Red River Parish Marriage Records Search
Red River Parish marriage records are maintained by the Clerk of Court office in Coushatta. The 39th Judicial District Court serves this parish. If you need to apply for a marriage license, search for an existing record, or get a certified copy, the Clerk of Court at 615 E Carroll Street is the place to go. Online access through ClerkNet and eClerksLA is available for searching Red River Parish marriage records remotely.
Red River Parish Quick Facts
Red River Parish Clerk of Court
The Clerk of Court office in Coushatta handles all marriage records for Red River Parish. The office is at 615 E Carroll Street, Coushatta, LA 71019. Call (318) 932-6741 to reach the office during business hours. Staff can answer questions about applying for a license, searching for past records, or getting certified copies. The official clerk website at redriverclerk.com has current information about services and procedures.
Red River Parish is one of the smaller parishes in Louisiana with a population of around 9,000. The Clerk's office here is smaller than those in urban parishes, but it handles the same functions. You apply for your marriage license here, and you come here for certified copies. The office maintains the parish's official record of all marriages that have been licensed through this court.
Because this is a smaller office, staff tend to be accessible and the process tends to move quickly when you have all your documents. A phone call before your visit is always a good idea. Confirm the hours, ask what you need to bring, and make sure nothing has changed since this page was last updated.
| Office Address | 615 E Carroll Street Coushatta, LA 71019 |
|---|---|
| Phone | (318) 932-6741 |
| Website | redriverclerk.com |
| Judicial District | 39th Judicial District Court |
| License Fee | $32.50 |
Getting a Marriage License in Red River Parish
Both applicants must appear in person at the Clerk of Court office to apply for a marriage license. You cannot mail in an application. Both people must be present at the same time. The fee is $32.50. Bring cash or a check payable to the Clerk of Court. Call ahead to confirm payment options.
Under R.S. 9:222, a marriage license issued in Red River Parish is valid statewide. You do not need to apply in the parish where the ceremony will take place. If you live in or near Coushatta and plan to marry in a different parish, you can still get your license here. The license is valid for 30 days from the date it was issued.
Louisiana requires a 72-hour waiting period between the time the license is issued and when the ceremony can occur. That rule comes from R.S. 9:241. Plan your date with three days built in after you pick up the license. A judge can waive the waiting period in specific circumstances, but that is not a routine option. The Red River Parish marriage license page has more detail on the local process.
Note: Same-sex marriage licenses are issued in Red River Parish on the same terms as all other marriage licenses.
Documents Required for Red River Marriage License
Each applicant must bring a valid photo ID. A driver's license or state-issued ID card is standard. Both parties also need certified birth certificates. A regular copy will not work. The clerk needs the certified version issued by the state where you were born. Social Security numbers are required for both people. The clerk also records parents' names, birthplaces, and the mother's maiden name for each applicant.
If either person was married before, proof that the prior marriage ended is required. A certified divorce decree or a death certificate for a deceased former spouse is what the clerk needs. Louisiana law requires this documentation before a new license can be issued. If you forget it, you leave without the license.
Both applicants must be at least 18 years old. Those between 16 and 17 need parental consent. Both parents must appear in person or provide notarized written consent. No one under 16 can get a marriage license in Louisiana under any circumstances.
Search Red River Parish Marriage Records Online
Red River Parish participates in ClerkNet and eClerksLA. These are online platforms that give remote access to marriage record indexes from participating Louisiana parish clerks. You can search by name or date range without visiting the Coushatta courthouse. These tools are available any time and are useful for basic research or confirming a record exists before requesting a copy.
The eClerksLA portal above connects to participating parish clerks across Louisiana and provides online access to marriage record indexes, including those from Red River Parish.
The Louisiana Clerks Remote Access Authority (LCRAA) portal is another statewide search option. It is worth trying if you are searching across multiple parishes or are not certain which parish holds the record you need. Both eClerksLA and LCRAA provide index-level access. For certified copies, contact the Red River Parish Clerk of Court at (318) 932-6741.
The LCRAA portal above provides another statewide option for searching Louisiana marriage records across multiple participating parishes.
Historical Red River Parish Marriage Records
For older marriage records that may not appear in the online clerk portals, the Louisiana State Archives is the best resource. The archives hold historical vital records and court documents from across Louisiana going back generations. If you are doing genealogical research on a Red River Parish marriage from many decades ago, the archives may have what you need when the online systems do not.
The Louisiana State Archives maintains historical marriage and vital records collections that can fill gaps for older Red River Parish records not found in current online portals.
The Louisiana Department of Health can issue certified marriage certificates for events from 1946 forward. That certificate is a shorter document. It confirms that a marriage occurred but does not include the detailed license application. For full license documents with all applicant information, the Red River Parish Clerk of Court is the right source.
Note: For full marriage license documents with all applicant details, contact the Clerk of Court, not the Department of Health.
Cities in Red River Parish
Red River Parish Coushatta is the parish seat and the largest community in the parish. All marriage licenses for Red River Parish are issued by the Clerk of Court in Coushatta.
Nearby Parishes
The parishes listed below border Red River Parish in northwestern Louisiana. Each has its own Clerk of Court for marriage records. Contact the clerk in the parish where the license was issued when searching for a specific record.