> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.cottfile.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.cottfile.com/admin-guide/setting-up-a-court.md).

# Setting Up a Parish

Parishes (courts) are the top-level entity in the system. Every queue, filing, and announcement belongs to a specific parish.

{% hint style="warning" %}
**There is no "create a parish" form in the Admin Panel.** New parishes are provisioned directly in the database as part of a go-live checklist — the `Court` row, payment (ValPay) accounts, queues, and staff users are inserted by hand. Case types, sub-types, document types, and fee schedules then auto-sync from Verdict CMS at runtime. Once a parish exists, you adjust its settings from the per-parish **Config** page described below.
{% endhint %}

## Editing a Parish (Config)

To edit a parish, open it from the **Parishes** card grid, then choose **Config** in the parish sidebar. The Config page is a form with three editable sections plus a read-only payments section.

### General

| Field                  | Required | Description                                                                           |
| ---------------------- | -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Court Name**         | Yes      | Full name of the court (e.g., "22nd Judicial District Court")                         |
| **Code**               | Yes      | Short identifier, 2-10 characters (e.g., "WASH")                                      |
| **State**              | Yes      | Two-letter state code (e.g., "LA")                                                    |
| **Jurisdiction Label** | Yes      | How the jurisdiction is labeled in forms. Use "Parish", "District", or "County"       |
| **External ID (CMS)**  | No       | Unique identifier used by the external CMS (e.g., a Verdict GUID or court identifier) |

### E-Filing

A single **E-Filing Enabled** toggle. When disabled, filers cannot submit new filings to this court.

### Verdict CMS

| Field                   | Description                                                               |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Civil Court Code**    | Court code used by the Verdict CMS API for civil cases (e.g., "WA-Civil") |
| **Criminal Court Code** | Court code used by the Verdict CMS API for criminal cases (e.g., "WA")    |

### ValPay (read-only)

The ValPay section lists each payment account configured for the court — its role, a Live/Test badge, store ID, balance account ID, and DBA name. These accounts are managed in the Adyen dashboard and are **read-only** here.

### Saving

Make your changes and click **Save Changes**. The button is disabled until you change something; while you have unsaved edits, a "You have unsaved changes" note appears, and the button shows "Saved" briefly after a successful save.

{% hint style="info" %}
There is no row-level e-filing toggle, no delete-parish action, and no location management in the Admin Panel — all court editing happens through this Config form.
{% endhint %}


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