St. Martin Parish Public Records Search

St. Martin Parish public records are maintained by the Clerk of Court in St. Martinville and include civil court filings, criminal case records, property conveyances, mortgage documents, and marriage licenses for this Cajun Country parish in the Atchafalaya Basin region. Under La. R.S. 44:1 and Louisiana Constitution Article XII, Section 3, any person has the right to access and copy these records, and this page explains how to find them.

St. Martin Parish Clerk of Court

The Clerk of Court is the primary keeper of public records for St. Martin Parish. The office is at the St. Martin Parish Courthouse, 415 Saint Martin Street, St. Martinville, LA 70582. Phone: (337) 394-2210. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, and is closed on legal holidays. The clerk handles civil and criminal court records, conveyance and mortgage filings, and marriage licenses for the parish.

The 16th Judicial District covers Iberia, St. Martin, and St. Mary parishes. Cases filed in St. Martin Parish go to district court in this multi-parish circuit, and the clerk in St. Martinville maintains those records for this parish. If you know a case number or the names of the parties, staff can locate the file for you. For older or historical records, calling ahead is advisable before making the trip to St. Martinville.

Mail requests are accepted at the same courthouse address. Send a written description of the records you need, your contact details, and any identifying information such as party names, case numbers, or approximate filing dates. Include estimated payment for copy costs. The clerk is required by law to respond within three business days.

Online Access to Public Records

The LCRAA statewide portal at laclerksportal.org is the main free online tool for St. Martin Parish public records. Operated by the Louisiana Clerks' Remote Access Authority, it covers all 64 Louisiana parishes and lets you search court and property record indexes by party name, case number, or filing date without visiting the St. Martinville courthouse. No subscription is needed for a basic search.

The ClerkConnect subscription platform offers broader document access for those who need regular remote access to Louisiana court and property records. eClerks LA is another online system with access to some Louisiana clerk records. Between these three tools, most routine searches for St. Martin Parish public records can be completed without visiting the courthouse. Certified copies and older historical records typically still require in-person or mail requests.

Note: Online systems may not immediately reflect new filings. If you are looking for a very recent document, call the clerk's office at (337) 394-2210 to confirm current status.

Court Records in St. Martin Parish

The 16th Judicial District handles civil and criminal cases from Iberia, St. Martin, and St. Mary parishes. Cases filed in St. Martin Parish are heard in this multi-parish court, and the clerk in St. Martinville keeps the record for all St. Martin Parish proceedings. Under La. R.S. 44:1, these records are public unless sealed or exempt under a specific statute.

Civil cases include property disputes, contract claims, family law matters such as divorce and custody, personal injury suits, and succession proceedings. Criminal records cover felony and misdemeanor charges brought in St. Martin Parish. Each case file holds the original petition or charging document, all pleadings and motions, minute entries, and the final disposition. You can search by party name or case number at the clerk's office or through the LCRAA portal.

Certain records are restricted. Juvenile proceedings are sealed. Some protective order matters have limited access. Adoption records are confidential. But these are narrow exceptions. The vast majority of court records from the 16th Judicial District's St. Martin Parish docket are publicly accessible on request.

Property and Conveyance Records

Every real property sale, donation, or transfer in St. Martin Parish must be recorded with the Clerk of Court to be legally effective against third parties. The conveyance index tracks the chain of ownership for each parcel in the parish. Mortgage records document all liens and encumbrances. Both sets of records are public and can be searched at the clerk's office or through the LCRAA statewide portal.

St. Martin Parish includes parts of the Atchafalaya Basin, an area with complex property histories involving land grants, water rights, and generations of family transfers. Property research here can be more involved than in drier parishes with cleaner grid-style surveys. Older records may be in bound ledger form. For transactions going back more than a few decades, an in-person visit to the clerk's office in St. Martinville is often the most efficient approach.

For property assessment information and address-based lookups, contact the St. Martin Parish Assessor's Office separately. The assessor and the clerk maintain independent records, but both are relevant for thorough property research. The assessor can identify parcels by address, which helps you locate the correct entry in the conveyance index.

Marriage and Vital Records

Marriage licenses issued in St. Martin Parish are recorded by the Clerk of Court in St. Martinville. To get a copy of a marriage license or certificate for a marriage that took place in this parish, request it directly from the clerk's office or send a written request by mail. Include the names of both parties and the approximate year of the marriage. Birth and death certificates are a state function managed by the Louisiana Department of Health, not the parish clerk.

For historical vital records, the Louisiana Secretary of State maintains an online index at sos.la.gov covering older birth, death, and marriage records from St. Martin Parish and throughout Louisiana. The state archives at the Secretary of State's office hold older documents that predate the modern vital records system, which is useful for family history and genealogy research in this parish.

Note: Under La. R.S. 44:20, military discharge certificates filed with the clerk after July 1, 2000 are not public records and cannot be obtained through a standard records request.

Statewide Public Records Resources

Beyond the St. Martin Parish clerk's office, several statewide tools are relevant for public records research. The Louisiana Secretary of State at sos.la.gov manages business entity registrations, election records, notary databases, and the state archives. Business filings can be searched through GeauxBiz. The State Archives at sos.la.gov/historicalresources/ hold older historical materials and are a key resource for genealogy work in Cajun Country parishes.

Louisiana's public records framework provides broad access rights. La. R.S. 44:1 defines public records to include virtually all documents and data held by a public body. The Louisiana Constitution's Article XII, Section 3 reinforces this with a constitutional right of access for every person. Agencies must respond within three business days. Fees for copies are set by statute at $1 per page for standard documents. Exemptions under La. R.S. 44:4 exist for juvenile records, active investigative files, and certain health documents, but these are limited exceptions to a broad rule of openness. For state agency records requests, the Secretary of State's custodian page at sos.la.gov explains the formal request process.

Nearby Parishes

St. Martin Parish borders several other south Louisiana parishes in the Acadiana region. Each maintains its own Clerk of Court and public records system.