Free Louisiana Warrant Search: Lookup Resource

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Free Louisiana Warrant Search

Find out if you or someone else has a warrant out for their arrest in Louisiana, free of charge.

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Run a free Louisiana warrant search efficiently with the guidance offered throughout this resource.

A warrant lookup can be useful if you have questions or concerns about someone in your life that you believe may be in trouble with the law. You may also want to search for yourself to ensure you do not have any active warrants.

Warrant information, like other criminal data, is available according to the rights afforded by the Louisiana Public Records Law; this law gives citizens the right to inspect various government records. That said, there is no uniform or mandated process for accessing these warrant records.

Whether through state, county or local law enforcement, this article will walk you through the process of tracking down warrant information in Louisiana without paying any fees.

This resource was written by Attorney Robert Bailey Jr, who holds a Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law.

Are Louisiana Warrant Search Records Accessible to the Public?

A Louisiana arrest warrant is considered a public record. Under the Louisiana Public Records Law, a person can access certain warrant information through judicial records and law enforcement agencies.¹

There are several different types of warrants in Louisiana. Different types of warrants include, among others, arrest, bench and search warrants. Access may vary depending on the type of warrant one is searching for and the agency that issued it.

For some, the information may be available online, while other warrant requests may require a phone call, in-person visit or formal written submission.

Note: Detailed information on the various types of Louisiana warrants is provided later in this article. 

While warrant information is generally available, certain exceptions may prevent their public release. For instance, there may be an exception if the warrant has not yet been executed, or it would interfere in an active police investigation. An example of this exception may include an active search warrant or even one for arrest if it contains sensitive information.

Also, if the warrant involves a juvenile, it will not be publicly available.

An Overview of Locating Warrants in Louisiana

If a citizen is looking to perform a Louisiana warrant check, they will need some basic information. When you begin your search, you will want to gather as much information as possible.

As a starting point, you will need the full name of the person you want to look up and the state where the warrant was issued or where they reside. If you have additional information about the person, such as the parish they reside in or date of birth, you can narrow your search’s focus.

Many different agencies may have information depending on the type of warrant that and where it was issued from. There are state agencies, such as the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections, that provide warrant information that can be viewed online.

At the parish level, you can get this information from the Clerk of Court responsible for the particular criminal case. You may also find this information with the Parish Sheriff’s Office, as they often are tasked with handling the warrant process. Some of these parish agencies have online search tools, although there is a mix of paid and free services.

Lastly, you may also be able to obtain warrant information from certain municipal courts. Certain city courts keep online records and can also be contacted by phone or in-person to request warrant information.

How To Check Online if You or Someone Else Has a Warrant in Louisiana (Free Searches)

If an individual wants to perform an online warrant search in Louisiana, they will have to primarily perform their search at the parish level. While some states provide an option to search warrants through either a unified court system or a law enforcement agency, that is not the case in Louisiana.

There is a warrant list provided by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections.² Here, you can view a specific warrant and a most wanted list dealing with offenders in the state prison system. If you click on the individual’s name, you can get identifying information about the person, a mugshot and details about why they are on this list.

To perform a Louisiana warrant roundup at the parish level, hopefully you will have a general idea of where to start your search. If you are performing a general warrant search and do not have any indication as to the correct parish, it is recommended that you start searching by the largest parish and work your way down until you find the information you are looking for.

Below is information on how to conduct a warrant search in the three most populated parishes in the state.

The most populated parish in Louisiana is the East Baton Rouge Parish. A citizen can access warrant information from the Clerk of Court for the East Baton Rouge Parish.⁴ To request warrant information, you can contact the Clerk of Court by email at criminalinfo@ebrclerkofcourt.org or by phone at 225-389-3964.

If you want to ask for this information in person, the Criminal Records Department of the Clerk of Courts Office is located at the address below:

19th Judicial District Courthouse
300 N. Blvd., Room 2501
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802

The 19th Judicial District, which has jurisdiction over criminal cases in Baton Rouge, does provide an online search tool called Clerk Connect for access to warrants and other criminal information.⁵ However, access to criminal information online is only provided through paid subscriptions.

Another option is to request information from the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office Warrants Division. You can email them at web_warrants@ebrso.org or call them at 225-389-5094. To talk to someone directly, you can go to the address below:

East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office
8900 Jimmy Wedell Drive
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70807

You can also submit a request for warrant information. To do so, send a written request, along with the appropriate fee (check or money order), to the address below:

East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office
Attn: Criminal Records
P.O. Box 3277
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70821

Jefferson Parish has the second-largest population in Louisiana. To access free online information for an individual with a warrant, a citizen can use the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office Online Inmate Search Tool.⁶ A person can look for warrant information by searching a person’s name.

