Traffic Court Records in St. Tammany Parish
No single St. Tammany Parish ticket office holds every record. The 22nd JDC Criminal Department keeps adult and juvenile traffic records. It also keeps court minutes for parish district-court matters. City Court of East St. Tammany handles traffic and DWI cases arising in Wards 8 and 9. Covington Mayor's Court takes city ordinance and traffic cases. Mandeville Mayor's Court handles misdemeanor traffic summonses and city ordinance cases.
Whatever court issued the citation controls the lookup route. Justice of the Peace courts are not the usual stop for a traffic citation. They do perform limited local functions. A traffic case record may show the charge, court date, plea, disposition, payment, continuance, a failure-to-appear entry, and related court minutes. It is a court file, so the right clerk depends on venue.
St. Tammany Traffic Record Custodians
The citation sorts these records into three main paths. A 22nd JDC traffic matter goes through the St. Tammany Parish Clerk's Criminal Department and the clerk-linked re:SearchLA case portal. An east-parish City Court citation belongs to City Court, while a Covington or Mandeville city citation belongs to that city's Mayor's Court.
| Issuing venue | Traffic record route | Direct confirmation channel |
|---|---|---|
| 22nd JDC | Clerk Criminal Department and re:SearchLA case or hearing search. | Criminal Department: (985) 809-8732; general clerk: (985) 809-8700. |
| City Court of East St. Tammany | City Court citation-payment and calendar channels. | City Court clerk: (985) 643-1274; 501 Bouscaren. |
| Covington Mayor’s Court | City payment route, citation, and Mayor’s Court clerk. | CPD payment clerk, 609 N. Columbia; court questions: (985) 892-8500 ext. 3. |
| Mandeville Mayor’s Court | City payment route, citation, and Mayor’s Court clerk. | Mayor’s Court clerk: (985) 624-3102; City Hall, 3101 East Causeway. |
How to Look Up a Traffic Ticket
Keep the citation in hand. It names the issuing court, the citation number, and the appearance date. It usually lists the response deadline too. For a 22nd JDC record, the statewide re:SearchLA access layer works after registration or sign-in. Search it by case number or name. It does not cover the separate City Court and Mayor's Court systems. For a lower-court citation, start with that court's own portal or clerk.
- Read the court name on the citation and choose the matching St. Tammany Parish custodian. Do not use a general parish search for a City Court or Mayor’s Court ticket.
- For City Court of East St. Tammany, use the citation number after the issuing agency has submitted the ticket. The online instructions require a card, email address, and printer for confirmation.
- For Covington, the online route uses last name, date of birth, and citation number. Payment may also be made by check or money order by mail, or by cash, check, or money order in person at CPD. Covington does not accept payment by phone.
- For Mandeville, use the city’s ticket link, mail, or in-person clerk route. A new ticket can take up to two weeks to enter the city system, so call the clerk if it is not posted.
- When online access fails, use the clerk counter or the court phone line. For a 22nd JDC matter, the Criminal Department and re:SearchLA are the documented parish paths; for another venue, call that issuing court.
City Court’s official payment instructions identify the information needed for its online path.
| City Court field or item | Type | Required by the published instructions | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traffic Citation Number | Text | Yes | Identifies the City Court ticket. |
| Credit card | Payment method | Yes for online payment | MasterCard, Visa, American Express, or Discover. |
| Email address | Text | Yes for the online path | Used with online payment confirmation. |
| Printer | Confirmation item | Required by the instructions | Keep the confirmation for the court record. |
St. Tammany Citation Upload Gaps
A ticket can sit on paper before it ever appears online. City Court of East St. Tammany says the issuing agency must first submit the citation. That step normally takes at least 15 working days. Some City Court tickets cannot be paid online. Juvenile traffic citations for people age 17 and younger may require an appearance. So can court-mandatory matters and already-passed dates. The City Court ticket-payment instructions spell out what the court accepts and what it does not.
Still nothing after the normal submission period? Call (985) 643-1274 or go to the court counter rather than assuming the case file does not exist.
Finding Your Traffic Court Date
Start with the appearance date printed on the citation. An online record can confirm the court, the current setting, and the status. But a new notice, a continuance, or word from the clerk can override an older entry. City Court's standing calendar lists traffic trial weeks and other recurring sessions. Covington works through the citation. Its Mayor's Court clerk handles questions. Mandeville asks anyone with a date question to call the clerk.
| Citation number | Use the exact identifier printed on the ticket: Citation Number as printed on the ticket. The research does not publish a common parish-wide citation pattern. |
|---|---|
| Court | The 22nd JDC, City Court of East St. Tammany, Covington Mayor’s Court, or Mandeville Mayor’s Court named on the citation. |
| Date and time | The appearance, arraignment, trial, or other court setting shown on the citation, updated notice, or available case record. |
| Location | The venue stated by the issuing court. Covington publishes Council Chambers for Mayor’s Court; the citation and clerk control the individual matter. |
| Status | The public court-file condition, such as pending, paid, continued, disposed, or a failure-to-appear entry. |
St. Tammany Traffic Court Calendars
City Court of East St. Tammany's calendar separates City and State Traffic Trials from other sessions. Misdemeanor trials and civil matters get their own listings. The label matters. A trial-week calendar does not tell you whether your particular citation is set that day. Scheduled parties receive notice. The court also says the standing docket changes as needed.
