Lincoln Parish Criminal Records Lookup

Lincoln Parish criminal records are kept by the Lincoln Parish Clerk of Court in Ruston and fall under the 3rd Judicial District Court; Lincoln Parish participates in ClerkConnect, which means Lincoln Parish criminal case records are available online through the statewide ClerkConnect portal, and this page explains both online and in-person options for accessing Lincoln Parish criminal records.

Lincoln Parish Clerk of Court

The Lincoln Parish Clerk of Court is the official custodian of criminal court records for the parish. The Lincoln Parish clerk's mailing address is P.O. Box 113, Ruston, LA 71273. The main phone number is (318) 251-5110. The physical courthouse is in Ruston. All Lincoln Parish criminal case filings, minute entries, and certified copy requests for the 3rd Judicial District Court go through this office. Lincoln Parish criminal records cover every felony and misdemeanor case filed through the 3rd JDC, including criminal charges, arrest history, docket entries, and final dispositions.

In-person inspection of Lincoln Parish criminal records is free under Louisiana Revised Statute 44:31. You can walk in during regular business hours, present a valid photo ID, and review any public Lincoln Parish criminal case file at no cost. Office hours at the Lincoln Parish Clerk of Court are generally Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Call ahead to confirm hours and make sure the Lincoln Parish criminal file you need is available on-site. For older Lincoln Parish criminal records, some files may be in an archive and might need to be retrieved before your visit.

Lincoln Parish participates in the ClerkConnect multi-parish online portal. Through ClerkConnect, you can search Lincoln Parish criminal case records remotely without making a trip to Ruston. Lincoln Parish is also an e-recording and e-filing parish, which means criminal case documents can be submitted electronically. This makes Lincoln Parish one of the more accessible parishes for remote criminal records access in north Louisiana.

Note: Lincoln Parish is a ClerkConnect participant and an e-filing parish, giving it more remote access options for criminal records than many smaller Louisiana parishes.

Searching Criminal Records in Lincoln Parish

Lincoln Parish criminal records can be searched online through ClerkConnect. ClerkConnect is a multi-parish online criminal records portal used by clerk offices across Louisiana. It lets you search Lincoln Parish criminal case records by name, docket number, or other identifiers from any device with internet access. The ClerkConnect portal at clerkconnect.com covers Lincoln Parish criminal records along with other participating parishes statewide.

ClerkConnect gives you access to Lincoln Parish criminal case records and other participating clerks without requiring a trip to the courthouse in Ruston to search criminal records in Lincoln Parish.

For in-person searches of Lincoln Parish criminal records, visit the clerk's office in Ruston during regular hours. Bring a photo ID and the defendant name or Lincoln Parish case number you want to find. If you are not sure which year a Lincoln Parish criminal case was filed, the staff can search by name and pull up a list of matches from the criminal index. In-person access to Lincoln Parish criminal records is always free. Copies carry fees, and the Lincoln Parish clerk can tell you the current rate when you call or visit.

For a criminal history search that extends beyond Lincoln Parish, Louisiana State Police maintains a statewide criminal database through BCII. Arrests in Lincoln Parish are reported to BCII, and 3rd JDC criminal dispositions for Lincoln Parish cases feed into the system as well. An LSP report can show Lincoln Parish criminal activity across all of Louisiana, not just locally.

Lincoln Parish Court System

The 3rd Judicial District Court serves Lincoln Parish. The court sits in Ruston and handles all felony criminal cases originating in Lincoln Parish. Criminal appeals from the 3rd JDC go to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal, which is based in Shreveport. The 3rd JDC also handles civil, family, and juvenile matters, but Lincoln Parish criminal cases are the primary focus for those searching criminal records.

When a criminal case is filed in Lincoln Parish, the Lincoln Parish clerk opens a docket and assigns a case number. From arraignment through final sentencing, every document in a Lincoln Parish criminal case becomes part of the public record and stays accessible through the clerk's office or through ClerkConnect online. Minute entries from each Lincoln Parish criminal hearing summarize what happened in court and are a quick way to check criminal case status without reading the full Lincoln Parish criminal file. Lincoln Parish criminal records include everything from the initial charge through the final disposition.

Misdemeanor and traffic cases in Lincoln Parish may be handled at the city court level in Ruston or at Justice of the Peace courts across the parish. Those Lincoln Parish criminal records may not appear in the district court docket. If you cannot find a Lincoln Parish criminal case at the 3rd JDC clerk level, ask whether it might have been handled in Ruston City Court or another lower court in Lincoln Parish.

Note: The 3rd JDC serves Lincoln Parish exclusively. Criminal cases from surrounding parishes are filed with their own clerks and district courts and do not appear in Lincoln Parish criminal records.

