Ouachita Parish Traffic Court Records
Ouachita Parish traffic court records are kept by two main courts in the Monroe area. The 4th Judicial District Court handles parish-wide cases, while Monroe City Court takes care of most citations given inside the city. If you need to look up a traffic case, pay a fine, or check the status of a ticket in Ouachita Parish, knowing which court holds your record is the first step. Both courts keep their own files, so where you start your search matters. The clerk of court and the Monroe City Court clerk each manage records for their own court.
Ouachita Parish Quick Facts
Ouachita Parish Clerk of Court
Dana Benson is the Ouachita Parish Clerk of Court. The office is at 301 South Grand Street, Suite 104, Monroe, LA 71201. You can call (318) 327-1444 or send an email to danab@opcoc.la.gov. Office hours run Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The Ouachita Parish Clerk of Court website has forms, contact info, and links to their online tools. The staff there are described as "competent and knowledgeable people to assist you," and the office handles all record-keeping for the 4th Judicial District Court.
The 4th Judicial District is shared with Morehouse Parish. That means the same set of judges covers both parishes, but each parish has its own clerk and its own records. If your traffic case was filed in Ouachita Parish through the district court, this clerk's office is where your file sits. Traffic violations that go beyond a simple ticket, like cases sent up from city court or charges that carry possible jail time, end up in this system.
The screenshot below shows the Ouachita Parish Clerk of Court website, the main hub for court records and services in Ouachita Parish.
From this site you can find contact details, office hours, and links to search tools for Ouachita Parish court records.
| Address | 301 South Grand Street, Suite 104, Monroe, LA 71201 |
|---|---|
| Phone | (318) 327-1444 |
| danab@opcoc.la.gov | |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM |
| Website | opclerkofcourt.com |
Monroe City Court Traffic Cases
Most traffic tickets in Ouachita Parish that come from the city of Monroe go through Monroe City Court. Three judges sit on this court: Tammy Lee, Jeff Joyce, and Aisha Clark. The court clerk is Cathy Varner. You can reach Monroe City Court at (318) 329-2580. If your citation was written by a Monroe police officer or came from an incident inside city limits, this court is almost certainly where your record lives.
Monroe City Court handles a high volume of traffic cases each year. The court deals with everything from speeding tickets and red light violations to more complex matters like driving without insurance. For simple payable tickets, you can resolve them without going to court. But some offenses must be heard by a judge. Reckless Operation, Careless Operation, Failure to Stop for a School Bus, and any accident with injuries are all non-payable. These require a court date. You can not just mail in a check for those.
Note: Paying a traffic ticket is the same as a guilty plea under Louisiana law, so think about it before you pay.
Ouachita Parish Traffic Ticket Payments
There are three ways to pay a traffic ticket in Ouachita Parish. You can pay online through OPSO.net, which is the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office payment portal. You can also pay in person at the clerk's office in Monroe. The third option is by mail, but there are rules. The office only accepts money orders or cashier's checks. They will not take personal checks. Payment must be made in full on or before the due date printed on your citation.
If you miss the due date, things get worse fast. Failure to pay a traffic ticket in Ouachita Parish can lead to a suspension of your driver's license. On top of that, you will face additional fees. The court does not send many reminders, so it falls on you to track your own due dates. Once your license is flagged for suspension, clearing it up takes more time and more money than just paying the original fine would have cost.
For people who want to fight a ticket or who have a non-payable offense, the District Attorney's office runs a Pre-Trial Diversion Program. Contact the DA Traffic Department at (318) 388-4448 or email traffic@4thda.org. You can also make payments for the diversion program at 4thdapay.org. This program may let you avoid points on your record or reduce fines, depending on the charge and your driving history.
Search Ouachita Parish Traffic Records Online
Ouachita Parish uses the Clerk Connect e-filing and records platform. This tool lets you search for court documents, file new paperwork, and check case status from your computer. The system covers civil and criminal filings in the 4th Judicial District Court. For traffic cases that went through the district court, Clerk Connect is one of the fastest ways to pull up records without driving to the courthouse.
The screenshot below shows the Clerk Connect portal used by Ouachita Parish for electronic records access.
Clerk Connect gives remote access to Ouachita Parish court records, including traffic case filings and documents from the 4th JDC.
Under La. R.S. 44:1, traffic court records in Ouachita Parish are public. Anyone can ask to see them. In-person inspection at the clerk's office is free during business hours. If you want copies, there will be a fee per page. Certified copies cost more. La. R.S. 44:33.1 also requires the clerk to publish custodian contact information so the public knows who to reach out to for records requests.
West Monroe Traffic Court Records
West Monroe sits just across the river from Monroe, and jurisdiction on traffic tickets there can get a bit confusing. Some West Monroe police tickets are prosecuted by the 4th District Attorney's office, while others go through West Monroe City Court. Which court handles your case depends on the type of charge and how the local offices split their workload. If you got a ticket in West Monroe and are not sure where your case ended up, call the DA Traffic Department at (318) 388-4448 or check with West Monroe City Court directly.
This split means your Ouachita Parish traffic court record could be in one of several places. The district court clerk, Monroe City Court, or West Monroe City Court might each hold a piece of the puzzle. When you need to find a specific record, start with where the ticket was issued and who wrote it. That will point you to the right court.
Juvenile Traffic Cases in Ouachita Parish
Ouachita Parish handles juvenile traffic offenders through a separate process. If a driver under 18 gets a traffic ticket, the case goes to the juvenile system rather than adult court. For questions about juvenile traffic matters, call (318) 327-3415. These records have extra privacy protections and are not as easy to access as adult traffic court files. Parents or guardians will need to be involved in the process.
Ouachita Parish Traffic Court Help
If you need help with a traffic case in Ouachita Parish, there are a few places to turn. The Louisiana local government directory lists contact info for all Ouachita Parish offices. Louisiana Law Help offers free guides on dealing with court records and understanding your rights when it comes to traffic tickets. The clerk's office staff can answer basic questions about where to find records and how to make payments, though they can not give legal advice.
For more serious charges, you may want to talk to a lawyer. Reckless driving, hit and run, and repeat offenses can all carry jail time in Louisiana. The Ouachita Parish Bar Association and legal aid groups in the Monroe area can point you in the right direction. Do not ignore a traffic court date. Failing to show up will make things much harder to fix later on.
- Ouachita Parish Clerk of Court: (318) 327-1444
- Monroe City Court: (318) 329-2580
- DA Traffic Department: (318) 388-4448 or traffic@4thda.org
- Juvenile Traffic: (318) 327-3415
- Online Payments: OPSO.net or 4thdapay.org
Cities in Ouachita Parish
Monroe is the seat of Ouachita Parish and the largest city in the area. Traffic citations issued within Monroe typically go through Monroe City Court. West Monroe is also in Ouachita Parish, but it does not have a separate city page here. For West Monroe tickets, check with the DA Traffic Department or West Monroe City Court.
Nearby Parishes
Ouachita Parish shares its judicial district with Morehouse Parish. The surrounding parishes each run their own courts and keep separate traffic records.