Caddo Parish Bankruptcy Records

Caddo Parish bankruptcy records are filed and maintained through the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Louisiana, which serves Shreveport and the surrounding region. If you need to search, access, or verify bankruptcy records in Caddo Parish, this page covers the court location, how to use PACER, what the records contain, and where to get help with the process.

Federal Bankruptcy Court for Caddo Parish

Caddo Parish falls within the Shreveport Division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Louisiana. All bankruptcy cases filed by Caddo Parish residents are handled through this division. The courthouse is the Tom Stagg U.S. Courthouse, located at 300 Fannin Street, Suite 2201, Shreveport, LA 71101. You can reach the clerk's office by phone at (318) 676-4267.

Chief Judge Hon. John S. Hodge presides over the Shreveport Division. The clerk of court for the Western District is Edward Takara. The court handles all types of consumer and business bankruptcy filings under the federal Bankruptcy Code, including Chapter 7 liquidation, Chapter 13 repayment plans, Chapter 11 business reorganization, and Chapter 12 family farmer plans.

The court accepts payments by cash, money order, or cashier's check. Personal checks and credit cards are not accepted at the filing window. The courthouse is open during standard federal court business hours, Monday through Friday. Call ahead before visiting to confirm hours or any closures tied to federal holidays.

For general information about the Western District court, visit the official court website at https://www.lawb.uscourts.gov/. That site includes local rules, forms, filing instructions, and contact information for each division.

The court's website lists current local rules, fee schedules, and downloadable petition forms you can review before filing.

Caddo Parish Clerk of Court

The Caddo Parish Clerk of Court handles state civil, criminal, and probate records for the First Judicial District Court, but does not maintain federal bankruptcy records. Bankruptcy is a federal matter governed by Title 11 of the U.S. Code. The parish clerk has no role in filing or storing bankruptcy petitions or discharge orders. If you are looking for state court civil records, liens, or judgments, the clerk is the right place. For bankruptcy, you need PACER or the federal courthouse.

That said, the Caddo Parish Clerk's office can be useful in related ways. Judgment liens that arise from bankruptcy proceedings may appear in parish records. The clerk also records UCC filings and mortgage documents that sometimes show up in a debtor's financial history. The clerk's online portal, ClerkConnect, lets you search civil and mortgage records by name or case number.

Clerk: Mike Spence. Chief Deputy: Dianne Doughty. Address: 501 Texas Street, Room 103, Shreveport, LA 71101. Phone: (318) 226-6776. Fax: (318) 227-9080.

The clerk's website offers access to civil case records and document searches through the ClerkConnect portal.

ClerkConnect provides online access to Caddo Parish civil, probate, and mortgage index records. These are separate from federal bankruptcy filings.

Note: The Caddo Parish Clerk of Court does not hold federal bankruptcy records; those are accessed through PACER or the federal courthouse on Fannin Street.

How to Access Caddo Parish Bankruptcy Records

The main tool for searching federal bankruptcy records is PACER, which stands for Public Access to Court Electronic Records. PACER gives you online access to case dockets, filed documents, and court orders for every federal bankruptcy court in the country, including the Western District of Louisiana. You can register for a free account at pacer.uscourts.gov.

Once you log in, use the PACER Case Locator to search by debtor name, Social Security number (last four digits), or case number. Results will show you the case filing date, chapter type, case status, and the assigned judge. From there you can pull up the full docket, which lists every document filed in the case. Each page you view costs $0.10. However, if your total charges in a quarter stay under $30, PACER waives the fee entirely.

If you don't want to use a computer, the court offers a free phone line called McVCIS (Multi-Court Voice Case Information System). Call 1-866-222-8029, which is toll-free and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The system lets you look up to five cases per call using automated prompts. It's useful if you just want to confirm a case number or check whether a case is open or closed.

