Search Calcasieu Parish Criminal Records

Calcasieu Parish criminal records are held at the Calcasieu Parish Clerk of Court office in Lake Charles. The Calcasieu Parish clerk maintains criminal case files going back to 1986 and offers background certification searches covering criminal records from 1987 to present. The 14th Judicial District Court handles all felony and major misdemeanor criminal cases in this southwest Louisiana parish.

Calcasieu Parish Clerk of Court

The Calcasieu Parish Clerk of Court is based in Lake Charles on Ryan Street. The Calcasieu Parish clerk's office is the official keeper of all Calcasieu Parish criminal court records filed in this parish. The office is divided into departments, each handling a specific type of Calcasieu Parish criminal record or function. For most Calcasieu Parish criminal record requests, you will deal with the Criminal Records or Archives departments depending on how old the criminal case is.

You can reach the Calcasieu Parish clerk's main desk at (337) 437-3550. If you know which department handles your Calcasieu Parish criminal record request, calling the right extension saves time. The clerk's website at calclerkofcourt.com has more details on services and forms for Calcasieu Parish criminal records. The HelpDesk extension is 337-437-3558 ext. 185 for general questions about Calcasieu Parish criminal records access.

View the Calcasieu Parish Clerk of Court website to find contact information, criminal records request instructions, and department listings.

The site includes a list of departments, fee schedules, and links to online access tools for Calcasieu Parish criminal records.

Key department extensions for Calcasieu Parish criminal matters include: Appeals (Criminal) at ext. 176, Archives at ext. 193 or 207, Bonds at ext. 152, Juvenile Records at ext. 206 or 131, and Subpoenas at ext. 134. The Calcasieu Parish criminal records fax line is (337) 437-3833. Use the fax line if you need to send a written request for Calcasieu Parish criminal records by fax.

How to Request Calcasieu Parish Criminal Records

To request Calcasieu Parish criminal records at the Calcasieu Parish Clerk of Court, you need to give the clerk specific information. Without this info, the Calcasieu Parish criminal records search may return no results or the wrong criminal case records. Come prepared with what you know about the Calcasieu Parish criminal case before you go in or call.

The Calcasieu Parish clerk needs: the defendant's full name, their date of birth, the criminal charge or charges involved, and the year the criminal charge was filed. A Calcasieu Parish criminal case number speeds up the search if you have one, but it is not required. With just a name and year, the Calcasieu Parish clerk can usually find the criminal file. Date of birth helps narrow results when two people share the same name in Calcasieu Parish criminal records.

Wait times for Calcasieu Parish criminal records depend on where the file is stored. Criminal records that are on-site and in the active system take about 5 to 10 minutes to pull. If the Calcasieu Parish criminal file has been moved to offsite storage, plan on a wait of about three business days. Old Calcasieu Parish criminal cases are more likely to be in offsite storage. Call ahead for older criminal cases so the Calcasieu Parish clerk can start pulling the file before you arrive.

Some Calcasieu Parish criminal records need a court order before the clerk can release them. Sexual offense records, juvenile records, and violent crime records all fall into this group. If you need one of those Calcasieu Parish criminal records, you have to file a motion with the court and get a signed order from a judge before the Calcasieu Parish clerk can give you the file. The clerk cannot bypass this rule even if you have a legitimate need for the criminal records.

Note: Juvenile criminal records are sealed in Louisiana and require a court order for access in almost all Calcasieu Parish cases.

Background Certification Searches in Calcasieu Parish

The Calcasieu Parish Clerk of Court offers a background certification search service that covers Calcasieu Parish criminal records from 1987 to present. This is one of the most useful services the Calcasieu Parish clerk provides for people who need a clear summary of a person's criminal case history in this parish. The search checks all Calcasieu Parish criminal case filings in the court system for the time period covered.

The fee for a Calcasieu Parish background certification search is $20. This gets you a search of Calcasieu Parish criminal records from 1987 to present and a certification from the clerk confirming what was found or not found. If you need a certified copy of a specific criminal document from the Calcasieu Parish file, that costs $5 per copy. Confirmed copies are $3 each. Plain copies without certification cost $1 per page. These fees apply to Calcasieu Parish criminal minutes and other criminal case documents you request.

The Louisiana State Police background check page has info on how the state's criminal history system connects to Calcasieu Parish criminal records.

For a complete criminal history picture, you may want to run both a Calcasieu Parish criminal records search and a state-level check through the LSP.

Keep in mind that the Calcasieu Parish clerk's background search only covers Calcasieu Parish criminal records. If a person has a criminal history in another Louisiana parish, those criminal records will not show up in a Calcasieu Parish search. For a full statewide criminal history check, you need to go through the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information. Both searches together give the most complete criminal history picture.

