Find Plaquemines Parish Bankruptcy Records
Plaquemines Parish bankruptcy records are filed and maintained through the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in New Orleans. These public records cover all case types filed by individuals and businesses in the parish, and they can be searched online through PACER or accessed in person at the Poydras Street courthouse in New Orleans. This page explains how to locate those records, what to expect in the filings, and how to contact the right offices.
Plaquemines Parish Quick Facts
Eastern District of Louisiana Bankruptcy Court
Plaquemines Parish is part of the Eastern District of Louisiana for federal bankruptcy purposes. The court is in New Orleans and handles filings from thirteen parishes across southeastern Louisiana, including Plaquemines. All chapter types, from Chapter 7 to Chapter 11, are filed at this location.
Visit the Eastern District of Louisiana Bankruptcy Court
The Eastern District handles all Plaquemines Parish bankruptcy filings from its New Orleans courthouse at 500 Poydras Street.
| Address | 500 Poydras Street, Suite B-601, New Orleans, LA 70130 |
|---|---|
| Phone | (504) 589-7878 |
| McVCIS | 1-866-222-8029 (24/7 automated case info) |
| ECF System | ecf.laeb.uscourts.gov |
| Website | laeb.uscourts.gov |
The Eastern District covers Assumption, Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, and Washington parishes. Telephonic hearings for Section A cases use 504-517-1385 with access code 129611. Attorneys file through the ECF system. Pro se filers must submit paper documents at the clerk's office in New Orleans. Court hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.
Searching for Bankruptcy Cases
PACER is the main tool for finding federal bankruptcy records for Plaquemines Parish. Register at pacer.uscourts.gov for free. Viewing records costs $0.10 per page, but the fee is waived if your total charges in any calendar quarter are under $30. Most individual searches fall well below that threshold and cost nothing.
After logging in, go to the Case Locator at pacer.uscourts.gov/find-a-case. You can search by debtor name, case number, or Social Security number. The locator will route you to the Eastern District's docket, where you can see filings, hearing dates, case status, and more. Full documents are available for download once you locate the correct case.
For quick status checks, the McVCIS line at 1-866-222-8029 gives automated case information around the clock. You don't need a PACER account to use it. Have the debtor's name or case number ready. The system will confirm basic details like chapter type and whether the case is open or closed, but it won't pull documents for you.
Plaquemines Parish Clerk of Court
The Plaquemines Parish Clerk of Court manages state court records at the parish level. These include civil judgments, property records, mortgage filings, and other documents that may relate to a bankruptcy proceeding. The clerk's office is based in Belle Chasse, which is the largest community in the parish and serves as the functional parish seat.
| Address | 301 Main Street, Belle Chasse, LA 70037 |
|---|---|
| Mailing | P.O. Box 10, Belle Chasse, LA 70037 |
| Phone | (504) 934-6610 |
If you need copies of liens, judgments, or property records tied to a bankruptcy case in Plaquemines Parish, this is where to start. The clerk's office handles state-level records only and does not keep federal bankruptcy filings. For those, you must go to PACER or directly to the Eastern District courthouse. Copy fees are $0.50 per page for standard copies, $11.00 for certified copies, and $32.00 if you request a manual search by staff.
Types of Bankruptcy Available to Plaquemines Parish Residents
Chapter 7 bankruptcy is the most common filing type across Louisiana. Under Chapter 7, a trustee reviews the debtor's assets, sells non-exempt property if any exists, and distributes proceeds to creditors. Most personal property is exempt under state law, and unsecured debt is discharged at the end. The filing fee under 28 U.S.C. § 1930 is $338.
Chapter 13 is used by people who want to keep property and need time to catch up on debts. The debtor proposes a three to five year repayment plan, which the court must confirm. This chapter is often used to stop foreclosure on a home. Chapter 11 appears for businesses and for individuals whose debts exceed Chapter 13 limits. Chapter 12 is available for family farmers and fishermen with regular seasonal income. All chapters are filed at the Eastern District courthouse in New Orleans.
Before filing any chapter, you must complete a credit counseling course from an approved agency. The certificate must attach to your petition. After filing, the court sets a 341 meeting of creditors within 21 to 40 days. You are required to attend and answer questions from the trustee under oath. Most simple Chapter 7 cases close within three to six months of that meeting.
Public Access and Privacy Rules
Bankruptcy records are public under 11 U.S.C. § 107. Anyone can pull a docket or read filed documents. Personal data is partly protected. Fed. R. Bankr. P. 9037 limits what appears in public filings: Social Security numbers show only the last four digits, account numbers show only the last four digits, and birth dates show only the year. Filers are responsible for redacting this data before submitting documents.
Under Fed. R. Bankr. P. 5003, the clerk must maintain a docket for every case. This record stays even after a case closes. If you are researching an older case, PACER still has access to the index and can tell you where archived documents are stored if they have been moved to a federal records center.
Getting Copies of Records
Plain copies of court records cost $0.50 per page at the clerk's office. A certified copy is $11.00 each. If you ask staff to search records for you, that costs $32.00. Downloading documents through PACER is cheaper at $0.10 per page, and you can do it from home without visiting the court. For most searches, PACER is the easier and less expensive path.
If you need a certified copy for legal purposes, contact the Eastern District clerk's office directly at (504) 589-7878 or visit 500 Poydras Street, Suite B-601, New Orleans. Include the case number, the specific document name, and the correct payment amount in your request. Mail requests are processed and returned by mail.
eClerks Louisiana
eClerks LA at eclerksla.com is a state-authorized electronic access system created under La. R.S. 13:754. It launched in 2015 and gives online access to recorded documents from participating parish clerk offices. It is not a bankruptcy record system, but it can help you find property records, mortgage filings, and liens that often appear alongside bankruptcy cases. If you are looking at Plaquemines Parish property tied to a bankruptcy, eClerks LA is a useful secondary resource.
Cities in Plaquemines Parish
Plaquemines Parish does not have any cities that have a dedicated page on this site. Belle Chasse is the largest community and serves as the functional parish seat, but it does not have its own page here. Residents throughout the parish file bankruptcy cases at the Eastern District courthouse in New Orleans.
Nearby Parishes
Plaquemines Parish extends south from the New Orleans metro and borders several other Eastern District parishes.