Louisiana State Criminal Records

Louisiana State Police Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information keeps the central criminal history database for the state. When someone is arrested and fingerprinted in Lincoln Parish, the criminal data goes to BCII. When the 3rd JDC reports a Lincoln Parish criminal conviction or final disposition, that goes to BCII as well. A statewide BCII report can show both local Lincoln Parish criminal activity and any other Louisiana arrests or convictions in the subject's history.

You can request your own Louisiana criminal history, including Lincoln Parish criminal records, through the Internet Background Check portal. The IBC portal at ibc.dps.louisiana.gov is available online and lets you submit a self-request, pay by credit card, and get results electronically without visiting a state office. Results cover Lincoln Parish criminal history and all other Louisiana parishes.

The IBC portal is the fastest way to get a Louisiana statewide criminal history for yourself that covers Lincoln Parish and other parishes, and it is accessible any time without office hours restrictions.

If someone convicted in Lincoln Parish of a criminal offense received a state prison sentence, the Louisiana Department of Corrections offender locator at doc.la.gov can help you find their current location. The DOC database covers state facilities only and does not include people in the Lincoln Parish jail or other local detention facilities in Lincoln Parish.

Expunging Criminal Records in Lincoln Parish

Louisiana Revised Statute 44:9 governs criminal record expungements across the state, including Lincoln Parish criminal records. This statute sets out who can file for expungement of a Lincoln Parish criminal record, which types of Lincoln Parish criminal offenses can be expunged, and the steps that must be followed. Not every Lincoln Parish criminal record qualifies. Crimes of violence, sex offenses, and certain other categories of Lincoln Parish criminal cases are excluded. Confirm eligibility before you pay any fees, since all Lincoln Parish expungement fees are non-refundable.

The typical total cost for a Louisiana expungement, including Lincoln Parish criminal record expungements, runs around $550. That amount is split between the Lincoln Parish clerk's filing fee and a separate fee paid to Louisiana State Police. The LSP portion must be paid by money order only. Some Lincoln Parish criminal cases also require a pre-filing review by the Lincoln Parish Sheriff's Office, which carries its own fee. None of the payments are returned if the Lincoln Parish criminal record expungement petition is denied or if you are found ineligible after filing.

To file a Lincoln Parish criminal record expungement, submit your petition through the 3rd Judicial District Court at the clerk's office in Ruston. The Lincoln Parish clerk will tell you which forms to use and the current filing fee. Because Lincoln Parish is an e-filing parish, there may be an option to submit Lincoln Parish criminal expungement documents electronically, though you should confirm this with the clerk. After filing, the Lincoln Parish district attorney and law enforcement agencies have a set period to object. If there are no objections and the judge approves, the Lincoln Parish criminal record is removed from public access.

Note: Expungement of a Lincoln Parish criminal record removes it from public databases but does not erase it from all government systems. Some state and federal agencies retain access to expunged Lincoln Parish criminal records under circumstances defined in Louisiana law.

Copy Fees and Record Access in Lincoln Parish

In-person inspection of public Lincoln Parish criminal records at the Lincoln Parish Clerk of Court is free. La. R.S. 44:31 provides that right to every Louisiana resident. The Lincoln Parish clerk cannot charge you for reviewing a public Lincoln Parish criminal case file during normal office hours. You can sit at the Lincoln Parish courthouse and read through a criminal record without paying anything.

If you want paper copies of Lincoln Parish criminal records, fees apply. Plain copies of Lincoln Parish criminal case documents typically cost around $1.00 per page. Certified copies of Lincoln Parish criminal records carry a higher per-page rate. A name-based criminal history search at the Lincoln Parish clerk level generally runs about $20 per name. For the exact Lincoln Parish fee schedule, call (318) 251-5110 before your visit. Online access to Lincoln Parish criminal records through ClerkConnect may also carry subscription or per-search fees set by the portal operator.

For background check fees charged by Louisiana State Police for criminal history that covers Lincoln Parish and other parishes, the LSP BCII forms page at lsp.org lists current rates for both name-based and fingerprint-based criminal history requests from the state.

The BCII forms page has downloadable request forms and step-by-step instructions for submitting a background check request to Louisiana State Police covering Lincoln Parish criminal history.

Note: ClerkConnect access fees, Lincoln Parish clerk copy fees, and LSP background check fees are all separate charges paid to different entities. Budget for each independently when searching Lincoln Parish criminal records.

Nearby Parishes

These parishes are adjacent to Lincoln Parish. Each has its own clerk of court and district court criminal records. Use these links to search criminal records in a parish neighboring Lincoln Parish.