Caddo Parish Traffic Ticket Records

Caddo Parish traffic ticket records are filed and maintained across two court systems depending on who wrote the ticket. If a Shreveport police officer issued the citation, it goes to Shreveport City Court. Tickets from the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office or Louisiana State Police go to the 1st Judicial District Court. Knowing which court holds your record is the first step to searching for it, getting case details, or resolving an open citation.

How Caddo Parish Traffic Ticket Records Are Filed

Two courts handle traffic citations in Caddo Parish, and which one applies depends on the issuing agency. Shreveport City Court at 1244 Texas Avenue covers tickets written by Shreveport Police Department officers within city limits. That court can be reached at (318) 673-5800. For all other tickets, including those from the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office, Louisiana State Police, or other law enforcement agencies operating outside city jurisdiction, the 1st Judicial District Court handles the record.

The 1st Judicial District Court Clerk's office is located at 501 Texas Street, Room 103, Shreveport, LA 71101. The Clerk of Court is Mike Spence. His office manages case files, maintains official court records, and processes requests from the public. If you are not sure which court has your case, start with the issuing agency on the ticket itself. The agency name printed on the citation will tell you where to look.

Both courts retain the full traffic record. Under R.S. 32:393, courts must send an abstract of each conviction to the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles within 30 days. The OMV then updates the driver's record. But the court itself keeps the complete file, and that is the record you request when you need official documentation of a citation or conviction.

Searching Caddo Parish Traffic Citations Online

The Caddo Parish Clerk of Court provides online access through the Caddo Clerk website. You can search case records by name, case number, or date range. The online portal is useful for confirming whether a case is open, checking court dates, and seeing if a record exists under a specific name. Not all details may be available online, but the portal covers most active and recent cases.

The screenshot below shows the Caddo Clerk's public-facing records portal. It is a good starting point for any search.

The portal is free to search. If you need certified copies or full case documents, you will need to submit a formal request to the clerk's office, either in person or by mail.

Note: Louisiana does not operate a point system on driver's licenses, so a traffic conviction will not add points to your record, but it can still affect your driving privileges and insurance.

Shreveport Criminal and Traffic Division

The City of Shreveport operates a dedicated Criminal and Traffic Division that manages citations issued by Shreveport Police. This division handles fine payments, court scheduling, and case resolution for city-issued tickets. You can reach it through the Shreveport Criminal and Traffic Division page. The screenshot below shows how this resource looks online.

If you received a city-issued ticket in Shreveport and need to look up a court date, confirm a fine amount, or check case status, this division is the right place to start. Many matters can be handled without going to the courthouse in person.

Caddo Parish DA Traffic Division

The Caddo Parish District Attorney's office runs a Traffic Division that handles prosecution of traffic offenses at the 1st Judicial District Court level. This is separate from city court matters. The DA Traffic Division reviews cases, handles deferred dispositions when applicable, and processes plea agreements for non-city citations. More details are available at the Caddo DA Traffic Division page.

The DA office does not handle direct record requests from the public. For copies of case records, contact the Clerk of Court. But if you have questions about how a case is being prosecuted or what your options are before a court date, the Traffic Division is the right contact.

Paying a traffic fine in Louisiana is treated as a guilty plea. If you want to contest a ticket, you must appear in court and enter a not guilty plea before the scheduled court date. Failure to appear on a traffic citation can result in a warrant and license suspension by the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles.

Public Records Access for Caddo Traffic Cases

Louisiana's public records law, R.S. 44:1, gives any person 18 or older the right to inspect and copy public records, including court records. Agencies must respond within three business days. Traffic records in Caddo Parish are public unless sealed by court order, which is uncommon for standard citations.

To request records from the Clerk of Court, you can visit the office at 501 Texas Street, Room 103, or send a written request by mail. Include the subject's full name, date of birth if known, and the approximate date of the citation. There may be a per-page copy fee. The clerk's office will confirm current fees when you contact them at (318) 226-6500.

For driver record abstracts, the proper agency is the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. A driving record from the OMV shows convictions reported by courts across the state. It is different from the court's own case file, but both are useful depending on what you need.

Note: Caddo Parish court records accessible through the clerk's portal are updated regularly, but there may be a short lag between a court event and when it appears online.

Caddo Parish Traffic Ticket Fines and Payments

Fine amounts in Caddo Parish vary by violation type, location, and whether the ticket was issued within Shreveport city limits or by a parish or state agency. City court fines and district court fines are set and collected separately. You cannot pay a Shreveport City Court fine at the district court clerk's window, and vice versa.

For Shreveport City Court tickets, payment options are available through the Criminal and Traffic Division. For district court tickets, the clerk's office at 501 Texas Street handles payments. Some violations carry mandatory surcharges under state law in addition to base fine amounts. Court costs, processing fees, and surcharges can add significantly to the printed fine on the ticket.

Louisiana does not have a centralized statewide traffic fine payment portal for parish court citations. You pay the court that has the case. Online payment may be available through the specific court's own system. Contact the appropriate court to confirm whether online payment is accepted for your type of citation.

Cities in Caddo Parish

Shreveport is the largest city in Caddo Parish and the only one with its own city court for traffic matters.

Nearby Parishes

Caddo Parish borders several northwest Louisiana parishes.