St. Bernard Parish Criminal Records

St. Bernard Parish criminal records are maintained by the Clerk of Court in Chalmette and filed through the 34th Judicial District Court, covering felony charges, misdemeanor offenses, arrests, indictments, and convictions filed in St. Bernard Parish.

St. Bernard Parish Clerk of Court

The St. Bernard Parish Clerk of Court is the official keeper of all criminal court records for St. Bernard Parish. The office mailing address is P.O. Box 1746, Chalmette, LA 70044. The main phone is (504) 271-3434. The St. Bernard Parish clerk maintains every criminal case file from the 34th Judicial District Court's criminal proceedings, covering arrests, charges, pleas, convictions, and sentences for defendants who faced criminal prosecution in St. Bernard Parish. Under Louisiana Revised Statute 44:31, the public has the right to inspect St. Bernard Parish criminal records free of charge during regular business hours. You don't need a lawyer or a stated reason to look at a public St. Bernard Parish criminal case file.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. When you visit, bring a photo ID and the full name or criminal case number you need. The St. Bernard Parish clerk's staff can search the criminal court index by name and pull the relevant case file. For older St. Bernard Parish criminal records, some files may require extra retrieval time. Calling ahead is smart if you need criminal documents from cases filed more than 15 to 20 years ago in St. Bernard Parish.

Every document filed in a St. Bernard Parish criminal case, from the initial bill of information through the final sentencing order, becomes part of the public record unless a court seals it by written order. Minute entries are the quick summary of each St. Bernard Parish criminal court appearance. They show who was present, what criminal motions were made, and what the court ordered. If you just need a basic overview of a case, St. Bernard Parish minute entries are usually the fastest starting point before diving into the full criminal case file.

Note: Call ahead before visiting if you need St. Bernard Parish criminal records from cases filed before 2000, as older St. Bernard Parish files may be in off-site storage and could take additional time to pull.

Searching Criminal Records in St. Bernard Parish

An in-person visit to the St. Bernard Parish clerk's office in Chalmette is the most direct way to search criminal records in the parish. Bring the full name and any available date of birth or criminal case number. The St. Bernard Parish criminal court index can be searched by name to identify all criminal cases filed under that name, including felony charges, misdemeanor charges, and any related indictments or warrant records. You can review any public St. Bernard Parish criminal case file at no cost and request copies for a fee. For an active criminal case, the clerk can also confirm the next scheduled court date for the defendant.

The ClerkConnect multi-parish portal is available for online searches of St. Bernard Parish criminal records. St. Bernard Parish participates in ClerkConnect, which gives access to the criminal court index from many Louisiana parishes. A basic search shows St. Bernard Parish criminal case numbers and filing dates. Full document access requires a paid subscription. ClerkConnect is a good option when you also need to check criminal records in Orleans or Jefferson parishes at the same time, since all three are accessible through the same portal.

For a statewide criminal history search, the Louisiana State Police Internet Background Check at ibc.dps.louisiana.gov provides a name-based search against the state's central repository. That search covers St. Bernard Parish arrests, charges, and dispositions reported from all parishes. It gives a broad statewide picture of criminal history and conviction records but is not a substitute for a full St. Bernard Parish clerk search when you need specific criminal case documents.

The LSP site connects to the Internet Background Check portal, BCII forms, and other resources for accessing Louisiana criminal history records including St. Bernard Parish arrests and convictions.

St. Bernard Parish Court System

The 34th Judicial District Court handles all felony criminal cases in St. Bernard Parish. The court is based in Chalmette. Judges of the 34th JDC hear St. Bernard Parish criminal charges from arraignment through sentencing, and manage every stage of the St. Bernard Parish criminal docket including pretrial hearings, trials, and post-conviction proceedings. The court also handles expungement petitions filed by defendants whose criminal records originated in St. Bernard Parish. The 34th JDC is a single-parish district, meaning it covers only St. Bernard Parish, which makes the St. Bernard Parish criminal records system more straightforward to navigate than multi-parish districts.

Appeals from St. Bernard Parish criminal convictions in the 34th JDC go to the Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal in New Orleans. The Fourth Circuit covers the metro New Orleans area and southeastern Louisiana. If you need records from a St. Bernard Parish criminal case that was appealed, contact the Fourth Circuit directly. Those St. Bernard Parish appeal records and court opinions are maintained at the appellate court level and are separate from what the St. Bernard Parish clerk holds for the original criminal proceedings.