To narrow down your search results, you can also include the offender’s race and sex.

Alternatively, you can submit a record request with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. To contact their records section, you can email them at centralrecords@jpso.com or call them at 504-363-5590. You can also go in person to the address below:

Central Records Section
Westbank Administration Complex
1233 Westbank Expy., Bldg. A
Harvey, Louisiana 70058

The Central Records Section is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The Schedule of Fees will provide you with details on the cost of any request submitted with this section.

Another option for a record seeker is to make a request for criminal warrant information with the Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court.⁷ Similar to other parishes in Louisiana, there is an online option for searching warrants and criminal information (Jeffnet), but it requires a paid subscription.

Instead, you can contact the Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court by phone at 504-364-2900 and ask them what their process is for searching criminal warrant records in person and if there are any options to make a request by phone or mail. To talk to someone in person or request access to warrant information, a citizen can go to the Clerk’s Office at the address below:

Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court
Joseph S. Yenni Building
1221 Elmwood Park Blvd., Ste. 603
New Orleans, Louisiana 70121

The third largest parish by population is Orleans Parish. A person can search for warrant information online with the Criminal District Court Docket Search.⁸ While this tool is a general criminal record search tool, you may be able to access warrant information on the person you are searching.

To perform a search, you can enter the person’s name you want to check warrant information on. To narrow down your results, you can also enter the offender’s sex and race. Once you get a list of results, you can click on the identifying number on the far left of the screen for additional information.

The initial page will have basic information about the charge details for a particular person. However, if you click on the Magistrate or Case Number, you can access more in-depth information. When you click on either of these options, you can get a detailed chronological listing of all court proceedings.

If a warrant was issued for an individual’s arrest at any time for these charges, it should be listed in this section.

For additional information, you can also directly contact the Orleans Parish Criminal Clerk of Court. The Criminal Clerk’s Office is open from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday. A citizen can call them at 504-658-9000 or go to the following address:

Orleans Parish Criminal Clerk of Court
2700 Tulane Ave., Ste. 114
New Orleans, Louisiana 70119

A last option is to contact the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office. You can email them at contactus@opso.us or call them at 504-822-8000 to ask them questions about accessing warrant information. Their office is located at the address below:

Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office
2800 Perdido Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70119

Check With Municipal Courts & Law Enforcement Agencies in Louisiana for Warrant Information

In addition to state and county agencies, you can also check for warrants with local law enforcement agencies and municipal courts in Louisiana; the following explains how to perform a Louisiana warrant search in the state’s three largest cities.

New Orleans is the largest city in Louisiana. If you are looking for warrant information within this city, you can start by contacting the Municipal & Traffic Court of New Orleans. You can contact them Monday through Friday, from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. A citizen can call them at 504-658-8500 or go to the address below:

Municipal & Traffic Court of New Orleans
1601 Perdido St.
New Orleans, Louisiana 70112

You may also consider submitting a public records request with the New Orleans Police Department.¹⁰ If you want to talk to someone in the Records and Identification Division about warrant information, you can call them at 504-658-5455. They are available from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Monday through Friday.

You can also go to the following location:

New Orleans Police Department
Records & Identification Division
First Floor, 715 S. Broad Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70119

Baton Rouge is the second largest city in Louisiana. If you want to access information online, you can use the Baton Rouge City Courts Warrant Lookup Tool. To use this online search tool, enter either a person’s full name or a portion of it. The search results will provide you with the person’s name, file number, sex, race and date of birth.

You can view the type of warrant issued as well.

If you want additional information about the individual, click on their name. Once you click on their name, you can view the judicial division that issued the warrant, the date of arrest and the offender’s address.

While this search tool is updated daily, it takes approximately 7 to 10 days for a warrant in Louisiana to be available online. If you have specific questions about search results, you can call the Criminal Traffic Division at 225-389-5278.

To confirm a warrant is still active, you can contact the City Constable’s Office by phone at 225-389-3889.

Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. If you are looking for warrant information in this city, start by using their online case record search tool. You can use this tool to search for information by a warrant number or person’s name. There is even a specific option to search for cases in which a warrant was issued.

