Find Washington Parish Bankruptcy Records
Washington Parish bankruptcy records are federal documents held by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in New Orleans. You can search Washington Parish bankruptcy records through PACER online, call the McVCIS automated system, or contact the New Orleans courthouse directly for case filings, creditor lists, dockets, and discharge orders tied to Washington Parish debtors.
Washington Parish Quick Facts
Federal Bankruptcy Court for Washington Parish
Washington Parish is served by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The courthouse is at 500 Poydras Street, Suite B-601, New Orleans, LA 70130. You can reach the clerk's office at (504) 589-7878. The court's website is laeb.uscourts.gov. All bankruptcy petitions from Washington Parish go through this court.
The Eastern District covers thirteen parishes: Assumption, Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, and Washington. Washington Parish sits in the northeast corner of the district, far from New Orleans, but the federal jurisdiction runs there regardless. Anyone in Washington Parish who files must submit petitions to the Eastern District or work through a licensed attorney who files electronically.
McVCIS is available at 1-866-222-8029, 24 hours a day. The system is automated and free to use. Call with a debtor name or case number and you can hear basic case status information for up to five cases per call. No PACER login is needed. This is a practical first step when you want quick confirmation that a case exists.
The Eastern District's website has local rules, a forms library, fee information, and links to the Electronic Case Filing system. Attorneys file through ECF. Individual debtors who file without counsel may need to submit paper petitions directly to the courthouse in New Orleans, though the court's procedures for pro se filers are explained on its website.
Visit the Eastern District of Louisiana Bankruptcy Court for forms, local rules, and case access tools.
The Eastern District site covers all parishes in the district, including Washington Parish, and links to PACER and ECF.
| Address | 500 Poydras Street Suite B-601, New Orleans, LA 70130 |
|---|---|
| Phone | (504) 589-7878 |
| Website | laeb.uscourts.gov |
Washington Parish Clerk of Court
The Washington Parish Clerk of Court is in Franklinton, the parish seat. This office handles state court records including civil dockets, criminal proceedings, and property documents. Bankruptcy records are federal and are not held at the parish clerk's office. But the clerk can help with related matters, like recording a lien satisfaction after a bankruptcy discharge.
Clerk Johnny D. Crain heads the office, with Daphne Phelps serving as Chief Deputy. The office is in the Courthouse Building at the corner of Washington and Main Streets in Franklinton. The mailing address is P.O. Box 607, Franklinton, LA 70438. You can reach the office at (985) 839-4663, fax at (985) 839-3116, and the website is at washingtonparishclerk.org.
Mortgage and conveyance records in Washington Parish are maintained at the clerk's office. After a bankruptcy case concludes, parties sometimes need to record lien releases or other documents with the parish clerk to clear title on property. If you're doing a title search on Washington Parish property that shows a prior bankruptcy, checking both PACER and the parish clerk's conveyance records makes sense.
Visit the Washington Parish Clerk of Court website for state court records and property record access.
The Washington Parish Clerk site provides access to civil dockets, criminal records, and property filings maintained at the state level.
| Clerk | Johnny D. Crain |
|---|---|
| Chief Deputy | Daphne Phelps |
| Address | Courthouse Building, Corner of Washington & Main St., Franklinton, LA 70438 |
| Mailing | P.O. Box 607, Franklinton, LA 70438 |
| Phone | (985) 839-4663 |
| Fax | (985) 839-3116 |
| Website | washingtonparishclerk.org |
How to Access Washington Parish Bankruptcy Records
PACER is the best way to search Washington Parish bankruptcy records online. Register free at pacer.uscourts.gov. Then log in and go to the Eastern District of Louisiana's case management system. Search by debtor name, Social Security number (last four digits only), or case number. The cost per page is $0.10, but if you spend less than $30 in a quarter, your account isn't billed.