You can also visit the courthouse at 300 Fannin Street in Shreveport and use the public access terminals in the clerk's office. These terminals provide free PACER access to case records. Clerk staff can help you navigate the system, but they can't give legal advice.

Bankruptcy Records Filing Fees and Costs

Federal bankruptcy filing fees are set by Congress under 28 U.S.C. § 1930 and apply uniformly across all districts. For Caddo Parish filers, the current fees are: Chapter 7 at $338, Chapter 13 at $313, Chapter 11 at $1,738, and Chapter 12 at $278. These fees cover the administrative cost of processing the petition and related documents.

Low-income debtors who file Chapter 7 can apply to pay the fee in installments over up to 120 days. Those who qualify under income guidelines may also apply to have the Chapter 7 fee waived entirely. The waiver form is available on the court's website or at the Shreveport clerk's office. Chapter 11, 12, and 13 filers are not eligible for the fee waiver but can pay in installments with court approval.

For record access costs: PACER charges $0.10 per page, with a cap of $3.00 per document. Certified copies of court documents cost $11.00 per document. Plain photocopies are $0.50 per page. A formal record search conducted by court staff costs $32.00.

Note: Filing fee amounts are set by federal statute and do not vary between parishes or divisions within the Western District.

What Caddo Parish Bankruptcy Records Include

Under 11 U.S.C. § 107, bankruptcy cases are public record. Anyone can access them unless the court has entered a specific order sealing a portion of the file. Most documents in a bankruptcy case are open to the public, including the petition, schedules of assets and liabilities, statements of financial affairs, creditor matrices, and court orders.

A typical bankruptcy file for a Caddo Parish case will contain the debtor's name and address, the case number, the chapter filed under, a list of creditors and what is owed to each, a list of the debtor's property, income and expense information, any reaffirmation agreements signed with creditors, and the final discharge order if the case concluded successfully. Business cases under Chapter 11 often contain dozens or hundreds of additional documents including plans of reorganization and disclosure statements.

Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 9037 requires that certain personal information be redacted before documents are filed. Social Security numbers must be reduced to the last four digits. Birthdates should show only the year. Financial account numbers must show only the last four digits. Minor children must be identified by initials only. The court may sanction filers who include full personal identifiers in public documents.

Sealed records do exist in some cases. Courts may seal documents that contain trade secrets, sensitive medical information, or material related to ongoing law enforcement matters. To access sealed records, you must file a motion with the court and show good cause.

Other Resources for Caddo Parish Bankruptcy Records

Louisiana's eClerks system, established under La. R.S. 13:754 and launched in 2015, provides online access to civil court records from participating Louisiana parish clerks. While eClerks does not include federal bankruptcy records, it is useful for finding related state court matters such as civil judgments and mortgage filings. You can search eClerks at www.eclerksla.com.

The Louisiana Legislature maintains the full text of Louisiana statutes online at www.legis.la.gov. This is the official source for Louisiana Revised Statutes. While bankruptcy law is federal, Louisiana's exemption laws under La. R.S. 13:3881 play a major role in determining what property a debtor can keep. The state homestead exemption and personal property exemptions are set by state law and directly affect what creditors can reach in a bankruptcy case.

For those who need help but can't afford an attorney, the Northwest Louisiana Legal Services office provides free civil legal aid to qualifying low-income residents in Caddo Parish. A bankruptcy attorney referral may also be available through the Louisiana State Bar Association's Lawyer Referral Service. The U.S. Trustee Program, which oversees bankruptcy administration nationally, has a regional office that covers Louisiana cases and can be contacted if you believe fraud or abuse has occurred in a case.

Note: Free legal aid services have income eligibility requirements; contact the provider directly to see if you qualify.

Cities in Caddo Parish

Shreveport is the parish seat and the largest city in Caddo Parish. It is the only city in Caddo Parish that has a dedicated page on this site.

Nearby Parishes

Caddo Parish borders several other parishes in northwest Louisiana. Each has its own parish page with local court and records information.