Start with the right Louisiana record source
Louisiana criminal information is split among parish clerks of court, the Louisiana State Police, local sheriffs and police departments, and the Department of Public Safety & Corrections. Louisiana is also a closed criminal-history record state, which means the State Police’s central LACCH repository is not an unrestricted public name-search database. For most public research, the correct starting point is the court record, parish clerk, eClerks LA, arresting agency, jail system or corrections locator.
Louisiana criminal records are spread across several agencies
Louisiana does not treat “criminal records” as one government file. The arrest, court case, state criminal-history record, jail record and correctional record may all be maintained by different agencies.
Criminal court case
Filed charges, criminal minutes, pleadings, court proceedings, disposition information and copies of eligible court records.
Statewide criminal index access
Official remote access to criminal-record information supplied by participating Louisiana parish clerks.
State criminal-history repository
LACCH contains Louisiana arrests, dispositions, probation/parole bookings and incarceration information, but it is not generally open for unrestricted public searches.
Arrest and investigative records
Initial offense reports, booking information and other eligible law-enforcement data originate with the agency handling the incident.
Local custody
Recent bookings and local detention are often maintained by the parish sheriff rather than the state prison system.
Prison and community supervision
Louisiana custody, probation and parole locator information is available through official corrections resources and LA VINE.
In Louisiana, search by parish — not county
Louisiana has 64 parishes. The Louisiana Clerks of Court Association explains that clerks preserve the official parish records, including criminal court proceedings. Louisiana has more clerks than parishes because additional clerks serve courts such as appellate courts and specialized Orleans courts.
For a criminal case, first identify the parish where the charge was filed. That parish’s clerk is usually the most authoritative source for the underlying trial-court file.
Use eClerks LA for an official statewide criminal-record search
eClerks LA is operated by the Louisiana Clerks’ Remote Access Authority (LCRAA), a state entity created to provide secure remote access to records maintained by Louisiana clerks of court. The portal now includes a dedicated Criminal Search.
Open eClerks LA
Use the official LCRAA portal rather than an unrelated people-search or background-check website.
Choose Criminal Search
The home page separates the criminal search from its land, marriage, civil, family and probate statewide search.
Search the available parish criminal information
Use the person’s identifying information and narrow results by parish or case details when those controls are provided.
Record the case and parish information
The parish and docket/case information are especially useful because they let you continue directly with the clerk who maintains the underlying file.
Use the parish clerk for the actual file
If you need documents, certification, historical information or a record that does not appear remotely, go to the official clerk for that parish.
Louisiana law now requires broader electronic access to criminal minute entries
Louisiana’s Truth and Transparency in the Louisiana Criminal Justice System provisions require district clerks responsible for criminal records to provide public electronic access through the LCRAA portal to criminal court minute entries, or summaries of those entries, for qualifying cases filed on or after January 1, 2020.
Those minute entries can include information about:
- arrest or summons information provided to the clerk
- custody and bail decisions
- filing of criminal charges
- amended or dismissed charges
- motions and status conferences
- trials and adjudicatory proceedings
- guilt determinations
- sentencing hearings
- specific sentences imposed
- court dates and presiding judge
Go directly to the parish clerk when the statewide search is not enough
Every Louisiana criminal-record search should have an offline fallback. Some parish clerks maintain richer local indexes, scanned filings, court calendars, copy-request systems or subscription databases that go further back than the statewide portal.
Contact the clerk when you need:
- a certified court record
- an older criminal case
- a scanned criminal pleading
- minute entries not available remotely
- a bill of information or indictment
- a final disposition document
- historical docket information
- expungement filing information
Examples of how criminal-record access differs by parish
These examples show why Louisiana criminal-record research should not rely on a single generic set of instructions.
| Parish | Official source | Useful local detail |
|---|---|---|
| East Baton Rouge | East Baton Rouge Clerk of Court | The clerk provides criminal-record services and says its civil, criminal, traffic and other records may be examined at the appropriate office for free; copies are charged separately. It also provides subscription-based online search. |
| Caddo | Caddo Parish Clerk criminal department | Caddo says its computerized criminal name index dates to 1980, criminal minutes to 1984 and scanned criminal images to 2002. |
| Jefferson | Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court | JeffNet provides subscription access to certain criminal and other public records maintained by the clerk. |
| Orleans | Orleans Parish Criminal District Court Clerk | Orleans is unusual because it has a dedicated Criminal District Court. Its clerk provides access to docket information through Clerk Connect. |
Louisiana State Police criminal history is different from a public court search
The Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information (BCII) maintains the Louisiana Computerized Criminal History system (LACCH).
