Search Terrebonne Parish Criminal Court Records

Terrebonne Parish criminal court records are filed through the 32nd Judicial District Court in Houma, where the Clerk of Court handles all case filings, public access, and certified copies. This page covers the online portals, in-person options, and state-level tools you can use to search Terrebonne Parish criminal court records quickly and without a lot of back-and-forth.

The 32nd Judicial District Court

The 32nd Judicial District Court serves Terrebonne Parish only. That single-parish structure means all criminal cases filed here go to one courthouse and one clerk's office. The court sits at 7856 Main Street in Houma. The Clerk of Court can be reached at (985) 868-5660, and the main website is terrebonneclerk.org.

The courthouse itself has some history behind it. It was built in 1937 as part of a WPA project during the Great Depression, and the building is still in active use today. Free parking is available on-site, which makes in-person visits easier than in some other parishes. The office has also moved toward modern conveniences, with eFiling and eRecording now available for those who need to submit documents remotely.

La. R.S. 44:1 gives any adult the right to see government records, and La. R.S. 44:32(A) puts that into practice at the clerk's office. You don't need a lawyer or a stated reason. You just need to ask. If you want to search by case number or name before making the trip, the online search portal at search.terrebonneclerk.org lets you do that from home.

How to Search Terrebonne Parish Criminal Records Online

There are a few online routes for searching Terrebonne Parish criminal court records. The clerk's own portal is a good starting point. The search tool at search.terrebonneclerk.org allows name and case number searches. It covers records held by the 32nd JDC and gives you basic case data without a fee.

The statewide eClerks LA portal also covers Terrebonne Parish. This free tool lets you run name searches across all 64 Louisiana parishes at once, which is useful if you are not sure which parish a case was filed in. It returns index-level data: case numbers, charges, filing dates, and outcomes. For full documents or certified copies, you need to go through the clerk's office directly.

The clerk's website at terrebonneclerk.org also offers information on eFiling and eRecording, which can save you a trip if you need to submit documents rather than just retrieve them.

Clerk Connect is another statewide access option. It provides similar case index data and works for Terrebonne records alongside other parishes. Some users find one interface easier than the other, so it is worth checking both if you are not finding what you need. Juvenile records are sealed by state law and are not searchable through any of these public tools.

Clerk Connect, like eClerks LA, shows index-level data for free. If you need the actual documents, the next step is a request to the clerk's office.

In-Person and Mail Requests

The Terrebonne Parish Clerk of Court is at 7856 Main Street Suite 100, Houma, LA 70360. A P.O. Box (1569) is available for mail requests. Phone is (985) 868-5660. The office is the right stop for certified copies, full case files, and docket sheets.

Copy fees in Terrebonne Parish run $1 per page for normal copies. Certified copies cost $5 plus $1 per page. For civil filings the base fee is $15, and criminal filings carry a $20 fee. There is no charge to inspect records in person at the clerk's office. If you are mailing a request, send the full name, approximate date range, and a check or money order for the estimated copy cost. Processing time depends on how old the record is and how busy the office is at the time.

In-person inspection is free. You can view the record at the courthouse without paying a fee; you only pay when you want copies made.

Sheriff and City Court Records

Not all Terrebonne Parish criminal records sit with the Clerk of Court. The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office holds arrest records and booking information. Their records unit can be reached by email at records@tpso.net. The sheriff's office is at 3441 West Park Avenue, Gray, LA 70359, and the main phone is (985) 876-2500. The sheriff also maintains a free inmate roster that is publicly available without any request or fee.

The City Court of Houma handles lower-level matters. It sits at 8046 Main Street and is presided over by Judge Matthew H. Hagen. Its jurisdiction covers civil cases up to $30,000, small claims under $5,000, evictions, traffic violations, and some juvenile matters. If the case you are looking for involved a traffic stop, a small civil dispute, or a misdemeanor handled at the city court level, you would contact that court rather than the 32nd JDC clerk.

Some cases start at the city court and escalate to the district court. If you are unsure which court handled the matter, start with the eClerks LA search, which covers both levels in most cases.

Types of Records and Retention

Criminal court records from the 32nd JDC include charging documents, indictments, plea agreements, trial transcripts, verdicts, and sentencing orders. Arrest records, as noted, go through the sheriff's office rather than the clerk.

La. R.S. 44:36 sets retention schedules. Felony conviction records are kept permanently. Misdemeanor records must be retained for at least 10 years. Traffic records have a minimum 3-year hold. Older paper records may not be digitized, so if you are searching for a case from several decades ago, it is smart to call the clerk's office first to confirm whether the record is available in digital or paper form before making a trip. The Louisiana Public Records Act, under La. R.S. 44:1, does not limit who can see these records once the retention period is active.

State-Level Criminal Record Tools

Several free state resources cover Terrebonne Parish cases at no cost. The Louisiana DOC Offender Search shows current and former state-supervised individuals, including those from Terrebonne who received a prison sentence. No login is needed. The Louisiana Sex Offender Registry is also free and searchable by name or location.

For a full compiled criminal history, the Louisiana State Police background check at LSP's background check portal costs $31. Louisiana is a closed record state under La. R.S. 15:587, meaning the official check does not include arrests that did not lead to conviction. This makes the LSP check useful for employment and licensing purposes but not always complete for court research purposes. The court portal searches, by contrast, show all filed cases regardless of outcome.

Federal cases from Terrebonne Parish go through the Eastern District of Louisiana. Federal records are accessible via PACER at $0.10 per page with a $3 cap per document.

The state portals above cover the same Terrebonne cases from different angles. Using more than one gives you a more complete picture.

Expungement in Terrebonne Parish

Expungement clears a record from public view. Louisiana expungement law falls under La. C.Cr.P. Art. 971 and related articles. First-time non-violent offenders often qualify after completing their sentence. Arrests that did not lead to a conviction can sometimes be expunged on a shorter timeline.

To file in Terrebonne Parish, you petition the 32nd JDC. The fee structure is set statewide: the clerk of court charges $200, the Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information charges $250, the district attorney's office charges $50, and the sheriff charges $50. Total out-of-pocket cost before attorney fees is $550. The Louisiana Supreme Court offers self-help resources at lasc.org for those who want to navigate the process without hiring counsel.

Once granted, an expungement removes the record from public tools like eClerks LA and the clerk's public files. Law enforcement can still see expunged records in some situations. Juvenile records in Terrebonne Parish are sealed by default and do not appear in any public search.

Cities in Terrebonne Parish

Houma is the parish seat and the largest city in Terrebonne Parish. It qualifies for a dedicated city page on this site. Other communities in the parish include Gibson, Schriever, and Montegut, but none of those meet the population threshold for their own page. All criminal cases from any community in Terrebonne Parish go through the 32nd JDC Clerk of Court in Houma.

• Houma - parish seat and largest city, 32nd JDC

Nearby Parishes

Terrebonne Parish borders other south Louisiana parishes, each with their own clerk of court and court records access procedures.