Bienville Parish Clerk's Office

Civil Department Information

The Clerk's Office receives and files all pleadings, such as petitions, answers, and exceptions in Civil matters as well as indictments, bills of information, and other filings in criminal matters. It is the gate through which all civil, probate, and criminal proceedings must pass to reach the Court for trial. Each lawsuit, succession, and criminal matter is entered on a docket, assigned a number and indexed in the names of all parties affected for quick reference. The office issues all documents such as citations, or notices to the defendants for service by the Sheriff and subpoenas all witnesses to be used in the trial of Civil and Criminal matters. Daily minutes of the Court which contain a brief summary of all proceedings in each civil, criminal, and probate matter are kept in the Clerk's office for the public to view. All the pleadings, petitions, answers, exceptions, motions, and judgments are filed in suit records for each case and scanned into a computer imaging system and maintained digitally.

At the time of filing a petition, by which a civil or probate matter is commenced, an advance deposit is required to cover the costs of the proceedings as they accrue. The Clerk's office maintains separate accounts of each proceeding and pays out of the advance deposit the amounts that have been earned by the office as well as Sheriff charges, witness fees, appraisers, and Notary fees, and other items chargeable to costs.

In its function as Recorder, the office receives, files and enters on a daily register all deeds, mortgages, and other instruments to be recorded in the public records of the parish. After these instruments are then recorded and assigned filing numbers, they are scanned into a computer system where they are indexed and available for public view. The office currently prints books to display the documents for those who prefer them to the computer stations.

Conveyance records contain all deeds, exchanges, partitions, judgments recognizing heirs and other instruments; the effect of which is to transfer real property or interests and rights therein. Oil and gas leases, mineral sales, royalty deeds, rights of way for pipelines, roadways, telephone and electric transmission lines are included in the Conveyance records.

Plat records contain maps of all original government surveys and subdivisions laid out by developers of city, suburban, and rural properties. It is through the Conveyance and Plat records that the title to all real estate within the Parish is traced to determine its present ownership and status. In Bienville Parish, these records go back to the year 1848.

Mortgage records contain all mortgages, judgments, liens and other encumbrances affecting real estate. These records are canceled when a proper voucher evidencing payment or satisfaction thereof is presented and filed. Once this takes place a marginal notation on the original document denotes the cancellation.

Uniform commercial code filings formerly known as chattel mortgages, are mortgages on moveable property and are recorded in the Clerk's office. UCC filings are entered into a statewide computer system, maintained by the Secretary of State of Louisiana. Public view stations are available to the public to examine UCC recordings.