Grant Parish Criminal Records Search

Grant Parish criminal records are filed with the Clerk of Court in Colfax and cover all criminal cases handled by the 35th Judicial District Court. Grant Parish criminal filings include felony charges, misdemeanor cases at the district level, arrests, criminal convictions, sentencing orders, and post-conviction documents. The Grant Parish Clerk office in Colfax is the official keeper of all these criminal court records. For a search that goes beyond Grant Parish, Louisiana State Police maintains a statewide criminal history database through the BCII program. This page explains where Grant Parish criminal records are held, how to request access, and what other criminal record sources are available for the parish.

Grant Parish Clerk of Court

The Grant Parish Clerk of Court is the official record keeper for all criminal cases filed in the 35th Judicial District Court. The Grant Parish Clerk office holds every felony case, district-level misdemeanor case, and related criminal filing in the parish. Mailing address is P.O. Box 263, Colfax, LA 71417. The main Grant Parish Clerk phone number is (318) 627-3246. Once a criminal case closes in Grant Parish, the file stays with the clerk permanently and remains part of the public record.

Public inspection of Grant Parish criminal records is free under Louisiana Revised Statute 44:31. You can walk into the Grant Parish Clerk office during business hours, ask staff to pull a criminal file by defendant name or case number, and review Grant Parish criminal records at no charge. You only pay if you want a paper copy. General Grant Parish Clerk hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Call ahead before driving to Colfax to confirm staff will be available for Grant Parish criminal record requests.

When visiting the Grant Parish Clerk, bring a photo ID and any details you have about the criminal case. The more you know about the Grant Parish case, the faster clerk staff can locate the file. Useful details include the defendant's full legal name, the year the Grant Parish charges were filed, or the criminal case docket number. Certified copies of Grant Parish criminal court documents cost more than plain copies. The Grant Parish Clerk can quote the current fee before you finalize a copy request.

Note: Grant Parish is a small courthouse town. Call (318) 627-3246 before visiting to confirm the Grant Parish criminal records you need are accessible on the day you plan to go.

Searching Criminal Records in Grant Parish

Grant Parish does not have a public online portal for criminal case searches. Grant Parish criminal record searches are done in person at the Colfax courthouse or by written mail request. For in-person searches, Grant Parish Clerk staff pull criminal files by defendant name or docket number. For mail requests, write to the Grant Parish Clerk with the subject's full name, the approximate case year, your return address, and a check for any copy fees. Include a return envelope if you want Grant Parish criminal records copies mailed back.

For a criminal history search that goes beyond Grant Parish, Louisiana State Police maintains criminal records for all parishes through the BCII system. When a person is arrested and fingerprinted in Grant Parish, that arrest data flows to BCII. Criminal convictions and dispositions from the 35th JDC are also reported there. An LSP criminal history report can return Grant Parish arrest and conviction data alongside records from other parishes, making it more complete than a single Grant Parish Clerk search alone.

The Louisiana State Police background check information page covers how to request a statewide criminal history report that includes Grant Parish records, who qualifies for access, and which forms are required.

The LSP page lists both name-based and fingerprint-based criminal history request options, along with fee schedules and processing times for Grant Parish and all Louisiana parishes.

If a Grant Parish criminal search returns no results, that does not mean no criminal record exists. The Grant Parish case may have been filed in a different parish, handled at the federal level, or resolved at a lower court not captured in the district clerk's system. Grant Parish Clerk staff can suggest next steps if a name search turns up no local criminal files.

Grant Parish Court System

The 35th Judicial District Court serves Grant Parish exclusively. It is the only district court in Grant Parish and handles all felony criminal cases filed here. The court sits in Colfax, the Grant Parish seat. Appeals from Grant Parish criminal convictions in the 35th JDC go to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal, which covers central and south Louisiana.

The district attorney for the 35th JDC prosecutes all Grant Parish criminal cases. Plea agreements, dismissal motions, and trial verdicts all get filed with the Grant Parish Clerk and become part of the public criminal record. Once a criminal case resolves in Grant Parish, the record stays public unless the defendant later receives an expungement or the court seals the Grant Parish criminal record by specific order.

