Caddo County
Caddo Parish, named after the indigenous Caddo people who originally inhabited the area, was established in 1838. It is located in northwestern Louisiana, with Shreveport serving as its parish seat and largest city. The parish covers about 879.5 square miles and has a population of approximately 236,259 people, making it one of Louisiana's more populous parishes. Caddo Parish has a similar legal structure to other Louisiana parishes, being part of the state's Civil Law Tradition, which is based on French and Spanish legal principles. The court system includes the District, City, Justice of the Peace, and Mayor's Courts.
The First Judicial District Court has general jurisdiction over major civil and criminal cases, including felonies, family law matters, and probate issues. Caddo Parish Juvenile Court exercises juvenile jurisdiction over most delinquency cases, children in need of care, neglect, parental responsibility termination, juvenile traffic, and mental health proceedings cases. Shreveport City Court handles general civil claims within financial limits or limits on the value of property in disputes, misdemeanors, and municipal ordinance violations. Caddo Parish Justice of the Peace Courts handles most general civil disputes and small claims. They also conduct preliminary hearings for certain criminal offenses and litter violations, including non-felony criminal cases. Caddo Parish Mayor's Courts have jurisdiction over traffic and local ordinance violations.
Court records in Caddo Parish are generated during legal proceedings of civil and criminal cases within the parish. These records are managed by the Caddo Parish Clerk of Court, who is responsible for maintaining, filing, indexing, processing, and making copies available to the general public. They include the following:
- Civil Records
- Criminal Records
- Juvenile Records
- Traffic Records
These records are public under Louisiana's Public Records Law, except for confidential information about jurors, medical and mental health commitments evaluations, and adoption records, which are exempt from public inspection. Interested persons may access publicly available court records by visiting the Caddo Parish Clerk of Court's main office at:
501 Texas Street
Shreveport
LA 71101
Phone: (318) 226-6780
Anyone may also access Caddo Parish's court records online through the case Look-up section provided. The records can be searched by party name, docket number, citation, or blotter number. Also, dockets can be accessed by type, time, or date.
