Find Washington Parish Court Records

Washington Parish court records are kept by the Clerk of Court in Franklinton and include civil, criminal, land, probate, and marriage filings for the 22nd Judicial District. The office serves as the official custodian for all documents generated in Washington Parish courts, and most of those records are open to the public under Louisiana law. Online access is available through the eClerksLA statewide portal.

Washington Parish Clerk of Court

Johnny Crain, Jr. serves as the Clerk of Court for Washington Parish. The office is located on Washington Street in Franklinton and handles all court filings, land records, marriage licenses, and related services for the parish. The Clerk is the official record keeper for the 22nd Judicial District Court, and all documents filed in that court are preserved here.

The office can be reached by phone, email, or in person. Mail requests are accepted at the P.O. Box listed below. For online access, Washington Parish uses the eClerksLA portal at eclerksla.com, which allows users to search court and land records remotely without visiting the courthouse.

Note: Effective May 1, 2025, the cost for copies at the Washington Parish Clerk of Court increased to $1.00 per page. Plan your request budget accordingly.

Searching Washington Parish Court Records Online

Washington Parish participates in the eClerksLA statewide online records system. This portal at eclerksla.com gives users access to court and land record indices for participating parishes, including Washington. You can search by name, case number, or document type depending on what you are looking for. Online access is useful if you are doing preliminary research before visiting the courthouse or if you are located outside the Franklinton area.

The image below shows the Washington Parish Clerk of Court official website, which provides additional resources and links for records access.

The clerk's site at washingtonparishclerk.org provides direct links to the eClerksLA portal along with fee schedules and office news.

Louisiana's public access framework is grounded in La. R.S. 44:1, which defines public records broadly and establishes the right of any person to inspect them. Court records held by the Washington Parish Clerk of Court fall under this law, and the office must make most of them available to the public during regular business hours. Exceptions exist for sealed records, juvenile matters, and certain protected documents.

Note: The eClerksLA portal may not include all case types. Criminal records in particular may require an in-person request at the Franklinton courthouse.

Washington Parish Civil and Criminal Court Records

Civil court records in Washington Parish cover lawsuits, contract disputes, property matters, domestic cases, and other non-criminal filings in the 22nd Judicial District. Criminal records include charges, pleas, verdicts, and sentencing orders for cases handled in the district court. Both types of records are open to the public in most cases.

Under La. R.S. 44:31, any person has the right to inspect or copy a public record held by a state agency, and that includes the Clerk of Court. The Clerk is required by La. R.S. 44:32 to provide access during business hours and to charge only reasonable fees for copies. As of May 2025, the copy fee in Washington Parish is $1.00 per page.

To search Washington Parish criminal records in person, visit the Franklinton courthouse and provide the name of the person you are researching. A date of birth helps narrow results when the name is common. You can then request copies of specific documents from any case you locate in the index.

The image below shows the fee schedule page from the Washington Parish Clerk of Court website.

Always confirm the current fee schedule before visiting, as rates can change and the website is updated when they do.

Note: If the Clerk of Court denies your request to inspect a record, La. R.S. 44:33.1 gives you the right to seek review of that denial through the courts.

Document Filing Requirements in Washington Parish

The Washington Parish Clerk of Court has specific requirements for documents submitted for recordation. Every document filed must be captioned on the first page to describe the type of act. This is not optional. The first page must also have margins of at least two inches at the top and one inch on the bottom and sides. Documents that do not meet these formatting standards may be rejected or require correction before they are accepted for filing.

These formatting rules exist to ensure that documents can be properly scanned, indexed, and retrieved in the future. If you are preparing a deed, mortgage, or other instrument for recordation in Washington Parish, review these requirements before you have the document signed and notarized. Making corrections after notarization can be complicated.

Original documents filed for recordation in Louisiana are not returned to the sender. The Clerk of Court keeps the originals on file. If you need a copy for your records, request a certified copy at the time of filing or request one later from the office. Certified copies cost more than plain copies but are the only version accepted in legal proceedings as proof of what was recorded.

Land Records and Conveyances in Washington Parish

The Washington Parish Clerk of Court is also the ex-officio recorder of conveyances and mortgages for the parish. This means all property transfers, liens, mortgages, and related instruments must be filed here to be effective against third parties under Louisiana law. The land records index goes back many decades and is a critical resource for title searches and real estate transactions in Washington Parish.

Title companies and attorneys use the land records index to verify ownership and check for encumbrances before a property sale. The eClerksLA portal at eclerksla.com includes land record access for Washington Parish, which allows preliminary title research to be done online. For full document copies, a visit to the courthouse or a formal written request to the office may be needed.

Note: Documents that do not meet the formatting requirements for first-page margins and captioning may be rejected at the time of filing. Always confirm the requirements before submitting any document for recordation.

Probate and Succession Records in Washington Parish

Probate and succession cases in Washington Parish are filed in the 22nd Judicial District Court and maintained by the Clerk of Court in Franklinton. Probate records include wills, petitions to open successions, inventory filings, and final judgments of possession. These are public records under Louisiana law. Anyone can inspect the probate index and request copies of filed documents.

If you need to research a deceased person's estate in Washington Parish, start with the Clerk of Court's probate index. Bring the name of the deceased and an approximate date of death to help staff locate the case. If the succession was filed recently, it may also appear in the eClerksLA portal. Older probate records are typically available only by searching the physical records at the courthouse.

Washington Parish also handles adoption and juvenile matters in the 22nd Judicial District, but those records are generally sealed and not available to the public. Do not expect the Clerk's office to provide access to sealed adoption or juvenile files without a court order.

Nearby Parishes

Court records must be requested from the parish where the case was filed.