St. Mary Parish Criminal Records

St. Mary Parish criminal records are maintained by the Clerk of Court in Franklin and cover all criminal cases, felony charges, misdemeanor offenses, arrests, indictments, and convictions processed through the 16th Judicial District Court, which serves Iberia, St. Mary, and St. Martin parishes.

St. Mary Parish Clerk of Court

The St. Mary Parish Clerk of Court in Franklin keeps all criminal case records for the parish. The mailing address is P.O. Box 1231, Franklin, LA 70538. The main phone number is (337) 828-4100. All criminal filings processed through the 16th Judicial District Court for St. Mary Parish are indexed and maintained at this office. The clerk is the official custodian of public criminal court records under state law for every felony case, misdemeanor offense, arrest record, and criminal conviction from St. Mary Parish.

Under Louisiana Revised Statute 44:31, the public may inspect St. Mary Parish criminal records at no charge during normal business hours. You must present a valid photo ID. No reason is required for a St. Mary Parish criminal records inspection request. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. For routine St. Mary Parish criminal records requests, the clerk's staff typically pulls criminal case files while you wait at the counter in Franklin.

Copy fees for St. Mary Parish criminal records follow the standard Louisiana schedule. Plain paper copies cost $1.00 per page. Certified St. Mary Parish copies are $5.00 per document. A name search of the St. Mary Parish criminal index runs $5.00 per name. Mail requests are accepted. Send your written request and payment by check or money order to P.O. Box 1231, Franklin, LA 70538 with a description of the St. Mary Parish criminal records you need.

The Louisiana Secretary of State website at sos.la.gov maintains a statewide directory of public offices, including the clerk of court for every Louisiana parish, which is useful if you need contact information for multiple clerks across Louisiana beyond St. Mary Parish.

Searching Criminal Records in St. Mary Parish

An in-person visit to the St. Mary Parish clerk's office in Franklin is the most direct way to search St. Mary Parish criminal records. Bring the full name of the defendant you are searching and a date of birth if possible. A criminal case number helps if you have one. The St. Mary Parish clerk can run a name search of the St. Mary Parish criminal index and tell you what criminal cases are on file for that defendant. The search itself is quick for most St. Mary Parish requests at the Franklin office.

Mail-in requests are also accepted at P.O. Box 1231, Franklin, LA 70538. Include the subject's full name, date of birth, the type of St. Mary Parish criminal records needed, and payment for applicable fees. Checks and money orders are accepted. Do not mail cash. Turnaround time on mail requests for St. Mary Parish criminal records typically runs one to two weeks. For urgent St. Mary Parish criminal record searches, an in-person visit or use of the statewide Internet Background Check is a better option.

The Louisiana State Police Internet Background Check portal at ibc.dps.louisiana.gov provides name-based criminal history checks drawn from statewide records covering St. Mary Parish and all other parishes. This is a good remote option when you cannot visit the St. Mary Parish office in Franklin or when you need to check criminal records across multiple parishes at once.

The IBC portal is operated by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Security. A name-based criminal history search through the portal can return results from all 64 parishes rather than just St. Mary Parish alone.

Note: St. Mary Parish criminal records sealed by court order or expunged under La. R.S. 44:9 do not appear in clerk index searches or state background check results. A clean result does not guarantee no prior criminal history exists for a St. Mary Parish defendant.

St. Mary Parish Court System

St. Mary Parish is part of the 16th Judicial District Court, which covers three parishes: Iberia, St. Mary, and St. Martin. The 16th JDC operates out of each parish seat. For St. Mary Parish, criminal court is held in Franklin. All felony criminal cases filed in St. Mary Parish go through the 16th JDC. The St. Mary Parish clerk of court in Franklin maintains those St. Mary Parish criminal case files. Judges rotate among the three parish courthouses within the district and handle St. Mary Parish criminal cases, felony trials, and sentencing hearings.

Appeals from 16th JDC St. Mary Parish criminal rulings go to the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal in Lake Charles. The Third Circuit covers the central and southwestern portion of Louisiana, including St. Mary Parish criminal cases. From the Third Circuit, a St. Mary Parish criminal case can be appealed further to the Louisiana Supreme Court in New Orleans. The Supreme Court's docket and opinions are at lasc.org.

Minor criminal matters, traffic violations, and ordinance cases in outlying areas of St. Mary Parish may be handled at the justice of the peace level. Those St. Mary Parish criminal records are held by the specific justice of the peace court and not by the St. Mary Parish district court clerk in Franklin. If you are looking for a minor St. Mary Parish criminal offense record and the clerk does not find it, ask whether a justice of the peace court may hold the St. Mary Parish criminal file.