State Police says LACCH contains Louisiana arrest information, dispositions, probation/parole bookings and incarceration information. It also explains that Louisiana is a closed-record state, so BCII-LCJIS criminal-history records are not generally released as an unrestricted public database.
Use a court/parish search when…
- you are researching another person’s public court case;
- you need a docket or criminal proceeding;
- you need filed charges and disposition information;
- you need court documents or certified court copies.
Use State Police Right to Review when…
- you want your own Louisiana criminal-history record;
- you need a fingerprint-based identity match;
- you want to check whether your LSP record is accurate;
- you are preparing an expungement and need to match the state rap sheet.
Official source: Louisiana State Police Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information .
How to obtain your own Louisiana criminal history
Louisiana Revised Statute 15:588 gives an individual a way to obtain and review their personal criminal-history record. State Police calls this a Right to Review.
Louisiana State Police now directs routine applicants to the Louisiana Applicant Processing System (LAPS), which uses a statewide network of digital fingerprint locations.
Open the State Police Background Checks page
Use the Right to Review/LAPS instructions provided by BCII.
Schedule fingerprinting
Select the Louisiana State Police Right to Review service and choose an available fingerprint location.
Bring the required identification
Follow the identification requirements displayed during appointment enrollment. Your legal name should match your identification.
Choose mailed or electronic results
State Police offers a mailed true copy with a raised state seal and an electronic option intended primarily for personal inquiry.
Review every arrest and disposition
Compare the state criminal-history entry with certified court records when something appears incomplete or incorrect.
Mailed versus electronic Right to Review
| Option | What you receive | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| Mailed copy | Printed “True Copy,” State Police employee signature and embossed raised state seal. | Official uses and situations where a raised seal is requested. |
| Electronic copy | Secure one-time-access link, True Copy notation and digital signature. | Personal inquiry. State Police says it should be printed from a computer. |
What to do when your Louisiana State Police record is wrong or incomplete
Louisiana law allows an individual to review and administratively challenge the accuracy of their own State Police criminal-history record.
A particularly common problem is a missing final disposition. State Police explains that a disposition is the final result of a criminal charge. If an arrest event in LACCH does not show the final outcome, the person may need to obtain certified disposition documents from the clerk of court, district attorney or city prosecutor.
BCII says the record used to update an arrest event should identify:
- the person’s name
- date of birth
- matching arrest/booking date
- original charge at booking
- any amended or reduced charge
- disposition for every charge
- final verdict or dismissal
- sentence information where applicable
Louisiana arrest records require a local-agency search
The Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement explicitly states that it is not the repository for individual arrest records, police reports, arrest warrants or court cases. It directs requesters to the police department, parish sheriff, district attorney or clerk that handled the incident.
Louisiana’s Public Records Law also makes an important distinction between basic public incident/booking information and broader investigative records.
Initial and booking information
State law specifically identifies the initial investigating report, booking records, issued summons/citations and filed bills of information as public records, subject to other applicable confidentiality laws.
Follow-up investigative material
Records tied to pending or reasonably anticipated criminal litigation, confidential sources and certain investigative information can be exempt from immediate public disclosure.
How to make a Louisiana Public Records Law request
When a police, sheriff or government record is not already posted online, Louisiana’s Public Records Law provides a formal access route. The request should go to the custodian of the agency that actually has the record.
Identify the correct custodian
For a police report, contact the police department. For a parish sheriff record, contact the sheriff. For a court file, use the clerk of court.
Describe the record narrowly
Include useful identifiers such as incident number, defendant name, date, location, arrest date or case number. A precise request is easier to process.
