Grant Parish Criminal Court Records

Grant Parish criminal court records are maintained by the Clerk of Court in Colfax, covering all felony, misdemeanor, and traffic cases filed in the 35th Judicial District. The clerk's office runs separate online search portals for criminal and civil records, and the parish also participates in eClerks LA and Clerk Connect. This guide walks through every way to find and request Grant Parish criminal court records, from free online tools to in-person requests at the Colfax courthouse.

The 35th Judicial District Court in Grant Parish

The 35th Judicial District Court serves Grant Parish only. All felony cases, along with civil, probate, and juvenile proceedings, go through this court in Colfax. Randall K. "Randy" Briggs is the elected Clerk of Court. His office is the official custodian of all district court records, including criminal case files, minute entries, judgments, and related documents.

The courthouse is at 200 Main Street, Colfax, LA 71417. The mailing address is P.O. Box 263, Colfax, LA 71417. The main phone is (318) 627-3246, and the fax is (318) 627-3201. Office hours run Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Appeals from the 35th JDC go to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal, which covers much of central and southwestern Louisiana. Anyone seeking to appeal a criminal ruling from Grant Parish would file with that court.

Under La. R.S. 44:32(A), the clerk must make records available to any adult who requests them. You do not need to be a party to the case, and you do not need to state a reason. Most adult criminal court records in Grant Parish are public. Juvenile records are sealed by law and require a court order to access. Expunged records are also removed from public access once the court grants the petition.

The Grant Parish Clerk of Court website is notable for offering separate criminal and civil records search portals, which makes it easy to target a criminal search without sifting through civil filings. That kind of dedicated portal is less common in smaller Louisiana parishes.

The clerk's website links directly to both criminal and civil search portals, making it a good first stop for anyone looking up Grant Parish cases.

How to Search Grant Parish Criminal Court Records Online

There are three main ways to search Grant Parish criminal court records online. Start with the clerk's own website at grantparishclerkofcourt.com, which has dedicated search portals for criminal and civil records. You can look up cases by name or case number and see index-level information including charges and filing dates. This is the best starting point if you know the case is in Grant Parish specifically.

The eClerks LA statewide portal is free and covers most of Louisiana's 64 parishes, including Grant. Name searches run across multiple parishes at once. Results show case numbers, filing dates, charge descriptions, and disposition data when available. This is useful when you are not sure which parish a case was filed in, or when you want to confirm a record exists before requesting copies.

The eClerks LA system is one of the fastest ways to check whether a criminal case exists in Grant Parish without visiting the courthouse in person.

The Clerk Connect portal is a subscription-based multi-parish system. Grant Parish participates, so subscribers can pull case records from Grant alongside other participating parishes. Clerk Connect tends to offer more complete document-level access than the free index search tools, making it a better fit for users who need records from multiple parishes regularly.

Clerk Connect gives subscribers access to Grant Parish criminal case records alongside dozens of other participating Louisiana parishes through one unified search interface.

Note: Free index portals show case metadata but do not always include scanned documents. Full document copies require a records request to the clerk's office directly.

In-Person and Mail Requests

To get copies of actual court documents, contact the clerk's office directly. In-person requests can be made at 200 Main Street, Colfax, LA 71417, during regular business hours. Bring as much identifying information as you can: the full name of the person whose records you seek, the case number if you have it, and a date range. Staff can help narrow down results from there.

Copy fees in Grant Parish follow the standard Louisiana schedule. Uncertified copies cost $1 per page. Certified copies, which carry the clerk's official seal, cost $5 per document. Payment is typically required at the time of the request. Call (318) 627-3246 to confirm payment methods before visiting.

Mail requests go to P.O. Box 263, Colfax, LA 71417. Include the full name, case number or approximate date, the type of records you need, a return mailing address, and a check or money order made out to the Clerk of Court. The office will contact you if the fee runs higher before sending the records. Processing time can vary depending on staff workload, so allow at least one to two weeks for mail requests to be filled.

Types of Criminal Court Records in Grant Parish

The 35th Judicial District Court generates a range of criminal records for cases filed in Grant Parish. Felony cases include grand jury indictments, bills of information, arraignment records, plea entries, trial transcripts, jury verdicts, sentencing orders, and post-conviction filings. Misdemeanor cases handled at the district court level follow a similar but shorter paper trail.

Under La. R.S. 44:36, felony records are permanent. Misdemeanor records are kept for 10 years. Traffic offense records are retained for 3 years. These retention schedules apply statewide, including in Grant Parish. Once a record is past its retention period, it may no longer be available from the clerk's office. Older records that predate the clerk's digitization efforts may exist only in paper format; calling ahead to confirm availability saves a wasted trip.

State-Level Criminal Record Resources for Grant Parish

Several state-level tools can supplement what you find at the Grant Parish clerk's office.

The Louisiana State Police background check portal costs $31 per name. These checks pull from a statewide database and are often required for employment and licensing. Louisiana is a closed record state under La. R.S. 15:587, meaning some non-conviction records may not appear in civilian requests. The check covers all 64 parishes including Grant but returns a summary, not a full case file.

The Louisiana Department of Corrections Offender Search is free and covers current and former DOC inmates. This is useful if you are trying to find information about someone sentenced to state prison rather than the parish jail. The Louisiana Sex Offender Registry, maintained by Louisiana State Police, is also free and searchable by name, address, or zip code. Grant Parish registrants appear alongside those from other parishes.

For federal cases, Grant Parish falls within the Western District of Louisiana. Federal court records are available through PACER at $0.10 per page after a quarterly usage threshold. PACER requires an account to search and view case records.

Expungement of Criminal Records in Grant Parish

Louisiana allows expungement of certain criminal records under La. C.Cr.P. Art. 971 and following statutes. An expungement does not erase a record but seals it from public view. People who qualify include those whose charges were dismissed, who received a not-guilty verdict, or who completed certain diversion programs. Some conviction expungements are also available after waiting periods.

To file for expungement in Grant Parish, you submit the petition to the 35th Judicial District Court at the Colfax courthouse. The clerk's office can provide the required forms. You must also serve the petition on the district attorney and law enforcement agencies involved in the original case. Fees are set by state law: $200 to the Clerk of Court, $250 to the Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information, $50 to the district attorney, and $50 to the sheriff. Total fees typically run around $550, not counting attorney costs. Some waivers exist for indigent petitioners.

The Louisiana Supreme Court self-help page has forms and guidance for those who want to handle the process without an attorney. Once the court grants an expungement, the record is removed from the clerk's criminal search portal, Clerk Connect, and eClerks LA. Law enforcement agencies retain access under specific legal conditions set by state law.

Cities in Grant Parish

Grant Parish is a rural parish with no cities above the 100,000 population threshold for a dedicated page on this site. Colfax is the parish seat and the main hub for all court activity. Other communities include Georgetown, Dry Prong, Montgomery, and Pollock. Residents throughout the parish use the Colfax courthouse for all district court matters, regardless of where in the parish the case originated.

Nearby Parishes

Grant Parish is in central Louisiana and borders several other parishes, each with their own clerk's offices and court systems.