You can also contact someone at the Shreveport City Court. You can talk to someone in the criminal division by phone at 318-673-5830. The Shreveport City Court is open Monday through Friday, from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. If you want to go in person to ask any questions or search records, their address is below:

Shreveport City Court
1246 Murphy Street
Shreveport, Louisiana 

Search for Federal Warrants in Louisiana & Throughout the Entire U.S.

There are also options to look up active arrest warrants in Louisiana for federal cases. One option is through the PACER case locator online services. While anyone can access information through this portal, it is a paid service.

To use this service, you can perform a name-based search and click on an applicable case number. From there, you can search for warrant information by selecting either the docket sheet or history options.

Other federal resources a person can use include the following fugitive and wanted lists:

• DOJ Most Wanted Fugitives: Here is a list of the DOJ’s current 15 most wanted fugitives. You can click on the link for any of these individuals to get a detailed description of them, along with the basis for them being considered a fugitive.
• Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Fugitives: This list contains the DEA’s top fugitives along with helpful information about the individual and their federal violations.
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Most Wanted: A list of the FBI’s ten most wanted fugitives, with identifying and background information on the offender.

If you still need additional federal warrant information, you may want to consider contacting a Louisiana attorney who specializes in criminal defense to assist you with making a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the U.S. Marshall Service since they are responsible for executing most federal warrants.

Main Warrant Types in Louisiana & What They’re Issued For

There are various types of warrants and understanding these different types can assist you in your Louisiana warrant search. Below is a brief overview of the types of warrants in Louisiana and the purpose they are designed to serve.

Arrest Warrants: This type of warrant is issued when law enforcement has investigated a crime, determined probable cause and provided the magistrate judge with evidence establishing the fact that a particular person committed the crime. If an arrest warrant is issued, local law enforcement can use it to arrest the person on the warrant and place them in jail.

Note: Arrest warrants are also called affidavit warrants and fugitive warrants in Louisiana. 

Bench Warrants: A judge issues a bench warrant in order to allow a law enforcement agency to detain a person for the purpose of bringing them to court. Most often, a judge issues a bench warrant after someone has failed to show up for a required court date.

Violation of Probation or Parole Warrants: The Louisiana Division of Probation and Parole can also request a warrant for someone’s arrest. A request will be issued if it has been determined that an individual violated the terms of either their probation or parole.

Traffic Warrants: If a person fails to pay Louisiana traffic tickets for an extended period of time, a warrant can be issued for their arrest. A bench warrant in Louisiana can also be issued if the person fails to show up to a hearing involving a traffic ticket.

Child Support Warrants: An individual who fails to pay child support for over six months may be subject to an arrest warrant under Louisiana statute.

Search Warrants: Louisiana law authorizes the use of search warrants for a variety of reasons, including items that have been subject to theft and those believed to be used for a criminal offense.

Clearing Warrants Issued in Louisiana & Reporting Wanted Persons

If you are aware of outstanding warrants for either yourself or someone else, it’s important to be careful and take appropriate steps to address the matter.

If you become aware that someone you know has a warrant for their arrest, depending on the reason, you may want to notify the individual’s friends or a family member. If it appears to be a dangerous situation, then your best course of action is to notify law enforcement. One option is to call the Louisiana State Police Suspicious Activity hotline at +1-800-434-8007.

You may also consider contacting the local law enforcement agency in the Parish where the warrant was issued.

If you find out that you have an active warrant, you must take action. The warrant will not go away unless you are proactive in taking the necessary steps needed to resolve the issue. If it’s an arrest warrant, you will have to turn yourself in at the parish jail where the warrant was issued.

That being said, it is still a good idea to talk to a criminal defense attorney to make sure you know what your rights are and what you should do when turning yourself in. You may also want to contact a bail bondsman to prepare for the possibility of being able to post bail for your later release. Lastly, make sure your loved ones are aware of the situation, as you may be limited in your ability to contact them for a while.

If you have a bench warrant, you may have a couple of options. In certain occasions, for criminal cases, you can appear before the court and request that the warrant be recalled. The determination for this is fact-specific, so again, you will want to contact a criminal defense attorney. By paying any fines or rescheduling court dates, you may be able to have the warrant removed.

The Louisiana criminal justice system can be complicated, and it can sometimes be overwhelming to find the information you are looking for; this article provides the tools and resources you need to effectively perform a Louisiana warrant search.

Beyond warrants, you can also look up statewide arrest and criminal records or access all free public information on Louisiana residents (such as property taxes, court cases, background checks, marriages, and much more).