Ask for inspection if you only need to review it
Louisiana law says no fee may be charged simply to examine or review a public record, subject to the statute’s exceptions.
Request copies only when needed
Agencies can charge lawful copy or transmission fees. Non-state custodians that charge should make their fee schedule publicly available.
Ask for the legal basis if access is denied
When the custodian determines that a requested record is exempt, Louisiana law requires a written determination explaining the legal basis within the statutory response framework.
How fast should a Louisiana public record be available?
R.S. 44:33 provides that if an eligible public record is immediately available and not in active use, it should be presented immediately. If it is in active use, the custodian must promptly certify that fact and fix a day and hour within three days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal public holidays, for the requester to exercise the right of access.
Separately, when a custodian raises a question about whether a requested record is public, R.S. 44:32 requires written notice of the determination and legal basis within five days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal public holidays.
Booking records and parish jail searches
A recent arrest may appear in a parish jail system before a complete court history is easy to locate. Louisiana does not rely on one parish-jail website for all 64 parishes.
For a recent booking:
How to check an arrest warrant in Louisiana
Louisiana does not provide one unrestricted official statewide public warrant-search tool covering every parish. Warrants are issued through courts and executed by law-enforcement agencies, so the correct lookup depends on the parish and agency.
If you are trying to verify a possible warrant:
- check the official parish sheriff website
- contact the clerk of the court that may have issued it
- check an existing criminal case by docket number
- contact the relevant law-enforcement agency directly
Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure Article 203 requires an arrest warrant to identify the person, charged offense, issuing municipality/parish and other required information.
Search warrants are different from arrest warrants
An arrest warrant authorizes taking a person into custody. A search warrant authorizes a search for property, persons or evidence described in the warrant.
Under Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure Article 162, a search warrant is based on probable cause supported by an affidavit and must particularly describe the place or person to be searched and the things to be seized.
Access to a search-warrant file can depend on whether it has been filed with the court, whether criminal litigation remains pending and whether another confidentiality rule or sealing order applies. If you need the actual warrant or affidavit, start with the clerk of the court that issued or received it rather than a general statewide background-search service.
Find Louisiana prison, probation and parole information
The Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections directs the public to Louisiana VINE to locate people assigned to its custody.
The official corrections page says LA VINE is updated every 24 hours and can be searched using information such as location, name and ID/case number. It also includes information on people under probation or parole supervision.
Louisiana DOC locator instructions Open VINELinkLouisiana Imprisoned Person Locator
225-383-4580
DPS&C says callers should have the person’s department number or the person’s name and date of birth. Available locator information can include facility assignment, facility address, contact number and projected release date when applicable.
What DOC records are actually public?
Louisiana DPS&C cautions that incarcerated-person records are generally confidential under state law. The Department identifies limited public information such as a person’s age, offense, date of conviction, sentence length and misconduct while incarcerated.
Louisiana sex offender and child predator registry
The Louisiana State Police Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information maintains the state’s central Sex Offender and Child Predator Registry.
The Department of Public Safety & Corrections notes that the people it supervises for sex offenses represent only a fraction of everyone who may be required to register, so a DOC supervision list should not be substituted for the State Police registry.
Official Louisiana registry informationLook up Louisiana criminal charges, fines and court costs
The Louisiana Supreme Court operates an official Costs and Fees and Charge Code System. It can be useful when a court record gives you a statute number or offense name and you want to understand the relevant charge code or potential court costs.
The system can search using:
- court
- statute or ordinance number
- offense date
- charge name or keyword
- law category
- charge category
How to obtain Louisiana criminal court copies
There is no single statewide copy price for every parish criminal court record. The underlying document is generally requested from the clerk that maintains the case, and local clerk fees and electronic-access arrangements vary.
Find the parish and docket number
Use eClerks LA, a parish search or the court notice to identify the correct file.
Open the official parish clerk website
Look for Criminal Records, Copies, Records Search or Public Records Request.
Tell the clerk exactly what you need
For example: bill of information, minute entry, disposition, judgment, sentencing minute or complete public criminal file.
