Catahoula Parish Public Records Lookup

Catahoula Parish public records are held by the Clerk of Court in Harrisonburg, a small parish seat along the Black River in central Louisiana. The clerk's office maintains civil and criminal court records, conveyance and mortgage records, marriage licenses, and related documents. Louisiana law under La. R.S. 44:1 gives the public a clear right to inspect these records, and the Louisiana Constitution's Article XII, Section 3 makes that right enforceable. This page explains how to search Catahoula Parish public records online and in person.

Clerk of Court Contact and Hours

The Catahoula Parish Clerk of Court is located at 301 Bushley Street, Harrisonburg, LA 71340. The phone number is (318) 744-5222. Office hours run Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The clerk is the primary source for Catahoula Parish public records, including civil and criminal court filings handled by the 28th Judicial District Court, which serves both Catahoula and LaSalle parishes jointly. The office also maintains conveyance and mortgage indexes, marriage license records, and notarial acts.

Harrisonburg is a very small community, and the courthouse serves the whole parish. Staff at the clerk's office can help orient first-time visitors to the indexing system. Most records are organized by document type, with separate indexes for conveyances, mortgages, civil cases, and criminal matters. Knowing which index you need before you arrive will save time. If you have a name and an approximate date, clerks can usually direct you to the right volume quickly.

Note: Catahoula Parish shares its judicial district (28th JDC) with LaSalle Parish. Some court administrative records may be split between the two parish courthouses.

Online Tools for Catahoula Public Records

The Louisiana Clerks of Court Association maintains a free statewide index at laclerksportal.org that includes Catahoula Parish records. You can search civil case indexes, land records, and criminal case summaries by name or document number without any registration fee. The portal does not give you full document images for free in most cases, but the index data is enough to confirm whether a record exists and to get the filing date and reference number you'd need to request a copy.

eClerks LA is another statewide aggregator that covers Catahoula alongside all other Louisiana parishes. Both portals pull from official clerk data, so results are consistent with what you would find in person. For most online research tasks, starting with the LCRAA portal is fine. eClerks LA can serve as a cross-check or backup when results from the first portal are unclear. Neither service replaces a certified copy from the clerk's office, but both are solid tools for preliminary research.

The statewide LCRAA portal provides index access to Catahoula records as shown below.

Using the free index search before contacting the clerk can help you arrive with a specific document number and speed up your request.

Types of Catahoula Parish Public Records

The range of public records in Catahoula Parish is typical for a rural Louisiana parish. Court records cover civil cases filed in district court, including petitions, motions, judgments, and orders. Criminal records show case filings and dispositions for state-level offenses handled by the 28th Judicial District Court. Land records include conveyance acts that track property transfers, mortgage acts that document loans secured by real estate, and servitude agreements. UCC filings and judgments are also indexed by the clerk.

Marriage licenses are issued and recorded at the clerk's office. They are indexed by both parties' names and can be searched in person or through the statewide portal. Vital records such as birth and death certificates are separate. Those are managed by the Louisiana Department of Health's Office of Vital Records. The Louisiana Secretary of State provides a free historical vital records index at sos.la.gov for older records. More recent births and deaths require a formal request to the state office. State archives are available at sos.la.gov/historicalresources for historical research needs.

Fees and Request Methods

Catahoula Parish follows standard Louisiana public records fee rules. Copies cost $1 per page. Certified copies carry an additional fee, usually $5 to $10 depending on the document type and the clerk's current schedule. Mortgage and conveyance certificates have their own set rates. For in-person visits, payment can be made at the clerk's office by cash or check. For mail requests, send a written description of the record, your name and return address, and a check or money order payable to the Catahoula Parish Clerk of Court at 301 Bushley Street, Harrisonburg, LA 71340.

Online portal fees are separate from what the parish charges. The LCRAA and eClerks LA platforms set their own document download rates, which are typically small per-document charges. Index-level searches on both platforms remain free. If you only need to confirm a filing date or case number, the free index is usually sufficient. From there, you can contact the clerk directly to get a certified copy at the parish rate.

Note: There is no fee to simply inspect a public record in person. Fees apply only when you request a copy to take with you.

Your Rights Under Louisiana Public Records Law

Louisiana's public records law gives broad access rights to anyone who asks. La. R.S. 44:1 defines public records to include essentially any document, writing, or data created or maintained by a public body in the course of its work. The Louisiana Constitution, in Article XII, Section 3, says the right to examine public documents shall not be denied or abridged. That means the Catahoula Parish clerk's office cannot ask you why you want a record or make you prove you have a legitimate reason. Anyone can request access.

Some records are protected. La. R.S. 44:4 et seq. identifies categories of exempt records, such as active law enforcement investigation files, juvenile court records, and records shielded by specific statutes. If a custodian refuses a request, they must identify the specific exemption they are relying on. If you believe the denial is wrong, you can file a writ of mandamus in district court. The burden of proof falls on the agency, not on you. Under La. R.S. 15:588, Louisiana residents can request a copy of their own criminal history from the state police, which is a separate process from requesting court records through the clerk's office.

State Agencies That Support Local Record Searches

When parish-level records are incomplete or you need supplemental information, state agencies can help. The Louisiana Secretary of State accepts public records requests through its online request page. The Secretary of State also maintains the state archives at sos.la.gov/historicalresources, which hold historical maps, administrative documents, and older state-level records. Business entity filings for companies registered in Louisiana are searchable at sos.la.gov.

The historical vital records index, shown above, is free to browse and useful for confirming whether a historical birth, death, or marriage record exists in Louisiana's state system before submitting a formal request.

Nearby Parishes

Records must be filed in the parish where the event occurred or property is located. If you are uncertain which parish applies, these neighboring parishes may be relevant.