St. Martin Parish Court Docket
St. Martin Parish court docket records are maintained by the Clerk of Court in St. Martinville, which serves the 16th Judicial District Court shared with Iberia and St. Mary parishes. This south-central Louisiana parish keeps civil, criminal, probate, and land records at the courthouse on Saint Martin Street. Records are open to the public under Louisiana law, and some access is available online through statewide portals for those who cannot visit in person.
St. Martin Parish Quick Facts
St. Martin Parish Clerk of Court
The Clerk of Court for St. Martin Parish is Hon. Laura Blanchard. Her office sits at 415 Saint Martin St. in St. Martinville. The clerk manages the official court docket for the 16th Judicial District and also serves as the official recorder for all land documents filed in St. Martin Parish. Civil case files, criminal records, land recordings, marriage licenses, and notarial acts are all kept and maintained at this courthouse location.
The 16th Judicial District is shared among St. Martin, Iberia, and St. Mary parishes. Each parish has its own clerk of court and courthouse. Cases filed in St. Martin Parish go through the St. Martinville clerk's office. Do not confuse this with records held in New Iberia or Franklin, which handle filings for the other two parishes in the same district. The clerk's office in St. Martinville has no dedicated public website at this time.
Appeals from St. Martin Parish go to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal in Lake Charles. That court covers appellate cases from the 16th Judicial District. For a full listing of all Louisiana clerk of court offices with contact details, use the Secretary of State's clerk directory.
The eClerks LA statewide portal is the main online tool for searching Louisiana parish records remotely. Check the portal to see if St. Martin Parish is listed as a participating parish for civil, land, and probate index searches.
The eClerks LA portal at eclerksla.com provides free index searches for land, civil, probate, and marriage records from participating Louisiana parishes, including records linked to the 16th Judicial District.
| Clerk of Court | Hon. Laura Blanchard |
|---|---|
| Address | 415 Saint Martin St., St. Martinville, LA 70582 |
| Mailing | P.O. Box 308, St. Martinville, LA 70582 |
| Phone | (337) 394-2210 ext. 8 |
| Fax | (337) 394-7772 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM |
| Website | None |
How to Search St. Martin Parish Court Dockets
The most direct way to search the St. Martin Parish court docket is in person at the courthouse in St. Martinville. Go during regular business hours and bring the name of a party or a case number if you have one. Staff will pull the docket and let you view the file. Copies of documents can be ordered on the same visit. Call the clerk's office at (337) 394-2210 ext. 8 before you go to confirm current copy fees.
Online, the eClerks LA portal is the primary statewide tool for Louisiana parish records. It offers free index searches for land, civil, probate, and marriage records in parishes that participate in the system. Check the portal to see whether St. Martin Parish has joined. Free searches return basic case details. Full document images require a paid subscription account.
The Clerk Connect platform is another option for remote access. Some south Louisiana parishes use this system for civil and land records. Check the site to confirm whether St. Martin Parish is included. Both platforms run in standard web browsers without special software.
For appellate records, the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal handles cases from St. Martin Parish. Any 16th Judicial District case that went up on appeal will be on the 3rd Circuit's docket in Lake Charles.
St. Martin Parish Court Docket Record Types
The 16th Judicial District Court handles a range of case types in St. Martin Parish. Civil matters include contract disputes, property claims, personal injury suits, and successions. Criminal cases range from misdemeanor charges up to serious felonies prosecuted by the district attorney's office. Probate filings cover wills, succession proceedings, and interdictions. Family law cases, including divorce, custody, and support matters, are also filed at the district court level. The clerk enters all case types into the official court docket.
Land records are held at the same office. Deeds, mortgages, liens, and UCC filings for St. Martin Parish are all recorded here. These land records are separate from court case files but kept by the same staff. Anyone researching property title or outstanding liens on land in St. Martin Parish needs to search through the clerk's office in St. Martinville. Marriage licenses and notarial acts are also filed with the clerk, so one office covers court cases, land recordings, and civil status documents.
Older records in St. Martin Parish go back many decades. Access to those older files depends on whether the clerk's office has digitized them. For anything pre-1990, an in-person visit or a mail request is more reliable than online tools.
Online Access to St. Martin Parish Docket Records
Remote access to St. Martin Parish court docket records depends on the parish's participation in statewide online systems. Start with the eClerks LA portal. This tool is the main online entry point for Louisiana parish records and covers land, civil, probate, and marriage records in parishes that have joined the system. Free index lookups show basic case information. Full document images need a paid account.
If St. Martin Parish is not yet fully listed on eClerks LA, you can request records by mail. Write to the clerk's office at P.O. Box 308, St. Martinville, LA 70582. Include the names of parties, approximate filing dates, and a description of what you need. Enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope. The clerk will confirm any fees before sending copies.
The Clerk Connect platform is worth checking as well. Some parishes in this region use it for civil and conveyance records access. Neither platform requires special software. Both work in standard browsers on desktop or mobile devices.
Public Records Access in St. Martin Parish
Under La. R.S. § 44:32, any person 18 or older has the right to inspect public records held by a government custodian. No reason is required. Viewing records during business hours is free. Fees apply only for copies. Court docket files in St. Martin Parish are public under this law. Civil filings, criminal docket entries, judgments, and recorded land documents are open to anyone who requests them.
Some records are restricted. Juvenile case files are closed under the Louisiana Children's Code. Adoption records are sealed. Grand jury proceedings are not made public. Mental health records have separate privacy rules. The clerk's staff can tell you whether a specific record is open or restricted before you make a trip to St. Martinville or send a mail request.
If you believe a record that should be public is being withheld, the Louisiana Law Help website explains your rights and the steps you can take under the public records law.
Legal Help in St. Martin Parish
The Louisiana State Bar Association runs a lawyer referral service that can connect you with an attorney who handles cases in St. Martin Parish or the surrounding Acadiana region. For residents who cannot afford a private attorney, legal aid organizations serving south-central Louisiana may provide free civil legal help to qualifying individuals based on household income.
The Louisiana Law Help website has plain-language guides on clerk of court functions, what records are public, and how to request them. The Louisiana Supreme Court site also links to self-help resources for court users statewide.
Nearby Parishes
St. Martin Parish borders several parishes in south-central Louisiana. Each has its own clerk of court and district court. Use the location of parties or the events in a case to determine which parish holds the records you need.