Specify whether certification is required
Do not pay for certification when an ordinary informational copy is sufficient, but do not order a plain copy when the receiving agency requires a certified record.
Louisiana juvenile records have much stricter access rules
Louisiana Children’s Code Article 412 generally makes juvenile court records and reports confidential, except where the Children’s Code expressly provides otherwise.
Louisiana law now creates public-access exceptions for certain serious juvenile matters, including qualifying violent-crime cases, and requires specified minute-entry information for certain cases to be transmitted to the LCRAA portal.
State law also prohibits juvenile criminal-conduct records from being disseminated as an ordinary criminal background check outside the criminal-justice system.
Louisiana expungement removes eligible records from public access
Under Louisiana law, expungement generally means removing an eligible arrest or conviction record from public access. It does not mean that every government copy is destroyed.
Louisiana State Police advises people beginning an expungement to obtain a Right to Review first so that the arrest date, original booking charge and other information on the motion match the state criminal-history record.
Where to file
State Police says the forms and required documents should be filed with the clerk of court in the parish of the arrest or conviction.
Common Louisiana expungement documents
- criminal background check
- court disposition/minute entries
- district attorney certification where required
- charging document or bill of information
- proper motion and order forms
- fee-waiver certification where applicable
Current statutory filing-cost ceiling
Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure Article 983 states that, except where an exemption applies, the total cost to obtain a court order expunging a record may not exceed $550. The statute currently allocates potential processing amounts of up to $250 to State Police, $50 to the sheriff, $50 to the district attorney and up to $200 to the clerk.
Louisiana State Police expungement guidanceDoes an expunged Louisiana record disappear completely?
No. Article 973 makes an expunged record confidential and removes it from ordinary public access, but specified law-enforcement, criminal-justice, prosecutorial and other legally authorized access can remain.
Criminal appeals use Louisiana’s appellate courts
A parish trial-court record is only part of the picture when a criminal judgment has been appealed. Louisiana has five Courts of Appeal and the Louisiana Supreme Court above the trial courts.
If the local criminal docket shows an appeal, identify the appellate circuit serving that parish and search or contact that appellate court for the appellate case, opinion, writ application, judgment or related public filing.
The Louisiana Clerks of Court Association directory includes the First, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Circuit Courts of Appeal as well as the Louisiana Supreme Court.
Find Louisiana appellate clerksLouisiana federal criminal cases require a separate search
Louisiana parish courts, eClerks LA and LACCH do not replace federal court systems. A federal criminal prosecution is filed in a United States District Court.
PACER
Use PACER for federal court cases. If you do not know which federal court handled the case, PACER’s nationwide Case Locator can help identify it.
FBI Identity History Summary
Someone seeking their own nationwide FBI identity-history information should use the FBI’s official fingerprint-based Identity History Summary Check.
Louisiana State Police BCII location
Louisiana State Police
7919 Independence BoulevardBaton Rouge, LA 70806
Published office hours:
Monday–Friday, 7:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m., subject to early closure based on customer volume;
closed on Louisiana state holidays.
Mailing address:
Louisiana State Police
BCII-LCJIS
P.O. Box 66614, Box A-6
Baton Rouge, LA 70896
Practical Louisiana search tips that prevent false conclusions
Think “parish,” not “county”
Louisiana trial records are organized around parishes and judicial districts. Searching the wrong parish is one of the easiest ways to miss a case.
Start with eClerks, finish with the clerk
Use the statewide portal to locate a record, then go to the parish clerk when you need the authoritative file or a certified document.
Do not search LACCH like a public court site
Louisiana is a closed-record state. LACCH is not an unrestricted public name-search database for checking strangers.
Use Right to Review before expungement
State Police specifically recommends it so the arrest date and original charges in the filing match the state rap sheet.
Ask for the initial police report
In an active case, broader investigative material may be restricted even though basic initial-report and booking information is public.
Read every disposition
A criminal history can show multiple charges arising from one arrest. Check the outcome of each charge separately.
Older case? Call the clerk
Local electronic coverage dates vary. A missing online result can simply mean the historical record has not been digitized.
Recent booking? Search locally first
The parish sheriff or arresting police department can be more useful than a statewide court search immediately after an arrest.
