Acadia Parish Bankruptcy Records
Acadia Parish bankruptcy records are federal court documents maintained by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Lafayette Division. Anyone can search these records using PACER or by contacting the court directly to find case filings, dockets, and discharge orders tied to debtors in Acadia Parish.
Acadia Parish Quick Facts
Federal Bankruptcy Court Serving Acadia Parish
Acadia Parish falls under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Louisiana, Lafayette Division. This court handles all bankruptcy petitions filed by residents and businesses in Acadia Parish. The courthouse is located at the John M. Shaw U.S. Courthouse, 800 Lafayette Street, Suite 1200, Lafayette, LA 70501. The main phone number is (337) 262-6800. The presiding judge is the Honorable John W. Kolwe.
The Lafayette Division covers eight parishes in south-central Louisiana: Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, and Vermilion. If you need to file in person or drop off documents, the Lafayette office is the right place. The court's website at lawb.uscourts.gov has local rules, forms, and fee schedules. Electronic case filing goes through ECF at ecf.lawb.uscourts.gov.
You can also call the court's automated voice system, McVCIS, at 1-866-222-8029. It runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. One call lets you search up to five case records at no charge. This is useful if you just need basic status info and don't want to log in to PACER.
The Western District website lists forms and frequently asked questions that cover most common filing situations. Court hours and location details appear at court-info/court-locations.
The Lafayette office accepts money orders or cashier's checks from individuals. Personal checks and credit cards are not accepted for filing fees at this location.
The Western District's court website is a good starting point before you contact staff directly.Visit the Western District of Louisiana Bankruptcy Court website for current hours, judge assignments, and case management information.
The Western District site includes local rules, a forms library, and links to ECF for electronic filers.
Acadia Parish Clerk of Court
The Acadia Parish Clerk of Court is a state-level office. It handles civil, criminal, and real property records at the parish level. Bankruptcy records are federal documents and are not kept at the parish clerk's office. Still, the clerk can help with related local filings, like judgment liens recorded after a bankruptcy discharge.
| Address | 500 NE Court Circle, Crowley, LA 70526 |
|---|---|
| Mailing | P.O. Box 922, Crowley, LA 70527 |
| Phone | (337) 788-8881 |
| Fax (1st Floor) | (337) 783-6630 |
| Fax (2nd Floor) | (337) 788-6056 |
| Website | acadiaparishclerk.com |
The Acadia Parish Clerk's office is in Crowley, the parish seat. Staff there can point you toward the right federal court contact if you come in looking for bankruptcy case details. They also maintain the mortgage and conveyance records that sometimes interact with bankruptcy proceedings, such as when a lien is released after a Chapter 7 discharge.
Visit the Acadia Parish Clerk of Court website to learn what local records the office maintains.
The clerk's site provides access to civil dockets and property records maintained at the parish level.
Note: Bankruptcy records are federal records maintained by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, not the parish clerk.
Accessing Acadia Parish Bankruptcy Records
The main tool for searching Acadia Parish bankruptcy records online is PACER, which stands for Public Access to Court Electronic Records. PACER gives you access to case dockets, filed documents, and claims registers for all federal bankruptcy cases. Registration is free. The cost to view documents is $0.10 per page, but your account won't be billed if your quarterly charges stay under $30.
To find a specific case, use the PACER Case Locator. You can search by debtor name, Social Security number (last four digits), or case number. Select the Western District of Louisiana from the court list to narrow results to Acadia Parish and the surrounding region.
If you're not sure which court handled a case, the Case Locator searches across all federal bankruptcy courts at once. That's helpful when you don't know whether a debtor filed locally or in another district. Results show case numbers, filing dates, and chapter types.
Beyond PACER, some older Acadia Parish bankruptcy records may only exist in paper form at the courthouse. You can request copies by contacting the Lafayette Division clerk at (337) 262-6800. Certified copy fees are $11.00 per document. Plain paper copies run $0.50 per page. A record search by court staff costs $32.00.
Bankruptcy Filing Fees in Acadia Parish
Filing fees for bankruptcy cases in Acadia Parish are set by federal law under 28 U.S.C. § 1930. These fees apply at the time of filing and are the same in every federal district. The court does not accept partial payment except in limited hardship situations where the judge approves an installment plan.
Current filing fees are as follows:
- Chapter 7 (liquidation): $338
- Chapter 13 (wage earner plan): $313
- Chapter 11 (business reorganization): $1,738
- Chapter 12 (family farmer or fisherman): $278
At the Lafayette office, individuals must pay by money order or cashier's check. Personal checks are not accepted. If you cannot pay the full Chapter 7 fee at once, ask the court about an application to pay in installments. Low-income filers may also ask for a fee waiver, though approval is not guaranteed.
What Acadia Parish Bankruptcy Records Contain
Under 11 U.S.C. § 107, bankruptcy case documents are public records. That means almost anyone can look at them. A standard case file includes the original petition, schedules of assets and debts, a list of creditors, any amendments, the meeting of creditors notice, and the final discharge order or dismissal order.
Some documents are sealed or redacted by court order, but this is not common. What is standard is the removal of certain private details. Under Fed. R. Bankr. P. 9037, filers must redact Social Security numbers to show only the last four digits, limit financial account numbers to the last four digits, and restrict birth dates to the year only. This protects personal data while keeping the core record public.
Fed. R. Bankr. P. 5003 requires the clerk to maintain a docket for every case. That docket shows every filing made in the case, in date order. You can read the docket on PACER without opening every document if you just need a case overview.
Discharge orders, which show that debts were legally wiped out, are public. Creditor lists are also public. These records can be useful for title searches, lien release research, or due diligence on individuals and businesses in Acadia Parish.
Additional Resources for Acadia Parish Filers
The eClerks LA portal was created under La. R.S. 13:754 in 2014 and launched in 2015. It gives access to state court records across Louisiana parishes, including civil and criminal dockets from Acadia Parish's state courts. It does not cover federal bankruptcy cases, but it can help you find related state-level civil judgments that may be connected to a bankruptcy.
The Louisiana Supreme Court website links to state court resources and the Louisiana attorney lookup tool, which can help you find a licensed attorney if you need legal help with a bankruptcy matter. The Louisiana Legislature's website has state statutes that may affect local practice, though federal bankruptcy law controls the process itself.
If you need legal aid, look for nonprofit legal services in the Lafayette area that cover Acadia Parish. These organizations sometimes offer free consultations for low-income residents considering bankruptcy. Your local library may also have access to PACER terminals or staff who can help you navigate federal court records.
Note: Free public PACER access terminals are available at some federal courthouses. Contact the Lafayette Division to ask if walk-in terminal access is available.
Cities in Acadia Parish
No cities in Acadia Parish have a dedicated page on this site. The parish seat is Crowley. Other communities include Rayne, Church Point, Iota, and Eunice (which sits partly in St. Landry Parish). Residents of all Acadia Parish communities file bankruptcy through the Lafayette Division of the Western District.
Nearby Parishes
These neighboring parishes are also served by the Western District of Louisiana and share similar filing procedures for bankruptcy cases.