Caddo Parish Probate Court
In Caddo Parish, probate-type matters are filed in the First Judicial District Court through the Caddo Parish Clerk of Court. The State Court Structure Map identifies the local probate court name as the Probate Division of District Court, but the research also confirms that Louisiana practice often uses the word succession. That means a person may need to search for a succession case rather than a record labeled simply as probate.
Succession records may include wills, petitions for possession, judgments of possession, affidavits of death and heirship, small succession affidavits, inventories, accountings, orders, bond documents, tutorship filings for minors, and curator or interdiction-related filings. Property records can also matter after a judgment of possession because real estate transfers may need conveyance recording through the clerk's records system.
Probate Division of District Court
Caddo Parish Courthouse
501 Texas Street, Room 103
Shreveport, LA 71101
318-226-6780
Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Caddo Parish Probate Terms
Probate records in Caddo Parish use Louisiana terms that can differ from other states. A succession is the court process for moving a deceased person's property to heirs or legatees. A tutorship may involve authority over a minor's person or property. Interdiction and curatorship can involve adult capacity issues and may contain sensitive information.
- Testator
- A person who made a will.
- Executor
- The person named or confirmed to carry out a will or estate task.
- Intestate
- Dying without a valid will, so heirs are determined under Louisiana law.
- Guardianship or tutorship
- A proceeding involving authority over a minor's person, property, or both.
- Conservatorship or curatorship
- A proceeding involving management or protection of another person's affairs.
Search Caddo Parish Succession Records
The main local search route is the Caddo Clerk and Clerk Connect civil or records inquiry. Subscription access may be needed for images, while free index access may help identify a case. Older records may need staff help because computer indexing began in the early 1980s, scanning has been used since 1995, conveyance indexing reaches back to 1914, and back-scanned records reach to 1838.
- Start with the Caddo Clerk Web Inquiry page and choose the civil or records inquiry path that fits the succession record.
- Use Clerk Connect if the search needs subscription images, party-name searching, or printing.
- Search by decedent name, party name, case number, or date range when those fields are available.
- Use a written clerk request for older files, certified copies, missing images, or records that do not appear online.
- Ask for certified copies when the document must be used for property, banking, benefits, or legal filings.
| Field label | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Portal login | Text/password | Needed for Clerk Connect subscription access. |
| Parish | Office selection | Select Caddo Parish when prompted. |
| Record group | Tab or link | Civil or records inquiry is the likely path for succession files. |
| Decedent or party name | Text | Exact portal labels were not fully captured in open research. |
| Case number | Text | Use it when known to reduce false matches. |
| Image or print | Link/button | Images and printing may require paid access. |
Caddo Parish Probate Fees
The clerk's civil court costs page gives a probate and succession fee schedule effective January 1, 2026. These figures are filing and copy costs from the research, not legal fees, publication fees, service fees, or attorney costs. A small succession is defined on the clerk fee page as $125,000 or less.
| Filing or item | Official amount or note |
|---|---|
| Successions large and small | $450 |
| Small succession definition | $125,000 or less |
| Refund note | Refund automatic at Judgment of Possession; fee due to recording judgment in conveyance records |
| Tutorship through letters | $300 |
| Minor settlements | $150 |
| Medical malpractice extension | $150 |
| Certified copies | $5 each |
| Copies | $1/page |
| Exhibits | $2/page |
The PACER Western District court lookup is a manifest source for federal court records, which remain separate from parish succession filings.
Federal civil cases can involve estates, but Caddo Parish succession filings are searched through the parish clerk and district court.
Caddo Parish Succession Process
A typical Caddo Parish succession begins by deciding whether the estate qualifies for a small succession affidavit or needs a formal court succession. The filer gathers the death certificate, will if one exists, heir information, property and debt information, affidavits, and any required bond or oath. The succession petition or affidavit is then filed with the clerk for the First Judicial District Court.
Under the First JDC structure described in the research, initial filings, including succession matters and minor settlements, are filed with the clerk, randomly assigned a docket number and section, delivered to the assigned judge with the proposed order or judgment, and returned to the clerk after judicial action. If real estate is part of the estate, the judgment of possession or related transfer documents may need recording in the conveyance records.
The PACER bankruptcy court lookup is included in the manifest because estate questions can overlap with federal bankruptcy records.
Bankruptcy files are not Caddo Parish probate records, but they may be a separate search path when an estate involves federal bankruptcy issues.
Caddo Parish Probate Forms
The official forms page lists several probate-related forms and civil forms that can support a succession record. Examples from the research include Affidavit of Death and Heirship, Affidavit of Heirship, Bond for Succession, Succession Oath, Motion/Order for Civil Suit Final Judgment, and Pauper Affidavit. The forms list does not mean every estate can be handled without legal advice. It shows which local documents the clerk makes available.
A Caddo Parish probate record may show a petition, will, oath, bond, inventory, affidavit, judgment, order, notice, return of service, accounting, or property recording link. Certified copies may be needed by banks, title companies, heirs, government benefit offices, or other courts. Plain copies may be enough for research, but they do not carry the clerk's certification.
The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is a manifest source for the federal appeal route, not for local probate filings.
That distinction helps separate Caddo Parish succession records from federal appellate records that use different filing systems.
Restricted Caddo Parish Probate
Most succession filings are civil court records, but probate-related research can touch restricted material. Adoption records are confidential under Louisiana law. Minor tutorship, minor settlement, interdiction, medical, and mental-health related records may include sealed or protected information. Personal identifiers, financial-account details, medical details, and records involving minors may be redacted or withheld.
Requests for copies should be as specific as possible. Provide the decedent or party name, case number if known, record type, date range, and delivery method. The Caddo Clerk public-record request path says public-record copy requests must be in writing, copies are $1 per page plus postage, and certified copies have added certification costs.
The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana is included in the manifest as a federal justice source.
Federal prosecution material is not a parish probate file, but it can be part of a broader court-record search when estate issues intersect with federal litigation.
The CourtListener source in the manifest is a free legal-research alternative for opinions and some docket material.
CourtListener can help with legal research, but certified Caddo Parish probate records still come from the clerk's office.
Note: The failed U.S. Marshals manifest row had no image filename, so no image was added for that row.