Mandeville's Mayor's Court posts recurring court information and a calendar route. Its official hearing instructions put the final check with the clerk. That matters especially when a ticket has not yet entered the city system. For a 22nd JDC traffic setting, the district calendar gives division context. The case hearing record and the court office confirm the individual date.
Paying or Contesting a Ticket
Read the response date with care. Slidell requires payment on or before the scheduled appearance date, Mandeville says to pay before the date, and Covington wants payment before court. Paying is a choice in a court case. It is not just a way to clear an item off a portal. Mandeville states plainly that payment acts as a guilty plea to all listed violations, closes the case, and removes that ticket's appearance requirement.
| Paying the ticket | Contesting the ticket |
|---|---|
| Use the issuing court’s online, mail, or counter method before its stated deadline. | Follow the citation and court instructions to enter a not-guilty plea or appear as directed. |
| Mandeville says payment is a guilty plea and closes the case. City Court instructions warn that payment plus failure to appear can waive hearing rights. | Mandeville says a not-guilty plea receives a trial date and may allow requests for documents, reports, or recordings. |
| Some City Court citations are online-eligible, while court-mandatory violations are not. | Witness-subpoena requests in Mandeville require notice and witness information under the court’s stated process. |
Do not ignore the response date. City Court states that a missed court date or unpaid citation can create an attachment for failure to appear or contempt, with an arrest warrant described by the court. Covington also warns of added penalties and an arrest warrant. Contact the issuing court promptly if a date was missed.
St. Tammany Payment Means Plea
Mandeville's official ticket-payment interface is the city's online route. The published Mayor's Court instructions are blunt. A payment is a guilty plea, it closes the case, and it removes the appearance requirement for that citation.
That link leads to the official portal itself. Before paying, compare the citation, the court date, and the court's current instructions so the response you choose matches the court action you intend.
Court Traffic Record vs Driver Record
Two offices keep two different files. The court or clerk holds the traffic court case record, which can include the citation or charge, court date, plea, disposition, payment, continuance, a failure-to-appear entry, and court minutes. The Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles keeps a separate driver file as the state licensing agency. A court payment or conviction may be reported there. Even so, you request the two files from different offices.
| Question | Court traffic record | State licensing-agency file |
|---|---|---|
| Custodian | The issuing court or clerk, including the parish Criminal Department, City Court, or Mayor’s Court. | The Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles. |
| Main purpose | Shows the court case and what happened at the court setting. | Maintains the licensing agency’s separate driver file. |
| How to request | Use the issuing court’s portal, counter, phone, mail, or clerk request path. | Use the state licensing agency’s own request channel. |
St. Tammany Traffic File Custodians
The court file for a St. Tammany Parish traffic ticket lives with its named custodian. Start there. The clerk of the issuing court can confirm an open case. The same office can check the current setting, payment status, or a public minute entry. Copies are available on request too. A state licensing agency file is not a court docket. It cannot tell you the outcome behind a citation. By the same token, the court clerk does not hold the licensing agency's separate file. Each office keeps its own records.
Note: The court named on the citation is the key fact for locating the court record and confirming a traffic court date.
Fees and Copies
Fees vary by court and violation in St. Tammany Parish. There is no single parish-wide copy price. Ask the issuing clerk for the current charge before you budget for one. Ask about a plain copy or a certified copy. The official schedules list several payment amounts and court-program figures. Confirm each with the court. Schedules and eligibility shift.
| Item | Published amount | Local record note |
|---|---|---|
| City Court online payment fee | 5%, non-refundable | Applies to the online payment path described by City Court of East St. Tammany. |
| Mandeville traffic diversion | Starts at $150 | Many matters may qualify; the court lists exclusions and conditions. |
| Mandeville suspended-license diversion | $225 | The published court material identifies a separate amount for this charge category. |
| City Court first failure-to-appear fee | $250 | City Court describes a higher $500 second fee and a court appearance for a third occurrence. |
St. Tammany Online Ticket Fees
City Court charges an online fee of 5 percent, and that fee is non-refundable. Mandeville's diversion track can end in a nolle prosequi dismissal. It takes three months with no new City of Mandeville traffic violation. The court's listed conditions must be met. The published limits matter here. Diversion within the prior two years is carved out. School-zone violations are carved out. So are speeding more than 20 mph over the limit and certain other charges. Covington handles things its own way. It publishes a fine schedule and flags appearance-required offenses with double asterisks. Payment there is due before court. For the current ticket response, the city points people to the Mayor's Court or CPD channels. The court, never a stale schedule, gives the number that counts on a St. Tammany traffic docket.
St. Tammany Missed Traffic Dates
Missed a court date? Call the issuing court immediately. City Court warns that an unpaid citation or a failure to appear can trigger an attachment. Escalating first and second failure-to-appear fees come on top. Covington's warning is similar: skip payment or the hearing and you face added penalties plus an arrest warrant. Mandeville takes a softer route for people with good cause, routing date-change requests through the clerk. When you call or visit, bring the citation number and the court name. Ask two things: the current case status and the next court-directed step. A quick confirmation from the clerk beats guessing. A general calendar or a payment screen may not reflect a live setting on the St. Tammary traffic docket. Assume nothing until the court confirms it.