Washington Parish Public Records /Washington Parish Court Records

Washington County Court Records

How To Find Court Records in Washington County in 2026

Members of the public seeking court records in Washington Parish, Louisiana, may access publicly available case information through WashingtonParishRecords.us, which aggregates data drawn from official public sources. Washington County is known in Louisiana as Washington Parish, with Franklinton serving as the parish seat. Depending on the case type and the court involved, records available through official channels may include:

Criminal case filings and dispositions
Civil suits, judgments, and orders
Family court matters, including divorce and custody proceedings
Probate filings and succession records
Traffic citations and minor offense records
Juvenile court records (subject to confidentiality restrictions)

Court records in Washington Parish may be searched through five primary methods:

Clerk of Court Office — The Washington Parish Clerk of Court maintains the official repository of filed documents. Members of the public may present a case number, party name, or filing date to staff to locate records during regular business hours.
Courthouse Public Access Terminals — Public computer terminals located within the courthouse allow in-person searches of the case management system at no charge. Terminal access is limited to publicly available case data and does not include sealed or restricted filings.
Online Court Search — Louisiana's Judicial District Court system provides limited online access to case information for certain court divisions. Availability of document images varies by case type and filing date.
State-Level Judicial Search Tools — The Louisiana Supreme Court and the Louisiana Office of the Judicial Administrator maintain statewide resources that may assist in locating appellate decisions and court contact information.
Written or Mail Requests — Members of the public who are unable to appear in person may submit written requests to the Clerk of Court. Requests should include the full party name, approximate filing date, case number if known, and a description of the records sought. Fees for copies apply.

Are Court Records Public In Washington Parish?

Court records in Washington Parish are subject to public access under Louisiana's public records law, codified at La. R.S. § 44:1 et seq., which establishes a broad presumption in favor of public access to government records, including judicial filings. Under current law, the following categories of court records are accessible to members of the public:

Case dockets and docket entries
Party names and case captions
Hearing dates and courtroom assignments
Filed pleadings, motions, and responses
Court orders, judgments, and decrees
Sentencing entries and probation orders

Certain records are confidential, sealed, or restricted under state statute or court rule and are not available for public inspection:

Juvenile delinquency and child in need of care records, protected under La. Ch.C. art. 412
Adoption proceedings and related filings
Mental health commitment records
Records sealed by court order following expungement under La. C.Cr.P. art. 971 et seq.
Protected personal identifiers such as Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and minor children's full names

A distinction exists between courthouse inspection and online access. While the public may inspect most records in person at the Clerk of Court's office, online availability of document images is more limited and depends on the court's digitization practices and the case filing date.

What Are Court Records in Washington Parish?

Court records are the official documents, filings, and entries created and maintained by a court or its clerk in connection with a legal proceeding. In practical terms, a court record encompasses everything formally submitted to or generated by the court from the initial filing through final disposition and any subsequent appeal.

A docket entry is a chronological log of actions taken in a case, while a full case file includes the actual documents underlying those entries, such as complaints, motions, exhibits, and orders. Civil court records arise from disputes between private parties or between a party and a government entity, while criminal court records document the prosecution of offenses by the state. Filed pleadings are the initial and responsive documents that frame the legal dispute; final judgments are the court's binding resolution of the matter.

Public filings are those available for inspection under La. R.S. § 44:1, while sealed or restricted filings have been removed from public access by court order or statute. Trial court records are maintained by the Clerk of Court at the parish level; appellate records are transmitted to the appropriate Louisiana Circuit Court of Appeal or the Louisiana Supreme Court upon the filing of an appeal.

In Washington Parish, the Clerk of Court serves as the official custodian of trial court records. Records are created at the moment of filing, updated with each subsequent action, and closed upon final disposition. Appellate records are separately maintained by the First Circuit Court of Appeal, which has jurisdiction over Washington Parish.

Washington Parish Clerk of Court
908 Washington Street
Franklinton, LA 70438
Phone: (985) 839-4663
Washington Parish Clerk of Court

What's Included in a Washington Parish Court Record?

A court record may contain a range of documents and data entries depending on the case type, the court division, and applicable public-access rules. The following categories of information are commonly found within a court record:

Case identification: case number, court name and division, filing date, and case type
Party information: names of plaintiffs, defendants, petitioners, respondents, and counsel of record
Case status: open, closed, appealed, or transferred
Docket entries: a chronological log of all filings and court actions
Hearing information: scheduled and completed hearing dates, continuances, and courtroom assignments
Filed documents: complaints, petitions, answers, motions, memoranda, notices, and stipulations
Court-generated documents: orders, judgments, minute entries, decrees, writs, and rulings
Outcome information: dismissals, verdicts, pleas, convictions, sentencing entries, custody rulings, probate orders, and appellate decisions
Financial and administrative data: filing fees, assessed court costs, fines, restitution amounts, and bond information where publicly reflected in the record

Certain materials are excluded from public access or are not part of the official court record. Sealed filings, expunged matters, juvenile case files, adoption records, and protected personal data are withheld from public inspection. Physical exhibits admitted at trial may be held separately by the clerk and are not always available for routine inspection.

