Find Criminal Court Records in Madison Parish

Madison Parish criminal court records are filed through the 6th Judicial District Court, which serves East Carroll, Madison, and Tensas parishes. This page walks you through how to search those records online through eClerks LA, and how to request access through the Clerk of Court in Tallulah for Madison Parish criminal court records.

The 6th Judicial District Court

The 6th Judicial District Court covers three northeast Louisiana parishes: East Carroll, Madison, and Tensas. Criminal cases from Madison Parish are filed through this multi-parish district. The Clerk of Court in Tallulah handles all Madison-side filings and record requests. Tallulah is the parish seat and the courthouse is the central point for accessing local criminal court records.

Appeals from the 6th JDC go to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal, which handles north Louisiana parishes. If you are looking for records from a case that reached the appellate level, the 2nd Circuit maintains separate records from the district court in Tallulah.

Under La. R.S. 44:1, the public has a right to access government records. La. R.S. 44:32(A) requires the clerk of court to provide access to any adult who asks. You do not need to be a party to a case or state a reason for requesting records. This applies to all criminal court records held by the Madison Parish Clerk of Court, including older paper-format records that may not yet be indexed online.

Madison is a small parish with a population of around 11,000. The volume of cases is lower than in larger parishes, but the 6th JDC handles the full range of criminal case types including felonies, misdemeanors, and traffic offenses. For minor cases, the clerk may hold only paper records depending on when the case was filed.

Searching Madison Parish Criminal Court Records Online

The main online tool for searching Madison Parish criminal court records is the eClerks LA statewide portal. It is free and covers all 64 Louisiana parishes, including Madison. You can search by defendant name or case number and get index-level results showing charges, filing dates, and dispositions.

The eClerks LA portal requires no account for a basic name search. You can also set up monitoring alerts on specific cases if you need to track an active matter. Below is a screenshot of the eClerks LA interface used for Madison Parish searches.

eClerks LA shows adult criminal records only. Juvenile case records are sealed under Louisiana law and do not appear in any public search portal.

eClerks LA provides index-level data, not full document images. If you need the full case file, a docket sheet with complete detail, or a certified copy for legal purposes, you need to contact the Madison Parish Clerk of Court directly. The clerk can pull the physical or digital file and make copies at standard Louisiana clerk rates. Uncertified copies typically run $1 per page; certified copies cost more and include the official clerk seal.

Because Madison Parish is small, some older records may only exist in paper form at the courthouse and will not show up in any online search. If an online search returns nothing for a case you know exists, calling the clerk's office in Tallulah is the right next step. Staff can confirm whether the record is on file and how to request access.

For mail requests, send the name, case number if known, and a check or money order for fees to the Madison Parish Clerk of Court in Tallulah. Include a date range if you do not have a case number. La. R.S. 44:36 requires felony conviction records to be kept permanently, and misdemeanor records must be retained for at least 10 years, so older cases are usually still on file even if not in digital form.

Types of Criminal Records Available

The Madison Parish Clerk of Court holds all records filed in the 6th JDC for Madison cases. These include charging documents, indictments, arrest warrants, plea agreements, trial transcripts, verdicts, and sentencing orders. Docket sheets track each step of a case from filing to final disposition.

Booking and arrest information that did not result in a court case is held by the Madison Parish Sheriff's Office, not the clerk. These are separate databases. If you need pre-charge arrest data or jail roster information, contact the sheriff directly. The clerk only holds records for matters formally filed in court.

Probation and parole supervision records are managed by the Louisiana Department of Corrections and are not part of the clerk's files. The clerk does hold sentencing orders that may reference probation or parole terms, but ongoing supervision status requires checking the DOC database separately.

State-Level Criminal Record Resources

Several statewide tools supplement what the local 6th JDC clerk holds for Madison Parish cases.

The Louisiana State Police manages the statewide criminal record repository under La. R.S. 15:578. Their background check service costs $31 and returns an official compiled record. Louisiana is a closed record state under La. R.S. 15:587, meaning the official check excludes arrests that did not result in conviction. It covers conviction data from all parishes including Madison.

The Louisiana DOC Offender Search is free and covers current and former DOC-supervised individuals statewide. Anyone from Madison Parish sentenced to state prison likely appears in this database. The Louisiana Sex Offender Registry is also free and searchable by name or parish.

For federal criminal cases involving Madison Parish, use PACER. Madison Parish falls under the Western District of Louisiana for federal court purposes. Federal charges are filed separately from state charges and do not appear in the 6th JDC clerk's records.

Expungement in Madison Parish

Expungement in Louisiana is governed by La. C.Cr.P. Art. 971 and related articles. To pursue an expungement in Madison Parish, you file a motion with the 6th JDC in Tallulah. The required fees include $200 to the clerk of court, $250 to the Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information, $50 to the district attorney's office, and $50 to the sheriff. Total mandatory fees are $550 before any attorney costs.

Not all records are eligible. First-time non-violent offenders often qualify after completing their sentence. Arrests that did not lead to conviction can sometimes be expunged more quickly than convictions. Once an expungement is granted, the record is removed from public tools like eClerks LA and the clerk's public files. Law enforcement can still access expunged records under certain circumstances, but they drop out of the public record. Juvenile records are sealed by default and are not part of the public criminal court system.

Cities in Madison Parish

Tallulah is the parish seat and largest community in Madison Parish. The parish is rural and sparsely populated. No cities in Madison Parish meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. All criminal court records for cases filed in Madison Parish go through the Clerk of Court in Tallulah regardless of where in the parish the case originated.

Nearby Parishes

Madison Parish sits in northeast Louisiana along the Mississippi River border. Neighboring parishes handle their own criminal court records through separate clerks and judicial districts.