Find Property Records in Terrebonne Parish

Terrebonne Parish property records are maintained at the Clerk of Court in Houma, where deeds, mortgages, conveyances, and other land documents are filed for real estate throughout this large south Louisiana parish. You can search Terrebonne Parish property records online through the parish records portal at terrebonneparishrecords.us, which provides direct access to recorded instruments. The statewide eClerks LA system also indexes Terrebonne records and lets you run free name searches. Both portals are useful starting points before requesting certified copies or visiting the Houma courthouse in person.

Terrebonne Parish Clerk of Court

The Terrebonne Parish Clerk of Court is at 7856 Main St., Suite 100, Houma, LA 70360. The mailing address is P.O. Box 1569, Houma, LA 70361-1569. Office hours run Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The clerk handles all property record filings and public record requests for the parish.

Terrebonne Parish has a separate online portal for public document access. That portal is at terrebonneparishrecords.us and lets you search filed instruments without visiting the courthouse. For attorneys and title professionals who need regular access, it's a useful remote tool. Reach the clerk by phone at (985) 868-5660.

The screenshot below shows the Terrebonne Parish Records portal. Visit terrebonneparishrecords.us to search recorded instruments by name or document number.

The portal provides searchable access to filed documents and is a practical first stop before visiting the clerk's office for certified copies or in-person research.

What Property Records Are Kept in Terrebonne Parish

The clerk records and maintains all instruments that affect real property in Terrebonne Parish. That includes conveyances (sales, donations, exchanges), mortgages, liens, releases, mineral leases, UCC fixture filings, and plat maps. Pipeline easements and industrial servitudes are also common in Terrebonne given the parish's ties to the offshore oil services industry. Each document is indexed by party name and property description.

Under La. R.S. 44:1, all of these are public records. Anyone can request copies or inspect them in person. No reason is required. Fees apply for certified copies and some search services require subscriptions.

Louisiana's recording doctrine comes from La. Civ. Code art. 3338. An act affecting immovable property has no legal effect against third parties until it is recorded in the parish where the land is located. For Terrebonne Parish property, that means filing at the Houma courthouse. A deed that isn't recorded can be defeated by a later buyer who does file first.

Terrebonne has a large coastal footprint with bayou and marsh terrain. Coastal and waterfront parcels can be complex, especially where land loss or elevation changes affect boundaries. Title searches on these parcels sometimes require additional research beyond the conveyance index -- including checking state land records for water bottoms that may adjoin the property.

How to Search Terrebonne Parish Property Records

The parish records portal at terrebonneparishrecords.us is the main online tool for Terrebonne. It lets you search filed instruments without going to the courthouse. Start there for any remote research.

For a free statewide index, eClerks LA covers most Louisiana parishes including Terrebonne. Search by name and date range at no cost. Results include instrument numbers, recording dates, and document types. Clerk Connect is a subscription service used by title professionals for cross-parish searches. It may also carry Terrebonne Parish data.

In-person searches at the courthouse on Main Street in Houma are available during office hours. Staff can assist with name searches and pull scanned or physical records. Bring as much detail as you have -- party names, approximate dates, prior book and page numbers. Certified copy fees vary; call ahead to confirm current rates.

For property near state-owned water bottoms, marshlands, or the Gulf of Mexico, the State Lands Office at doa.la.gov holds records of state ownership. Those records can affect title to coastal parcels and are worth reviewing as part of any thorough Terrebonne Parish title search.

Terrebonne Parish Assessor

The Terrebonne Parish Assessor's office is at 7856 Main St., Suite 300, Houma, LA 70360 -- in the same Main Street complex as the clerk, just a different suite. The phone is (985) 876-6620. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. The assessor keeps property valuation records for all real estate in the parish.

Under La. Const. art. VII sec. 18, Louisiana assesses residential property at 10% of fair market value, commercial property at 15%, and public service properties at 25%. Waterfront and coastal parcels in Terrebonne can be tricky to value because of ongoing land loss, flood risk, and elevation changes. The assessor's data is a good second data point alongside the deed and mortgage records from the clerk's office.

Homestead exemptions reduce taxable assessed value for qualifying owner-occupied primary residences. Contact the assessor's office for information on how to apply or check your current exemption status.

Property Taxes in Terrebonne Parish

Property taxes in Terrebonne Parish are collected by the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office Tax Division -- not the Clerk of Court. This is an important distinction. If you need to confirm that taxes are paid on a property, go to the Sheriff's Tax Division, not the clerk.

Under La. R.S. 44:411, tax rolls and related records are kept permanently. This matters for title research. Historical tax records can flag gaps in the ownership chain, particularly on large or rural tracts. Title attorneys often cross-check the conveyance index and the tax rolls when working through a title problem in Terrebonne Parish.

Tax bills are due December 31 each year. Nonpayment can lead to a tax sale. Louisiana gives the delinquent owner three years to redeem the property by paying back taxes plus interest and costs. Tax sale certificates and redemption records are filed with the clerk, so a thorough title search will surface that history. Always check before closing on any Terrebonne Parish property.

Nearby Parishes

Properties near parish lines may have records in neighboring parishes. Check these if your search involves land close to the border.