Beauregard Parish Public Records

Beauregard Parish public records are maintained by the Clerk of Court in DeRidder, Louisiana, covering conveyance, mortgage, probate, civil, criminal, and marriage records for this southwest Louisiana parish created in 1912. Under La. R.S. 44:1 and Louisiana Constitution Article XII, Section 3, Beauregard Parish public records are open to any person who requests them, and the official records in the clerk's office are the sole authoritative source.

Beauregard Parish Public Records: Clerk of Court

Brian Lestage serves as Clerk of Court for Beauregard Parish. The office is at 200 West Second Street, DeRidder, LA 70634. Mail goes to P.O. Box 100, DeRidder, LA 70634. Phone is (337) 463-8595. Fax is (337) 462-3916. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The clerk's website is at beauregardclerk.org.

Beauregard Parish was created by legislation in 1912, separated from Calcasieu Parish. The official public records of Beauregard Parish are kept by the clerk's office. Only records provided in that office are referenced as official. Third-party databases may carry some of the same data, but the clerk's records are the authoritative source for legal and title purposes.

Note: The parish was created in 1912, meaning the oldest records date to 1913 when the first documents were filed after separation from Calcasieu Parish.

Online Access to Beauregard Parish Public Records

The Beauregard Parish Clerk of Court offers online access to conveyance, mortgage, probate, civil, and criminal index records through the clerk's website. An account is required. The online records search is at beauregardclerk.org/online-records-search. The clerk's office is pleased to offer this remote access as part of its first phase of imaging, which began with conveyance records including index and images of all documents filed since 1913.

The LCRAA statewide portal at laclerksportal.org covers Beauregard Parish and all 64 Louisiana parishes. This free tool gives index-level access without a local account. eClerks LA is another statewide option for court records. ClerkConnect may also provide access to some Beauregard Parish records.

Record Date Ranges for Beauregard Parish Public Records

Beauregard Parish public records go back to 1913 for most categories. Conveyance records run from 1913 to the present. Probate and succession records cover 1913 to present. Marriage records start in 1913. The mortgage index runs from 1978 to present, with images available from 1980 forward. Civil records are indexed from 1983 to present, with images from 2000. Criminal records are available from 2009 to present.

The imaging project that digitized these records started with conveyance documents. The clerk scanned the full index and document images of conveyance records going back to 1913. This initial phase of imaging brought the oldest property records into the digital system. Civil images and criminal records followed in later phases, which is why those date ranges start later than conveyance.

For records not yet digitized, in-person research at the DeRidder office is required. The clerk's staff can advise on where older records are held and what format they are in.

Vital Records and Associated Fees

Vital records — birth and death certificates — are available through the Beauregard Parish Clerk of Court office. A birth certificate costs $34. A death certificate costs $26. A birth certificate paired with a birth card costs $48 for the pair only, following Act 270. Payment for vital records is cash or credit card only. The clerk does not accept checks for vital records transactions.

Standard court copies cost $1 per page. Certified copies run $5 per page. These fees apply to court and land records. Vital records have their own separate fee schedule as noted above. Under La. R.S. 44:20, military discharge certificates filed after July 1, 2000 are exempt from public access and cannot be copied for the general public.

Criminal and Civil Public Records in Beauregard Parish

Civil records are indexed from 1983 forward, with images available starting in 2000. Criminal records go back to 2009. The 36th Judicial District Court handles all district-level cases in Beauregard Parish. These public records include motions, pleadings, judgments, and sentencing information for criminal matters. Civil records cover lawsuits, property disputes, and other civil filings.

Some records are restricted under La. R.S. 44:4 et seq. Juvenile records, health records, and certain sealed documents are exempt from public access. Individuals who want to review their own criminal record can do so under La. R.S. 15:588, which gives each person the right to inspect their own criminal history on file with the state. This is handled by the Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information, separate from the clerk's office.

Statewide Public Records and Additional Resources

Beyond the Beauregard Parish clerk, several statewide tools can help. The Louisiana Secretary of State at sos.la.gov manages business records and the State Archives at sos.la.gov/historicalresources/. Business filings are searchable through GeauxBiz. The vital records index at sos.la.gov covers historical births, deaths, and marriages statewide. Formal public records requests to state agencies follow the process described at sos.la.gov.

Louisiana's public records law makes access the default. La. R.S. 44:1 broadly defines public records, and Article XII, Section 3 of the state constitution guarantees the right of access. Beauregard Parish follows these same rules. The clerk's office must respond to records requests promptly. If access is denied, the specific statutory exemption must be cited. The parish's public record system is one of the cornerstones of open government in Louisiana.

Nearby Parishes

Beauregard Parish neighbors several southwest Louisiana parishes, each with its own public records system and Clerk of Court.