St. James Parish Deed Records
St. James Parish deed records are maintained by the Clerk of Court in Convent, Louisiana. The office holds all conveyances and mortgage records for property in the parish and provides public access as required by state law. You can search St. James Parish deed records through the eClerks LA statewide portal for free index data, or visit the Convent courthouse to inspect documents and request certified copies.
St. James Parish Quick Facts
St. James Parish Clerk of Court
Clerk Shane M. LeBlanc heads the St. James Parish Clerk of Court at 5800 LA Highway 44, 2nd Floor, in Convent. Mailing address: P.O. Box 63, Convent, LA 70723. Civil Division phone: (225) 562-2270. Criminal Division phone: (225) 562-2389. Fax: (225) 562-2383. The clerk's office is the official recorder for all conveyances and mortgages filed on St. James Parish property. The office maintains the complete grantor-grantee index for the full chain of title on all real property in the parish.
St. James Parish sits on both banks of the Mississippi River in the River Parishes region between St. Charles Parish and St. John the Baptist Parish. The parish has a strong agricultural and industrial base, including significant petrochemical and manufacturing facilities along the river corridor. Sugar cane farming has historically been a major land use in the parish. All deed and mortgage filings for these varied property types, from large industrial tracts to residential lots, are processed and recorded at the Convent courthouse on LA Highway 44.
The clerk's office in Convent handles deed recordings, certified copy requests, and public record searches. Staff can assist researchers with the grantor-grantee index for both older Book and Page records and the more recent instrument-numbered documents. Contact the civil division at (225) 562-2270 to confirm current hours and what to bring for a copy request or in-person search. Mail requests with the correct instrument information and payment are also processed by the office.
The St. James Parish Clerk of Court website provides contact information and access details for deed records in Convent.
| Clerk | Shane M. LeBlanc |
|---|---|
| Address | 5800 LA Highway 44, 2nd Floor, Convent, LA 70723 |
| Mailing | P.O. Box 63, Convent, LA 70723 |
| Phone (Civil) | (225) 562-2270 |
| Phone (Criminal) | (225) 562-2389 |
| Fax | (225) 562-2383 |
| Website | stjamesclerk.com |
Search St. James Parish Deed Records
The free statewide eClerks LA portal at eclerksla.com covers St. James Parish for free name-based index searches. This portal, created under La. R.S. 13:754, covers all 64 Louisiana parishes and shows filing dates, document types, and instrument numbers at no cost. Full document images require a paid subscription. The eClerks Alert fraud monitoring service is also available free through this platform and lets you watch for new filings under your name in St. James Parish or any other Louisiana parish.
For in-person research, the Convent courthouse is the complete source for St. James Parish deed records. Both older physical index books and current digital records are available. Contact the clerk's office before your visit at (225) 562-2270 to confirm current hours and what to bring for a title search. Mail requests for certified copies are also accepted.
For the earliest land records covering St. James Parish territory, the Louisiana State Land Office at doa.la.gov holds original state patents and tract books from the earliest land grants. Phone: (225) 342-4570. St. James Parish has French colonial settlement history with some of the earliest recorded land transactions in Louisiana dating to the plantation era.
St. James Parish Recording Fees
Recording fees in St. James Parish follow the standard state Act 173 schedule under La. R.S. 13:844: 1-5 pages at $105; 6-25 pages at $205; 26-50 pages at $305; 51-plus pages at $305 plus $5 per additional page. The $5 LCRAA portal fee is included in all recording fees. Documents must have a 2-inch top margin on the first page and 1-inch margins on all other sides.
Louisiana Civil Code Article 3338 requires recording to make documents affecting immovable property effective against third parties. An unrecorded deed in St. James Parish cannot be enforced against a later buyer who had no actual notice of the prior transaction. Under Louisiana Civil Code Article 2742, recorded documents become permanent St. James Parish archives and are not returned after filing. Request certified copies at the time of recording if you need them for your files.
The conveyance index in St. James Parish holds acts of sale, cash sales, donations, exchanges, partitions, oil and gas leases, royalty deeds, rights of way, and easements. The mortgage index covers mortgages, judgments, tax liens, mechanic's liens, and UCC financing statements. Both indexes must be searched for a complete title examination on any St. James Parish property.
Nearby Parishes
St. James Parish borders St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, Ascension, Assumption, and Iberville parishes.