Calcasieu Parish Criminal Records Archives

The Calcasieu Parish Clerk of Court keeps historical criminal records going back to 1910. The Calcasieu Parish Archives department at extensions 193 and 207 handles these older criminal files. The Calcasieu Parish archives cover criminal records from 1910 to 1985, along with civil cases, successions, marriage records, and military documents from that period. Digital criminal records and online access do not cover this older range, so you must contact the Calcasieu Parish Archives department directly for any criminal record before 1986.

Calcasieu Parish criminal records from 1986 to the present are in the active system. Calcasieu Parish criminal background searches go back to 1987. Criminal minutes, which are the official record of what happened in court at each Calcasieu Parish criminal hearing, are available from 1993 onward. For any Calcasieu Parish criminal matter outside these date ranges, the Archives team can tell you what is available and how long retrieval might take for older criminal records.

The ClerkConnect multiparish portal gives remote access to criminal records across many Louisiana parishes, including Calcasieu Parish.

ClerkConnect is useful for searching current Calcasieu Parish criminal records, but the Calcasieu Parish Archives department handles all pre-1986 criminal records not yet in the online system.

Criminal Courts in Calcasieu Parish

The 14th Judicial District Court handles all felony criminal cases filed in Calcasieu Parish. The court is based at the Calcasieu Parish Courthouse in Lake Charles. Judges in the 14th JDC are elected and serve six-year terms. Calcasieu Parish criminal cases are assigned to divisions based on the court's docket system. You can find which division handles a specific Calcasieu Parish criminal case by checking the Calcasieu Parish clerk's records or asking the clerk's office directly.

Misdemeanor and traffic matters in Calcasieu Parish may be handled at the City Court of Lake Charles or other local courts depending on where the offense happened. Calcasieu Parish city court criminal records are kept separately from the district court. If you are looking for a minor Calcasieu Parish criminal offense or traffic violation, check with the city court in addition to the Calcasieu Parish district court clerk.

The 14th JDC also handles civil cases, domestic matters, and probate in Calcasieu Parish. Calcasieu Parish criminal case records are part of the unified Calcasieu Clerk of Court system. Appeals from 14th JDC Calcasieu Parish criminal cases go to the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal. If a Calcasieu Parish criminal case went to appeal, the third circuit in Lake Charles would have those criminal appellate records.

Expungements in Calcasieu Parish

People with eligible Calcasieu Parish criminal records can petition to have those criminal records expunged under La. R.S. 44:9. An expungement seals the Calcasieu Parish criminal record from public view. Arrests without convictions, first-time nonviolent drug offenses, and certain other Calcasieu Parish criminal charges may qualify. Convictions for serious violent crimes and sex offenses in Calcasieu Parish do not qualify for expungement under Louisiana law.

The total cost to expunge a Calcasieu Parish criminal record in Louisiana runs about $550. This includes the Calcasieu Parish Clerk of Court filing fee, a fee to the Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information to update the state criminal database, and fees paid to the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff and the District Attorney's office. You file the expungement petition in the 14th Judicial District Court where the original Calcasieu Parish criminal case was heard. The DA has time to review and object. If no objection is filed, the judge can grant the Calcasieu Parish expungement. Once granted, the Calcasieu Parish Clerk of Court seals the criminal record and the state updates its criminal history files.

Note: Getting a Calcasieu Parish expungement granted does not instantly remove Calcasieu Parish criminal records from private background check databases. Some private companies update slowly. Follow up after the court order to make sure the Calcasieu Parish criminal record is sealed everywhere you need it to be.

State Criminal Records Resources

The Louisiana State Police Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information maintains the statewide criminal history database. This is the official source for a complete criminal history search across all Louisiana parishes, going beyond what Calcasieu Parish criminal records alone cover. You can request a name-based or fingerprint-based criminal history search. Fingerprint searches are more thorough and are required for certain official purposes. Visit lsp.org/services/background-checks/ for forms and instructions.

The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections at doc.la.gov maintains criminal records for people who have been incarcerated at state facilities after Calcasieu Parish criminal convictions. If you need to look up a person's prison record, sentence length, or current supervision status after a Calcasieu Parish criminal case, the DOC offender search is the right tool. These criminal records cover state prison sentences and are separate from the Calcasieu Parish-level court clerk records.

Cities in Calcasieu Parish

Lake Charles is the parish seat and the largest city in Calcasieu Parish. Lake Charles criminal records are filed through the 14th Judicial District Court and kept at the Calcasieu Parish Clerk of Court. Smaller communities in Calcasieu Parish include Sulphur, Westlake, DeQuincy, and Vinton. All criminal cases from these Calcasieu Parish communities are handled by the same clerk's office and district court in Lake Charles.

Nearby Parishes

These parishes are adjacent to Calcasieu Parish in southwest Louisiana. Criminal cases are filed in the parish where the offense occurred, so check the right parish criminal records if you are unsure which court has jurisdiction.