Plaquemines Parish Probate Court
Plaquemines Parish does not have a separate probate court. Probate is handled through the 25th Judicial District Court and maintained by the Plaquemines Parish Clerk of Court. The court's local structure matters because the 25th JDC is a one-parish judicial district with two divisions, and its jurisdiction includes civil, criminal, felony, misdemeanor, traffic, juvenile, family, adult drug court, and probate matters. The Clerk's 25th JDC page also names probate and interdiction within civil responsibilities.
Probate records in Louisiana are often called succession records. They may include petitions to probate a will, petitions for possession or administration, small succession affidavits, judgments of possession, inventories, descriptive lists, accountings, bonds, creditor notices, claims, curator or administrator appointments, heirship and legatee information, community-property details, and interdiction petitions where capacity is at issue.
The parish court structure also affects appeals and related records. Appeals from the 25th JDC route to the Louisiana Court of Appeal, Fourth Circuit, while federal estate, bankruptcy, or tax issues are separate from the parish probate file. A Plaquemines Parish probate search should therefore start with the Clerk and District Court, then branch to conveyance, mortgage, appellate, or federal systems only when the estate facts point there.
Probate Terms Defined
Several Louisiana probate terms appear in Plaquemines Parish estate files. A short definition list helps separate the person who died, the person who asks the court to act, and the court order that transfers property.
- Testator
- A person who made a will before death.
- Executor
- The person named to carry out the will and manage estate duties, subject to court authority.
- Intestate
- Dying without a valid will, which can lead to affidavit or succession procedures under Louisiana law.
- Guardianship
- A court-supervised role for care or decision-making, often involving a minor or protected person.
- Conservatorship
- A protective court role involving management of property or financial affairs, where recognized by the court process.
- Succession
- The Louisiana probate process for transferring a deceased person's property to heirs or legatees.
- Judgment of possession
- A court judgment placing heirs or legatees in possession of property.
- Interdiction
- A civil proceeding involving decision-making authority for an incapacitated adult.
Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Article 3421 documents the small succession definition used in Louisiana probate practice.
That definition can be relevant to Plaquemines Parish probate records, but it does not decide whether a specific estate qualifies.
Search Probate Records
Start with the Clerk's online access if the goal is to locate an index entry. The Clerk eSearch portal lists civil indices from December 24, 1924, and civil images from December 1924. Probate may be indexed within civil or succession categories rather than a standalone probate module. Guest access provides indices only, with no viewing or printing of images and no docket information. Paid access, copies, or in-office requests are needed for images and official use.
The eSearch disclaimer is especially important for succession records. The online version is not the official public record, and released records are those recorded, indexed, verified, and released for general public viewing. A record marked in progress may have an official number but may not be fully indexed or available. For estate transfers, title work, banking, or court filings, use an official Clerk copy rather than a downloaded index result.
- Search Clerk eSearch under civil, succession, party, decedent, or related case information when available.
- Contact the Clerk for official copies because the online system is not the official public record.
- If real property is involved, also check conveyance and mortgage records for judgments and related transfers.
- For older files, ask the Clerk about in-office research because the office preserves records dating back to the 1790s.
- Use certified copies when a bank, title office, court, or agency needs formal proof.
Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure Article 253 reflects electronic filing, redaction, and official electronic record rules.
Electronic access can make probate searching faster, but protected data still has to be redacted or restricted when law requires it.
Probate Contact Cards
Because Plaquemines Parish probate records run through the District Court and Clerk of Court, contact should be directed to the office that can search, file, copy, or certify the record. The Pointe-a-la-Hache courthouse is the court proceeding location. The Belle Chasse annex is a key Clerk service point and mailing-address location. Do not send mail to the courthouse street address when the Clerk has listed a P.O. Box for mail.
25th Judicial District Court
18055 Highway 15
Pointe-a-la-Hache, LA 70082
(504) 934-6677
Court proceedings location
Plaquemines Parish Clerk of Court
301 Main Street, Suite 108
Belle Chasse, LA 70037
(504) 934-6610
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Clerk Mailing Address
P.O. Box 40
Belle Chasse, LA 70037-0040
(504) 934-6610
Fax: (504) 934-6629
Plaquemines Parish Probate Fees
Probate filing and copy costs may combine court deposits, filing-page fees, service costs, copy charges, certification, and recording fees. The Clerk fee schedule and state fee authority should be checked before filing because the amount can change with the type of pleading and number of services. Interdiction has its own advance-deposit treatment because those cases involve civil capacity proceedings, not just a routine estate transfer.
| Probate or Clerk Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Interdiction advance deposit | $1,000.00, includes recording costs |
| Petition with one service | $350.00 |
| Petition with no service | $250.00 |
| Subsequent pleading with one service | $200.00 |
| Subsequent pleading without service | $100.00 |
| Filing document, first page | $6.00 |
| Filing document, additional pages | $4.00 each |
| Copy | $1.00 per page |
| Certification of copy | $5.00 |
| Recording certified copies | $10.00 per copy in addition to photocopy fees where recording rules apply |
Small Succession Records
Small succession filings can be part of Plaquemines Parish probate records when Louisiana law allows an affidavit process. Article 3432 addresses intestate small succession affidavits, while Article 3432.1 addresses testate small succession affidavits. These rules are useful for understanding why some estate records may look like affidavits rather than full court proceedings. The Clerk can provide filing and copy information, but eligibility and legal effect should be decided from the law, court orders, or legal advice.
The intestate small succession affidavit procedure source supports the Louisiana pathway for estates without a will.
Intestate affidavit records may still need recording, certified copies, or related land-record checks when property must be transferred.
The testate small succession affidavit procedure source covers small succession treatment when a will exists.
Testate small succession records should be matched to the filed will, affidavit, and any judgment or recording needed for the asset involved.
What Probate Records Show
A Plaquemines Parish probate record can show the decedent's name, the filing party, heirs, legatees, executor or administrator requests, service information, bonds, inventories, descriptive lists, judgments, orders, and copy or certification history. If the estate includes land, the probate file may connect to conveyance or mortgage records because a judgment of possession or certified copy can be recorded to support a title transfer.
Older Plaquemines Parish records may require more care than modern electronic records. The Clerk history notes that the office is a repository for records dating to the 1790s, before the parish was established in 1807. Many 1800s records were written in French and can involve old property, marriage, and civil lawsuit material. The 2002 courthouse fire did not close Clerk operations, but it helps explain why modern users see both Pointe-a-la-Hache and Belle Chasse in local record access history.
Copy requests should be specific. A person may need a certified judgment of possession, a conformed copy of a filed petition, a plain copy of an inventory, or a recorded certified copy tied to land records. Each choice can carry a different fee. If the request involves a bank, vehicle title, real estate transfer, or out-of-state agency, ask what exact document and certification format will be accepted before ordering.
Restricted Probate Records
Probate records are often public, but not every document in an estate-related file should be treated as open. Interdiction records may include medical and capacity information. Minor, financial-account, protected-identifier, mental-health, juvenile, and sealed filings may be redacted or restricted. If a probate file touches adoption or juvenile material, public access can be limited by Louisiana Children's Code confidentiality rules.
Louisiana juvenile record confidentiality is relevant where probate, guardianship-style, or family materials overlap with minor information.
Those limits are why a probate index may be public while a document, exhibit, or personal identifier is withheld or redacted.