the Warrants Division at 337-907-0407 or 337-907-0408. No complete public active-warrant search database was located on the official sheriff site.
Are juvenile records public?
No, not as ordinary public lookup records. Louisiana Children's Code article 412 makes juvenile-court records confidential except traffic violations and other authorized disclosures.