Types of Courts in Washington Parish

Washington Parish is served by the 22nd Judicial District Court, which is the court of general jurisdiction for both Washington Parish and St. Tammany Parish. The 22nd Judicial District Court hears felony criminal cases, civil matters exceeding the jurisdictional threshold of limited courts, family law proceedings, successions and probate matters, and juvenile cases through its juvenile division.

The following courts and offices serve Washington Parish under the current Louisiana judiciary structure:

22nd Judicial District Court — General jurisdiction trial court; handles felony criminal, civil, family, probate, and juvenile matters
City Court of Franklinton — Limited jurisdiction court handling misdemeanor criminal matters, traffic offenses, and civil claims within its jurisdictional limit
Justice of the Peace Courts — Handle minor civil disputes and limited criminal matters at the local level
First Circuit Court of Appeal — Appellate court with jurisdiction over appeals from the 22nd Judicial District Court
Louisiana Supreme Court — Court of last resort for matters arising from Washington Parish

The Clerk of Court for the 22nd Judicial District maintains the official record for all matters filed in that court. City Court records are maintained by the City Court clerk. The Washington Parish Sheriff's Office maintains criminal records related to arrests, warrants, and civil process served within the parish.

22nd Judicial District Court — Washington Parish Division
908 Washington Street
Franklinton, LA 70438
Phone: (985) 839-4663
Washington Parish Clerk of Court

Washington Parish Sheriff's Office
1002 Main Street
Franklinton, LA 70438
Phone: (985) 839-3434
Washington Parish Sheriff's Office

How to Search Washington Parish Court Records for Free?

In-person inspection of court records at the Clerk of Court's office is available at no charge to members of the public during regular business hours. Public access terminals located within the courthouse also provide free electronic access to case index information and docket entries.

The following table summarizes current access methods and associated costs:

Access Method	Cost
In-person record inspection	Free
Courthouse public terminal search	Free
Certified copy of a document	$5.00 per page (standard clerk fee)
Uncertified photocopy	$1.00 per page
Written/mail request processing	Varies; copy fees apply
Online document image access	Varies by platform

Clerk copy fees in Louisiana are governed by La. R.S. § 13:843, which establishes the schedule of fees that clerks of court may charge for copies and certified copies of records. Members of the public who wish to inspect records without obtaining copies may do so without charge. The Criminal Records Division of the Washington Parish Sheriff's Office processes requests related to criminal history, civil warrants, and court orders, and separate fees may apply for those services.

How Long Does Washington Parish Keep Court Records?

Retention periods for court records in Washington Parish are governed by the Louisiana Supreme Court's judicial records retention schedules, which establish minimum retention periods by record type and case category. Retention periods vary significantly depending on the nature of the proceeding.

Under current judicial records policy, the following retention periods apply as a general framework:

Felony criminal case files: Retained permanently or for a minimum of ten years following final disposition, depending on the offense classification
Misdemeanor and traffic case files: Retained for a minimum of five years following final disposition
Civil case files: Retained for a minimum of ten years following final disposition; cases involving judgments may be retained longer
Probate and succession records: Retained permanently as records of title and estate disposition
Juvenile records: Subject to separate retention and confidentiality rules under the Louisiana Children's Code
Docket books and minute records: Retained permanently as the official record of court proceedings

The Louisiana State Archives maintains historical court records on microfilm for certain parishes. As noted by the Louisiana Secretary of State, researchers must acquire permission from the Clerks of Court offices prior to use of parish records held in the Louisiana State Archives Research Library. Older paper files may have been transferred to microfilm or digital imaging, and the physical paper may have been destroyed following archival retention. Destruction of a paper original after imaging does not constitute expungement or sealing; the record remains accessible in its archived form. Expungement, by contrast, is a court-ordered process that removes a record from public access entirely, distinct from routine archival transfer or destruction of superseded paper copies.

How To Find a Court Docket in Washington Parish

A court docket is the official chronological index of all actions taken in a specific case. It differs from the full case file in that it records what happened and when, rather than containing the actual documents filed. A docket entry may note that a motion was filed, a hearing was held, or an order was entered, but the docket itself does not reproduce the text of those documents.

Dockets for cases filed in the 22nd Judicial District Court may be accessed through the following methods:

In-person at the Clerk of Court: Staff can retrieve docket information by case number or party name. Members of the public may view docket entries on public terminals during business hours.
Courthouse public terminals: Terminals within the Washington Parish courthouse provide access to the case management system, including docket entries for publicly accessible cases.
Written request: Members of the public may submit a written request to the Clerk of Court identifying the case by number or party name and requesting a printed copy of the docket sheet. Copy fees apply under La. R.S. § 13:843.

To locate a docket, the following information is helpful: the full name of at least one party, the approximate filing year, the case number if known, and the case type. A docket entry typically contains the date of each action, a brief description of the filing or event, and the name of the judicial officer involved. A docket does not include full document images, sealed entries, confidential attachments, or physical exhibits.

Hearing calendars and motion dockets for the 22nd Judicial District Court may be separately available through the court's administrative office. Daily hearing rosters are subject to change and are maintained by the court's judicial administrator rather than the Clerk of Court. The Washington Parish profile on the official Louisiana state website provides additional contact and jurisdictional information for agencies serving the parish.