State Criminal Records Resources

The Louisiana State Police Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information manages criminal history records at the state level. BCII collects data from law enforcement and courts across all 64 Louisiana parishes, including St. Mary Parish criminal arrests and convictions. A BCII background check covers St. Mary Parish and all other parishes in a single request. This makes it the most efficient option when you need a comprehensive criminal history that may span multiple parishes beyond St. Mary Parish alone.

The Louisiana State Police homepage at lsp.org is the starting point for information on BCII services, fees, and forms for St. Mary Parish criminal history requests. Name-based checks can be submitted by mail. Fingerprint-based checks offer greater accuracy and are required for some professional and government applications that cover St. Mary Parish and other parishes. The LSP background checks section explains when each type of St. Mary Parish criminal history check is appropriate.

From the LSP homepage, navigate to the background checks section to find the BCII forms page, fee schedules, and mailing instructions for submitting a criminal history request covering St. Mary Parish criminal records and all other parishes.

The Louisiana Department of Corrections offender search at doc.la.gov shows information on people currently incarcerated in state prison or under DOC supervision. If someone convicted of a St. Mary Parish criminal offense is serving time in a state facility, the DOC search will show their current housing location and expected release date based on their St. Mary Parish sentence.

Expunging Criminal Records in St. Mary Parish

Louisiana Revised Statute 44:9 governs expungements statewide. Eligible individuals can file a petition with the 16th Judicial District Court to have qualifying St. Mary Parish criminal records removed from the public criminal index. In St. Mary Parish, the petition is filed through the St. Mary Parish clerk of court in Franklin. The first step is verifying that the specific St. Mary Parish criminal offense qualifies. Crimes of violence and sex offenses are excluded under state law, and other categories may also be ineligible depending on the circumstances of the St. Mary Parish criminal case.

The total standard cost for a St. Mary Parish criminal expungement is approximately $550.00. Of that, $300.00 goes to the St. Mary Parish clerk of court and $250.00 goes to the Louisiana State Police. The LSP payment must be sent by USPS money order only. No refunds are given regardless of outcome, so confirming eligibility before paying is critical for any St. Mary Parish criminal expungement. A Louisiana attorney familiar with expungement law can review your St. Mary Parish criminal case and advise you on whether to proceed.

Waiting periods are set by R.S. 44:9. St. Mary Parish misdemeanor criminal convictions have a two-year waiting period after sentence completion. First-offense felony convictions set aside under Article 893 require a five-year wait. An arrest in St. Mary Parish that did not lead to conviction may be expungeable sooner. The St. Mary Parish clerk's office in Franklin can provide the petition form and filing instructions but cannot give legal advice about whether your specific St. Mary Parish criminal record qualifies for expungement.

Note: After the court grants a St. Mary Parish expungement, the St. Mary Parish clerk removes the criminal case from public indexes. Law enforcement agencies may retain restricted access under specific conditions outlined in R.S. 44:9.

Record Access and Copy Fees

St. Mary Parish public criminal records are open for inspection at no cost under R.S. 44:31. Anyone can visit the St. Mary Parish clerk's office in Franklin during business hours to view St. Mary Parish criminal case files. Bring a valid photo ID. You do not need to explain why you want to see the St. Mary Parish criminal records. The clerk's staff will retrieve the criminal files you request and let you review them at the office counter.

Copies of St. Mary Parish criminal records carry fees. Plain copies cost $1.00 per page. Certified copies are $5.00 per document. A criminal name search of the St. Mary Parish index costs $5.00 per name. For large copy requests involving multiple St. Mary Parish criminal case files, check whether the office needs additional time to process the job. Payment at the St. Mary Parish office is by check or money order payable to the St. Mary Parish Clerk of Court.

Mail requests are accepted at P.O. Box 1231, Franklin, LA 70538. Include the subject's name, date of birth, the type of St. Mary Parish criminal record you need, and payment. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope to get your St. Mary Parish criminal documents back faster. Mail processing can take one to two weeks. For faster results, visit in person or use the LSP Internet Background Check portal online for statewide criminal history beyond St. Mary Parish.

The BCII forms page is updated when fees or form versions change, so checking the current page before you mail a request ensures you use the right form and include the correct payment amount for your St. Mary Parish criminal history search.

Nearby Parishes

These parishes are near or adjacent to St. Mary Parish. Each has its own clerk of court and handles criminal records separately.