To search across all federal districts at once, use the PACER Case Locator. Select the Eastern District of Louisiana from the dropdown to focus on Washington Parish cases. The locator returns case numbers, chapter types, filing dates, and party names. You can then drill into the full case docket from the results page.
For paper records or cases outside the electronic system, contact the New Orleans courthouse at (504) 589-7878. Certified copies cost $11.00 per document, plain copies are $0.50 per page, and a staff-run search costs $32.00. The eClerks LA portal at eclerksla.com, set up under La. R.S. 13:754, covers state court records but not federal bankruptcy cases. Still, it can help you locate related civil judgments filed in Washington Parish state court.
What Washington Parish Bankruptcy Records Contain
Under 11 U.S.C. § 107, bankruptcy records are public. That means anyone can view them unless a court has specifically sealed a document. A Washington Parish bankruptcy file typically contains the petition, all schedules of assets and liabilities, a statement of financial affairs, a list of creditors, any motions or objections filed, notices issued by the court, and the final order closing the case.
Privacy rules limit what personal data appears in filed documents. Fed. R. Bankr. P. 9037 requires that Social Security numbers show only the last four digits, financial account numbers show only the last four, and birth dates appear as year only. Attorneys and debtors must follow these rules when they prepare filings. The redactions don't change the public nature of the case record itself.
The case docket is maintained under Fed. R. Bankr. P. 5003, which requires the clerk to record every filing and action in the case. Reading the docket gives you a complete timeline without downloading every document. Dockets are free to preview on PACER before you decide what to download. Each entry shows the date, filing type, and a brief description.
Discharge orders are public records that confirm a debtor's debts were legally eliminated. These are often requested by title companies, creditors, and parties verifying a debtor's financial history. Creditor claim registers, also public, show the names and amounts of all creditors who submitted formal claims in a Washington Parish case.
Bankruptcy Filing Fees in Washington Parish
Filing fees are set by federal law under 28 U.S.C. § 1930 and are the same everywhere in the country. Current fees for Washington Parish residents filing at the Eastern District of Louisiana:
- Chapter 7 (liquidation): $338
- Chapter 13 (wage earner plan): $313
- Chapter 11 (reorganization): $1,738
- Chapter 12 (family farmer or fisherman): $278
The Eastern District courthouse in New Orleans accepts payment by money order or cashier's check. Low-income filers may apply for a fee waiver, which a judge reviews. Not all requests are granted. Chapter 7 filers who can't pay the full fee at once can ask for an installment plan, though this also requires court approval. Attorneys who file electronically through ECF may have different payment options.
Other Resources for Washington Parish Residents
The eClerks LA portal at eclerksla.com is a good place to start for state court records in Washington Parish, created under La. R.S. 13:754. It won't show federal bankruptcy cases, but it can help identify state civil judgments or property records that may be connected to a bankruptcy matter. Standard copy fees apply: $0.50 per plain page, $11.00 for a certified copy.
The Louisiana Supreme Court website has a statewide attorney directory that can help you find a licensed bankruptcy lawyer in the area. Legal aid groups serving the Northshore region and the Franklinton area sometimes take bankruptcy-related cases for low-income clients. These may offer free or reduced-cost consultations for Washington Parish residents who qualify.
Federal bankruptcy law is found at title 11 of the U.S. Code. State exemption law matters too. Louisiana has its own exemption list that may differ from the federal list. A Washington Parish filer picks which set of exemptions to use, and that choice affects which assets are protected. The Louisiana Legislature website has the state statutes covering property exemptions that apply in bankruptcy cases filed here.
Cities in Washington Parish
No cities in Washington Parish have a dedicated page on this site. The parish seat is Franklinton. Other communities in the parish include Bogalusa, Angie, and Varnado. All Washington Parish residents file for bankruptcy protection through the Eastern District of Louisiana in New Orleans.
Nearby Parishes
These parishes border Washington Parish or are close by. Most are in the Eastern District of Louisiana, and some are in the Middle District.