Lower-level criminal matters in Grant Parish, such as certain misdemeanors and traffic offenses, may be resolved at the Justice of the Peace level. Those criminal records might not appear in the Grant Parish district court clerk's system. If you cannot find a Grant Parish criminal case at the district level, ask the Grant Parish Clerk whether it may have been handled by a lower court in the parish.

Note: All 35th JDC criminal cases originate in Grant Parish. Records for neighboring parishes are held separately by each parish's own clerk of court.

Louisiana State Criminal Records

The Louisiana State Police Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information compiles criminal history records from courts and law enforcement agencies statewide. Grant Parish arrests, charges, and case dispositions feed into this central database. A statewide BCII report can show criminal activity across multiple parishes and is often more thorough than a single Grant Parish Clerk search, since it captures records from every parish where a person may have had a criminal case.

Individuals can request their own Louisiana criminal history through the Internet Background Check portal. The IBC portal at ibc.dps.louisiana.gov allows online submission, credit card payment, and electronic delivery of criminal history results that include Grant Parish records.

The IBC portal is the fastest way to get a Louisiana statewide criminal history that covers Grant Parish records, available any time without a trip to a state office.

The Louisiana Department of Corrections maintains a separate database of people currently in state prison custody. If a defendant convicted of a criminal offense in Grant Parish received a state prison sentence, you can search for them at doc.la.gov. The DOC offender search covers state prison inmates only, not people held in the local Grant Parish jail.

Expunging Criminal Records in Grant Parish

Louisiana Revised Statute 44:9 governs criminal record expungement statewide, including in Grant Parish. The law defines which Grant Parish criminal offenses qualify for expungement, which are excluded, and the steps required to file. Not every Grant Parish criminal record is eligible. Crimes of violence, sex offenses, and certain drug trafficking charges are excluded by state law. Confirm Grant Parish expungement eligibility before paying any fees, since all expungement fees are non-refundable.

A standard Grant Parish criminal record expungement costs approximately $550 total. That covers a filing fee to the Grant Parish Clerk and a separate fee paid to Louisiana State Police. The LSP payment must be by money order. Some Grant Parish expungement cases also require a pre-filing review by the local sheriff at an additional fee. If the expungement petition is denied, no fees are returned.

To file, submit the expungement petition at the 35th Judicial District Court through the Grant Parish Clerk office in Colfax. Grant Parish Clerk staff can provide the required forms and the current local filing fee. After filing, the district attorney and law enforcement agencies have a set window to object. If no objections are filed and the judge approves the Grant Parish expungement petition, the criminal record is removed from public access. An attorney is not required for Grant Parish expungements, but many people choose to use one given the non-refundable fees and number of steps involved.

Note: A Louisiana expungement removes a Grant Parish record from public databases but does not destroy the underlying criminal court files. Certain agencies can still access expunged Grant Parish records under state law.

Copy Fees and Access in Grant Parish

Free in-person inspection of Grant Parish criminal records is guaranteed under Louisiana public records law. The Grant Parish Clerk cannot charge you just to view a criminal file. You can sit at the courthouse, ask to see a Grant Parish criminal case file, and review it at no cost during regular business hours. This right applies to all Louisiana residents seeking Grant Parish criminal records.

Paper copies of Grant Parish criminal records carry a fee. Plain copies of Grant Parish criminal documents typically run about $1.00 per page. Certified copies cost more per page. A name-based Grant Parish criminal history search at the clerk level generally runs around $20. Call (318) 627-3246 to confirm the current Grant Parish Clerk fee schedule before your visit, since local rates can differ from statewide averages.

For LSP background check fees covering statewide criminal records that include Grant Parish, the BCII forms page at lsp.org has the current fee schedule and downloadable forms for both name-based and fingerprint-based criminal history requests.

BCII forms include the SP-93 request form for name-based criminal searches and fingerprint card submission instructions for a more thorough Grant Parish and statewide criminal history search.

Note: Fees paid to the Grant Parish Clerk and fees paid to Louisiana State Police are separate payments. Each must go to the right agency directly.

Nearby Parishes

These parishes border or sit close to Grant Parish. Each has its own clerk of court and district court. Use these links to search criminal records in a neighboring parish.