Access St. Bernard Parish Bankruptcy Records
St. Bernard 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 Chapter 7, Chapter 13, and other case types filed by residents and businesses in the parish. They can be searched through PACER or accessed in person at the courthouse on Poydras Street. This page covers how to search those records, what they include, and how to contact the right offices for Chalmette and the broader parish.
St. Bernard Parish Quick Facts
Eastern District of Louisiana Bankruptcy Court
St. Bernard 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 the southeastern part of the state. All chapter types filed by St. Bernard Parish residents and businesses go through this court.
Visit the Eastern District of Louisiana Bankruptcy Court
The Eastern District courthouse at 500 Poydras Street in New Orleans processes all St. Bernard Parish bankruptcy filings.
| Address | 500 Poydras Street, Suite B-601, New Orleans, LA 70130 |
|---|---|
| Phone | (504) 589-7878 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM |
| 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 CM/ECF. Pro se filers must bring paper documents to the New Orleans clerk's window or mail them to the Poydras Street address. The court's website at laeb.uscourts.gov has local rules, forms, and a case information page.
How to Search St. Bernard Parish Bankruptcy Cases
PACER is the standard tool for public access to federal court records. Any St. Bernard Parish case filed in the Eastern District appears in PACER. Register at pacer.uscourts.gov for free. Each page of data costs $0.10, but accounts that stay under $30 in charges per quarter pay nothing. That means you can view a moderate amount of case data at no cost.
Use the Case Locator at pacer.uscourts.gov/find-a-case to search by debtor name, case number, or Social Security number. The locator searches all federal courts at once. This is useful when you're not sure which district handled a particular case. Once you find the right case, you can open the full Eastern District docket for documents, hearing dates, and case status.
The McVCIS automated phone line at 1-866-222-8029 runs 24/7 and is free. Call and enter a debtor's name or case number to get basic status information. It won't give document access, but it is a fast first check to confirm whether a case was filed in St. Bernard Parish. You don't need a PACER account for McVCIS.
St. Bernard Parish Clerk of Court
The St. Bernard Parish Clerk of Court is located in Chalmette and manages state civil and property records for the parish. The clerk is Randy Nunez, and Connie Spencer serves as Chief Deputy. If you need civil judgments, property records, mortgage documents, or other state-level filings tied to a bankruptcy case, this office is the right place to look.
| Address | 1100 West Saint Bernard Hwy, Chalmette, LA 70043 |
|---|---|
| Mailing | P.O. Box 1746, Chalmette, LA 70044 |
| Phone | (504) 271-3434 |
| Fax | (504) 278-4380 |
| Website | stbclerk.com |
The clerk's website at stbclerk.com may have connection issues at times, so calling (504) 271-3434 directly is often faster. Copy fees are $0.50 per page for standard copies, $11.00 for certified copies, and $32.00 if you need a manual records search by staff. The clerk's office handles walk-in requests during regular business hours in Chalmette. The parish clerk does not keep federal bankruptcy records; those are at the Eastern District courthouse in New Orleans.
What St. Bernard Parish Bankruptcy Records Contain
Every bankruptcy case in the Eastern District generates a public court file. It contains the petition, schedules of assets and debts, a creditor matrix, the statement of financial affairs, and all motions and orders filed during the case. The final discharge or dismissal order closes the file. All of these documents are available through PACER and form the public record of the proceeding.
Federal law under 11 U.S.C. § 107 makes bankruptcy records public. But some personal data is partly protected. Social Security numbers appear only in the last four digits. Bank account numbers and names of minors are removed from public filings under Fed. R. Bankr. P. 9037. These redaction rules apply to every St. Bernard Parish case filed in the Eastern District.
Court dockets are maintained under Fed. R. Bankr. P. 5003. Each docket entry is date-stamped and describes the event or document type. Key entries in a typical St. Bernard Parish case include the automatic stay notice, the 341 meeting notice, trustee reports, any motions for relief from stay, and the final discharge or dismissal order. PACER lets you track all of these from start to finish.
Bankruptcy Case Types and Fees
Chapter 7 is the most common filing for St. Bernard Parish residents. The trustee reviews assets and discharges most unsecured debt at the end of the case. The filing fee is $338 under 28 U.S.C. § 1930. Chapter 13 allows debtors with regular income to keep property and repay debts over three to five years. This chapter is often used to stop a home foreclosure. The fee is $313. Chapter 11 is used for business reorganizations and complex individual cases. The fee is $1,738. Chapter 12 covers family farmers and fishermen at $278.
Low-income debtors whose income falls below 150 percent of the federal poverty line may ask the court to waive the Chapter 7 filing fee. Installment payment of the fee is also an option. A credit counseling course from an approved provider must be completed before filing any chapter type. The certificate from that course goes with the petition when it is submitted to the court.
Filing Bankruptcy in St. Bernard Parish
St. Bernard Parish residents file at the Eastern District courthouse in New Orleans at 500 Poydras Street, Suite B-601. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Call (504) 589-7878 with questions before visiting. Attorneys file through CM/ECF. Those without counsel bring their petition and schedules in person or mail them to the courthouse.
After filing, a trustee is assigned and a 341 meeting is scheduled within 21 to 40 days. You must attend and testify under oath about your financial situation. In Chapter 7, the trustee checks for non-exempt assets. Most consumer cases are no-asset cases that proceed to discharge without distribution to creditors. Chapter 7 cases close in about three to six months. Chapter 13 cases run three to five years under a confirmed plan. A debtor education course is required before any discharge is entered in either chapter type.
eClerks Louisiana
eClerks LA at eclerksla.com provides online access to recorded documents from participating Louisiana parish clerk offices. It was created under La. R.S. 13:754 and launched in 2015. This is not a bankruptcy record system, but it can help you find property documents, mortgage filings, and liens that often surface alongside bankruptcy cases. It also offers a free fraud alert service that notifies property owners when a document is recorded in their name.
Cities in St. Bernard Parish
No cities in St. Bernard Parish meet a dedicated page on this site. Chalmette is the parish seat and the main community. All St. Bernard Parish bankruptcy cases are handled by the Eastern District courthouse in New Orleans.
Nearby Parishes
St. Bernard Parish borders several other parishes also covered by the Eastern District of Louisiana bankruptcy court.