Jefferson Davis Clerk of Court Office
The Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk of Court is a unified parish Clerk office. Richard M. Arceneaux is listed in the official Clerk administration feed as Clerk of Court, with Angie Sturcken listed as Chief Deputy. The office is in Room 106 of the parish courthouse in Jennings, where the Clerk handles court filings, minute records, recording, mortgage and conveyance work, marriage licenses, passports, elections, jury administration, and related courthouse services.
The office uses separate phone lines for major service groups. Recording, marriage licenses, and passports use 337-824-1160. Civil, criminal, and probate matters use 337-824-8340. That split is useful because a request for a certified criminal minute extract belongs with one department, while a mortgage certificate or conveyance image belongs with another.
Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk of Court
Clerk: Richard M. Arceneaux
300 North State Street, Room 106
Jennings, LA 70546
337-824-8340
rick@jeffdavisclerk.com
Civil, criminal, and probate phone line
Jefferson Davis Clerk Duties
The Clerk's court-record duties are broad because the office supports the 31st Judicial District Court. The civil department files pleadings, issues subpoenas, citations, and notices, and collects fees for civil matters. The criminal department files bills of information, bills of indictment, criminal motions, subpoenas, and notices to counsel. Minute clerks attend hearings, record minutes, administer oaths, and file exhibits or evidence offered in court.
- Civil, probate, adoption, and juvenile filings are handled through the civil department.
- Criminal bills, motions, notices, and hearing minutes are handled through the criminal department.
- Marriage licenses and certified local marriage copies are issued by the Clerk.
- Mortgage, conveyance, UCC, miscellaneous filings, and mortgage certificates are handled by recording.
- Jury duty administration uses Clerk and court contacts listed in the local research.
According to the 31st Judicial District Court, the district court has original civil and criminal jurisdiction in Jefferson Davis Parish. The Clerk does not decide cases, but the Clerk is the office that receives, files, indexes, copies, and certifies many of the records those cases create.
The official 31st Judicial District Court site is one source used for Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk of Court context.
The court source confirms the local trial-court setting where the Clerk files and maintains civil, criminal, and probate court records.
Request Jefferson Davis Certified Copies
Certified copies are official Clerk copies that carry authentication for legal use. They may be needed for judgments, minute entries, probate orders, marriage records, or other filings where an ordinary photocopy is not enough. The first step is knowing which Clerk department holds the record.
- Identify the record type: civil case, criminal case, probate file, marriage record, mortgage certificate, or recorded instrument.
- Gather names, case number if known, filing year, and the exact document needed.
- Call the correct department before visiting or mailing payment: 337-824-8340 for civil, criminal, and probate, or 337-824-1160 for recording, marriage, and passports.
- Ask for the plain-copy cost, certification charge, search fee, and available delivery method.
- Request the certified copy from the Clerk, then verify that the seal or certification meets the receiving agency's needs.
Jefferson Davis Clerk Request Fields
The official research did not locate one universal online records request form for all Clerk services. A useful Clerk request still needs the same core information, whether the request is made by phone, in person, or by an approved mail route.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case number | No, but useful | Helps locate civil, criminal, probate, or minute records faster. |
| Party or decedent names | Yes | Use full legal names and any known spelling variants. |
| Record type | Yes | Examples include pleading, judgment, minute extract, marriage copy, or mortgage certificate. |
| Date range | Practical | The Clerk publishes ten-year name search pricing for civil and criminal searches. |
| Copy type | Yes | State whether a plain copy or certified copy is needed. |
| Return method | Confirm | Some services require in-person or mail handling, and account status can affect fax/email options. |
Jefferson Davis Clerk Fees
The Clerk publishes several useful fee points in the official app-backed pages. Civil and criminal court copies are priced by page, with separate certification and search charges. Land-record remote access has its own subscription pricing, and recording work can include a portal fee under Louisiana law.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Copies of pleadings | $2.00 per page |
| Certification fee | $5.00 |
| Criminal minute extract | $15.00 |
| Civil minute extract | $2.00 per page plus $5.00 certification |
| Civil or criminal search | $20.00 per name for a ten-year search |
| eClerks parish remote access | $20/day, $100/month, or $1,200/year |
| Website copies from subscribed eClerks access | $1.00 per page |
| Recording portal fee | $5.00 per recorded instrument |
The 31st JDC court rules help explain how Clerk records, minutes, subpoenas, and filed pleadings fit into local court procedure.
Those rules support record details such as minute books, subpoena requests, filing deadlines, briefs, and record check-out procedures.
Jefferson Davis Clerk Forms
The Clerk's official materials include record and service forms tied to specific departments. Marriage applications are completed in person, but the questionnaire helps applicants prepare. Mortgage certificate requests and lien-clearing forms belong to the recording side, not the civil court case side.
- Marriage License Questionnaire prepares applicants for the in-person license process.
- Birth and death certificate application supports in-person vital-record service under closed-record limits.
- Mortgage Certificate Request is used for recording department certificate work.
- Clear Lien Request is a recording department form.
The 31st JDC judge and staff page names the district judge, judicial administrator, hearing officer, and court reporter who work in the same court system served by the Clerk.
Staff listings help users separate court scheduling questions from Clerk filing and copy requests.
Jefferson Davis Clerk Online Access
The Clerk offers different online channels for different tasks. eClerks LA is used for mortgage and conveyance index/images, with Jefferson Davis conveyance index/images from 1976 to date and mortgage index/images from 1978 to date. The free LCRAA index can search participating parishes' mortgage and conveyance index entries, but document images redirect to parish access or subscription.
Civil and criminal e-filings are accepted through ClerkConnect. UCC filing is routed through the Louisiana Secretary of State sign-on with the Jefferson Davis Parish return path. These filing and land-record tools do not create one free public civil or criminal case-search portal.
The Clerk also has a mobile app identified in the research as Jefferson Davis Parish COC LA. Its official features include court search resources, UCC filing, civil filing, mortgage and conveyance records, elections, court docket, forms, jury duty, and Clerk contacts.
The court's hearing-officer rules show how domestic matters can move from Clerk filing into conference, recommendation, objection, and judge review.
That domestic process can create pleadings, recommendations, objections, orders, and minutes in the Clerk's civil records.
Jefferson Davis Clerk Court Resources
The Clerk page overlaps with the court's resource pages because self-represented litigants often need forms and filing instructions before they approach the Clerk window. The 31st JDC orders/forms page includes guided divorce forms, and the services/resources page includes public defender and self-help links. The Clerk files the papers, while the court rules and forms help explain what may need to be filed.
The courthouse rule against cell phones is important for Clerk visits. Anyone visiting Room 106 should print or write down case numbers, party names, payment notes, and phone numbers before entering the courthouse. A phone-based confirmation number or map may not be accessible after security.
The 31st JDC orders and forms page is one official source for divorce and court forms connected to Clerk filings.
Forms from the court should still be filed, copied, or certified through the proper Clerk department when filing rules require it.
The court's services and resources page provides local support links that complement Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk of Court record access.
Those links help distinguish legal help, public defender contact, and court resources from the Clerk's document-custody role.