Lower-level St. Bernard Parish criminal matters such as misdemeanors and ordinance violations may be handled at the justice of the peace level or in a city court rather than the district court. Those courts keep their own St. Bernard Parish criminal records. If your search involves a minor criminal offense or traffic violation in St. Bernard Parish, ask the St. Bernard Parish district court clerk whether the matter would have been handled at a lower court level and where those criminal records are filed.

State Criminal Records Resources

The Louisiana State Police Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information is the state's central criminal history repository. BCII collects arrest and disposition records from courts and law enforcement agencies statewide, including St. Bernard Parish. You can get a St. Bernard Parish criminal history through the online Internet Background Check portal or by submitting a mail-in request using forms from lsp.org/services/background-checks/bcii-forms. Both options cover St. Bernard Parish arrests, charges, and convictions reported to the state from St. Bernard Parish and all other parishes.

The DOC offender search covers people serving or who have served state sentences following St. Bernard Parish criminal convictions, and anyone under active probation or parole supervision in Louisiana after a St. Bernard Parish felony case.

The BCII mail-in request requires a completed form, the subject's full name and date of birth, and the applicable fee. Allow several weeks for mail processing of St. Bernard Parish criminal history requests. The online IBC portal returns results much faster. Both options search the same state repository but the online route is quicker for time-sensitive St. Bernard Parish criminal history needs, especially when you need a quick review of St. Bernard Parish arrest records or conviction history.

For the official state portal connecting to courts, agencies, and state services, visit louisiana.gov. That site provides links to the clerk of court network, LSP, DOC, and other agencies that hold records relevant to St. Bernard Parish criminal cases in Louisiana.

Expunging Records in St. Bernard Parish

Louisiana's expungement law is at La. R.S. 44:9. That statute sets eligibility, process, and fees for expunging St. Bernard Parish criminal records. The total cost for a standard St. Bernard Parish criminal record expungement is approximately $550. This breaks down as $300 paid to the St. Bernard Parish clerk of court where the original criminal case was filed and $250 paid to the Louisiana State Police by USPS money order. All fees are non-refundable. For St. Bernard Parish criminal cases, the expungement petition is filed with the 34th JDC Clerk of Court in Chalmette.

After filing, you must serve copies of the St. Bernard Parish expungement petition on the clerk, the district attorney, the arresting agency, and the Louisiana State Police. All four agencies have 60 days to file an objection. If no objection comes in, the court may grant the St. Bernard Parish criminal record expungement without a hearing. If an agency objects, the court sets a hearing and both sides present their positions before the judge decides whether to expunge the criminal record from public access.

Violent crimes, sex offenses, and certain felony convictions are not eligible for St. Bernard Parish criminal record expungement under La. R.S. 44:9. St. Bernard Parish arrests without conviction, dismissed criminal charges, and some first-offense drug convictions may qualify after the applicable waiting period. The waiting periods vary by offense type, so review the statute carefully or get legal advice before filing a St. Bernard Parish expungement petition. Since all fees are non-refundable, confirming eligibility before paying saves money if the court ultimately denies the petition.

Note: DWI expungements in St. Bernard Parish carry a higher total cost than standard expungements in Louisiana due to an additional fee payable to the Office of Motor Vehicles.

Record Access and Copy Fees

Viewing St. Bernard Parish criminal case records at the Clerk of Court is free under state law. Fees apply when you request copies of St. Bernard Parish criminal records. Standard Louisiana clerk copy fees are typically $1.00 per page for plain copies and around $5.00 per document for certified copies plus the per-page rate. A name-based St. Bernard Parish criminal index search may carry a separate fee depending on the clerk's local schedule. Call (504) 271-3434 to get current rates before visiting or sending a mail request for St. Bernard Parish criminal case documents.

For mail requests, write a clear request including the subject's full name, date of birth if known, St. Bernard Parish criminal case number if available, the document type you need, the number of copies, and a check or money order payable to the St. Bernard Parish Clerk of Court. If the funds you include are not enough to cover the full cost of the St. Bernard Parish criminal records request, the St. Bernard Parish clerk will contact you before sending any documents from the criminal case file.

Online access to St. Bernard Parish criminal records through ClerkConnect requires a subscription for document images. Per-document fees may also apply. The Louisiana State Police Internet Background Check charges a per-search fee at the time you run the search for St. Bernard Parish criminal history. That fee is not returned if the search produces no St. Bernard Parish criminal history results for the name you submit. Check the current fee on the LSP website before using the online portal for St. Bernard Parish records.

Nearby Parishes

St. Bernard Parish borders Orleans and Plaquemines parishes. Each has its own clerk and court system for criminal records separate from St. Bernard Parish.