St. Charles Parish District Court Overview
The primary trial court in St. Charles Parish is the Twenty-Ninth Judicial District Court, usually written as the 29th JDC. Louisiana uses district courts as the main trial courts of general jurisdiction. The research file confirms that the 29th JDC is a single-parish court and that it has original jurisdiction over civil, criminal, and juvenile matters. It also has appellate jurisdiction from all St. Charles Parish Justice of the Peace Courts.
The District Court is not the same as the Clerk of Court. The court handles judicial action, hearings, orders, divisions, specialty programs, and local court rules. The Clerk receives filings, maintains the court record, issues certified copies, and acts as the ex-officio recorder. Someone searching St. Charles Parish District Court records will often need both channels: the Clerk for documents and the court division for hearing or appearance instructions.
Twenty-Ninth Judicial District Court
15045 River Road
P.O. Box 424
Hahnville, LA 70057
(985) 783-2923
St. Charles Parish Courthouse
15045 River Road
Hahnville, LA 70057
Front-lobby public access weekdays 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, excluding holidays
St. Charles Parish District Court Divisions
The 29th JDC has three elected general-jurisdiction divisions. The divisions are not separate civil, criminal, or family courts. Local rules and state appendices describe random allotment procedures, so a party normally does not choose the division. A case's division is assigned through court procedure, and division pages control courtroom contact and remote appearance details.
| Court Number | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29th JDC Division C | General jurisdiction | 15045 River Road, Hahnville, LA 70057 | (985) 783-2923 |
| 29th JDC Division D | General jurisdiction | 15045 River Road, Hahnville, LA 70057 | (985) 783-3206 |
| 29th JDC Division E | General jurisdiction | 15045 River Road, Hahnville, LA 70057 | (985) 783-2923 |
Division C is listed with Judge Connie M. Aucoin and email aaugust@stcharlesgov.net. Division D is listed with Judge Rochelle Champagne Fahrig and email DivisionD@stcharlesgov.net. Division E is listed with Judge Lauren Davey Rogers and email DivisionE@stcharlesgov.net. Division D and Division E pages warn that remote court attendance requires prior written court authorization and that people must appear in person unless authorization exists.
District Court vs Justice of the Peace Courts
St. Charles Parish does not have an official municipal, city, parish, or mayor's court portal identified in the research file. The local lower-court layer documented by parish government is the seven Justice of the Peace districts. The 29th JDC hears appeals from all St. Charles Parish JP courts, so the District Court sits above those lower local courts for appeal purposes.
| Feature | District Court | Justice of the Peace Courts |
|---|---|---|
| Local name | Twenty-Ninth Judicial District Court | Justice of the Peace Districts 1 through 7 |
| Role | General-jurisdiction trial court for civil, criminal, juvenile, probate/succession, and appellate matters from JP courts | Lower local courts with direct district phone contacts listed by parish government |
| Records channel | Clerk of Court for filed district-court records and certified copies | Contact the JP district directly; no official online JP records portal was found |
| Appeals | Appeals go to the Louisiana Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal when applicable | Appeals from JP courts go to the 29th JDC |
St. Charles Parish District Court Case Flow
District Court case flow depends on the record type. Civil matters start with a petition filed through the Clerk. Criminal matters usually start after an arrest, citation, bill of information, indictment, or other charging action. Probate and succession matters start with estate filings. Juvenile matters are within the 29th JDC's jurisdiction, but public access is limited by Louisiana juvenile confidentiality rules.
Civil flow: Petition Filed › Service › Answer or Exception › Motions › Hearing or Trial › Judgment › Appeal.
Criminal flow: Arrest or Citation › Charging Document › Arraignment › Pretrial Motions › Plea or Trial › Disposition › Sentencing › Appeal.
Succession flow: Petition or Will Filed › Supporting Documents › Court Review or Hearing › Judgment of Possession or Order › Certified Copies.
For filed record copies, use the St. Charles Parish Clerk of Court. For division-specific court attendance, contact the division or follow the 29th JDC page tied to the assigned division.
St. Charles Parish District Court Programs
The 29th JDC identifies Adult Drug Court and FINS as court programs. These programs are court-connected, but they are not public record databases. Drug Court, also described in recent material as Recovery Court or adult specialty treatment, is tied to eligible defendants whose criminal conduct relates to substance-use issues. FINS stands for Families in Need of Services and is connected with family or juvenile intervention.
The image from the 29th JDC Drug Court page shows the official court program source for St. Charles Parish District Court specialty treatment information.
Drug Court details help explain court structure, but public case access still follows the Clerk and confidentiality rules.
The image from the 29th JDC FINS page supports the court's local Families in Need of Services program reference.
FINS material should be treated as court-program context, not as a source of public juvenile records.
St. Charles Parish District Court Rules
The 29th JDC operates under Louisiana district-court rules and local appendices. The research file notes random allotment procedures, including civil and family allotment by the Clerk of the 29th JDC or a designee under immediate supervision, plus random allotment for protective orders. This means parties should not expect to choose a division. The assigned division will be determined under court procedure.
The image from the Louisiana district court rules landing page shows the state rules source used for District Court rule references.
Use the rules source and the 29th JDC division page together when a filing, protective order, or hearing question depends on local procedure.
Note: The research found no public official daily docket calendar in accessible 29th JDC pages.
St. Charles Parish District Court Appeals
St. Charles Parish belongs to Louisiana's Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal, which covers Jefferson, St. Charles, St. James, and St. John the Baptist parishes. Appeals from the 29th JDC go through the state appellate system when a case is appealable and the proper steps are taken. Final state appellate review may reach the Louisiana Supreme Court. Federal matters are separate and do not use the St. Charles Parish Clerk for PACER or federal court filings.
The image from the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is assigned in the manifest as appellate context, but federal appellate records are separate from Louisiana Fifth Circuit state appeals.
Do not use federal court pages to replace the 29th JDC, Clerk, or Louisiana Fifth Circuit path for St. Charles Parish state cases.
Visit St. Charles Parish District Court
The courthouse address for mapping is 15045 River Road, Hahnville, LA 70057. The parish facility page describes Hahnville as the parish seat for about 200 years and notes that the courthouse lobby includes historical artifacts and information. The courthouse complex is the central in-person destination for the District Court, Clerk, District Attorney, and several related government offices.
Office hours vary by agency. The Clerk publishes Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, excluding legal holidays. A courthouse security notice says public access through front lobby screening is available weekdays 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, excluding holidays. For hearings, the assigned 29th JDC division page or court order controls.