Tensas Parish Deed Records
Tensas Parish deed records are maintained by the Clerk of Court in St. Joseph, Louisiana. The office holds all conveyances and mortgage records for property in the parish, with original records dating back to 1843. You can search Tensas Parish deed records through the free eClerks LA statewide portal, or visit the St. Joseph courthouse to inspect documents in person and request certified copies.
Tensas Parish Quick Facts
Tensas Parish Clerk of Court
Clerk Christy C. Lee heads the Tensas Parish Clerk of Court at 201 Hancock Street, Courthouse Square, in St. Joseph. Mailing address: P.O. Box 78, St. Joseph, LA 71366. Phone: (318) 766-3921. Fax: (318) 766-3926. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The clerk's office is self-supporting, funded entirely by fees rather than taxpayer dollars. The office maintains all deed records for Tensas Parish property including the conveyance and mortgage indexes, with original records dating back to 1843.
Tensas Parish is in northeast Louisiana along the Mississippi River at the Arkansas state line. It is one of the smallest and most rural parishes in the state. The parish has significant agricultural land, particularly cotton and soybean farming on the flat, fertile delta soils. Large farm and plantation-style tracts have historically characterized the land ownership pattern. The clerk's office in St. Joseph has maintained an unbroken archive of deed records for these properties since 1843. The records have been microfilmed, and the office has been working to complete digital imaging of the collection.
The Tensas Parish Clerk of Court website provides contact information and access details for deed records in St. Joseph.
| Clerk | Christy C. Lee |
|---|---|
| Address | 201 Hancock Street, Courthouse Square, St. Joseph, LA 71366 |
| Mailing | P.O. Box 78, St. Joseph, LA 71366 |
| Phone | (318) 766-3921 |
| Fax | (318) 766-3926 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM |
| Website | tensasclerk.org |
Search Tensas Parish Deed Records
The free statewide eClerks LA portal at eclerksla.com covers Tensas 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 free service lets you monitor for new filings under your name in Tensas Parish or any other Louisiana parish.
For in-person research, the St. Joseph courthouse on Courthouse Square maintains the complete archive of Tensas Parish deed records from 1843 to the present. The older records follow Book and Page format using COB (Conveyance Office Book) and FOL (Folio) designations. Many of the historical records have been microfilmed, and the office is working on digital imaging. Contact the clerk's office at (318) 766-3921 before visiting to confirm current hours and what information to bring for a copy request.
For pre-1843 land records covering Tensas Parish territory, the Louisiana State Land Office at doa.la.gov holds original patents and tract books from the original U.S. Government surveys of the area. Phone: (225) 342-4570. Tensas Parish was one of the later-organized parishes in Louisiana, carved from the older county system in the ante-bellum period.
Tensas Parish Recording Fees
Recording fees in Tensas 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 Tensas Parish cannot be enforced against a later buyer who acquired without actual notice of the prior transaction. Under Louisiana Civil Code Article 2742, recorded documents become permanent Tensas Parish archives and are not returned after filing.
The Tensas Parish conveyance index covers acts of sale, cash sales, donations, exchanges, partitions, oil and gas leases, royalty deeds, rights of way, and easements. Given the agricultural character of the parish, farm sale contracts, timber deeds, and mineral leases are common in the conveyance record. The mortgage index holds mortgages, judgments, tax liens, mechanic's liens, and UCC financing statements. Both indexes must be searched for a complete title examination on any Tensas Parish property.
Nearby Parishes
Tensas Parish borders Madison, Concordia, and Franklin parishes.