Keep the docket number
Once you find a Louisiana case number, save it. It makes copy requests, clerk calls and disposition research much easier.
Using criminal-record information for employment or housing decisions
A public court-record search is not automatically the same thing as a consumer background report that complies with federal and state rules governing employment, tenant screening, credit or other eligibility decisions.
Employers and licensing agencies that are legally authorized to obtain Louisiana or FBI criminal-history information may have specific fingerprinting, disclosure and authorization procedures. Louisiana State Police specifically tells applicants seeking employment or licensing background checks to obtain the correct service code from the hiring or licensing agency.
Louisiana criminal-record search questions
1. Is there a free statewide Louisiana criminal background search?
Louisiana does not provide an unrestricted public statewide State Police rap-sheet search. Louisiana State Police describes the state as a closed-record state. Public court-record research should instead begin with eClerks LA and the appropriate parish clerk. A person can request their own State Police criminal history through the Right to Review process.
2. Where should I search Louisiana criminal court cases?
Start with the official eClerks LA Criminal Search, then use the clerk of court in the parish where the case was filed for the underlying file, older records, documents and certified copies.
3. What is LACCH?
LACCH is the Louisiana Computerized Criminal History system maintained by the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information. It contains Louisiana arrests, dispositions, probation/parole bookings and incarceration information, but the repository is not generally available as an unrestricted public database.
4. How can I get a copy of my own Louisiana criminal history?
Use the Louisiana State Police Right to Review process. Routine requests are handled through the Louisiana Applicant Processing System using fingerprint appointments. State Police offers mailed and electronic report options.
5. Are Louisiana arrest records public?
Louisiana law makes specified information public, including the initial investigating report, booking records, summons/citation records and filed bills of information, subject to other confidentiality laws. Broader investigative records can remain restricted while criminal litigation is pending or reasonably anticipated.
6. How do I find someone in a Louisiana jail or prison?
For people under Louisiana DPS&C custody or supervision, use LA VINE or the Department’s locator instructions. For a recent parish-jail booking, check the official parish sheriff’s jail roster because local jail custody may be maintained separately.
7. How do I search Louisiana arrest warrants?
There is no single unrestricted official statewide public warrant database covering every parish. Check the relevant parish sheriff, court clerk or law-enforcement agency. If the potential warrant concerns you personally, confirm it directly with the responsible agency or qualified counsel.
8. Are Louisiana juvenile criminal records public?
Most juvenile court records are confidential under Louisiana Children’s Code Article 412, although Louisiana law creates limited public-access exceptions for certain serious juvenile matters. Juvenile criminal-conduct information is not disseminated as an ordinary background check outside the criminal-justice system.
9. Does Louisiana expungement destroy a criminal record?
No. Louisiana law defines expungement as removing eligible records from public access rather than destroying every record. Certain criminal-justice and other legally authorized access can remain.
10. Where do I search a federal criminal case from Louisiana?
Federal cases are separate from Louisiana state and parish court records. Use PACER for federal court cases. Someone seeking their own FBI Identity History Summary should use the FBI’s official fingerprint-based process.
Official resources for verifying Louisiana criminal-record information
Fees, online portals, forms and access rules can change. These government and official court-related sources should be checked again before an important filing or formal request.
- eClerks LA — Louisiana Clerks’ Remote Access Authority
- Louisiana Clerks of Court Association — Clerk Directory
- Louisiana State Police — Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information
- Louisiana State Police — Fingerprints & Background Checks
- Louisiana State Police — Expungements
- Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections — Locate a Person
- Louisiana DPS&C — Public Information and Records Requests
- Louisiana Supreme Court — Costs, Fees and Charge Code System
- Louisiana R.S. 44:3 — Law-Enforcement Records
- Louisiana R.S. 44:32 — Public Records Access and Fees
- Louisiana R.S. 44:33 — Availability of Public Records
- Louisiana R.S. 15:588 — Right of Individual Access
- Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure Article 973 — Effect of Expungement
- Louisiana Children’s Code Article 412 — Juvenile Record Confidentiality