Search Jackson County Court Clerks

About the Jackson County Court Clerks

Jackson County uses Mississippi's split clerk structure, with two independently elected officials sharing the workload. Randy Carney serves as the Jackson County Circuit Clerk, and Josh Eldridge serves as the Chancery Clerk. Each is elected by county voters to a four-year term. The Circuit Clerk supports the Circuit and County Courts, while the Chancery Clerk supports the Chancery Court and acts as the custodian of the county's land records. Both officials work from Pascagoula, the county seat, though they sit in different buildings with separate phone lines.

The division matters for anyone requesting records. Felony and major civil case files, County Court matters, and marriage licenses run through the Circuit Clerk. Divorce decrees, estate and probate files, guardianships, and recorded deeds run through the Chancery Clerk. The Circuit Clerk also serves as the county's voter registrar and manages jury service for trials. The Chancery Clerk doubles as county auditor, treasurer, and clerk to the Board of Supervisors. Matching a record to the correct office is the fastest route to a certified copy.

Jackson County Circuit Clerk Duties

The Jackson County Circuit Clerk keeps the general court docket for the Circuit and County Courts. The office enters the names and parties in each case and records pleas, indictments, and appeals brought up from inferior courts. Court orders are tied to the minute book, and the clerk maintains the execution docket used to enforce judgments. A full record of proceedings is preserved for every term of court, and the same office supports felony and major civil matters heard in Circuit Court.

The county publishes the Jackson County Circuit Clerk page with the office's duties, address, and weekday hours.

That page also confirms the marriage and election roles the clerk carries beyond the courtroom. The clerk acts as county registrar, collects qualifying fees from county and legislative candidates, and works with the Election Commission. Marriage applicants apply at this office, where the clerk issues the license, files a Statistical Record of Marriage with the Mississippi Office of Vital Records, and collects the marriage-license filing fee.

• Maintains the general court docket and minute-book references for Circuit and County Court cases.
• Records pleas, indictments, and appeals brought up from Justice and municipal courts.
• Issues marriage licenses and files the Statistical Record of Marriage with state vital records.
• Notifies jurors, prepares jury lists for attorneys, issues subpoenas, and receives verdicts.
• Serves as county voter registrar and collects candidate qualifying fees.

Jackson County Chancery Clerk Office

The Jackson County Chancery Clerk is a separately elected office with a far broader portfolio than court records alone. Josh Eldridge serves as Clerk of the Chancery Court, county auditor, county treasurer, clerk to the Board of Supervisors, and custodian of the county's public land records. The land-record and administrative operations run from Canty Street, a short distance from the main courts building on Magnolia Street.

The official Chancery Clerk page outlines the clerk, auditor, treasurer, and board responsibilities in one place.

The court side of the work runs through the office's Chancery Court Department. Staff create and maintain chancery suit files, issue process for service, and record activity in the dockets and minute books. The department schedules courtroom time, processes civil commitments, summons jurors for chancery jury trials, accounts for filing fees, and transmits statistical data to the Mississippi Supreme Court's Administrative Office of Courts. On the land side, the clerk maintains sectional, direct, and reverse indexes, deed and deed-of-trust books, and tax-sale and redemption records. Estate and probate matters also pass through this office.

Which Jackson County Clerk Holds Records

Because the two offices divide the county's records, a quick reference keeps each request pointed at the right counter. Trial-court case files and marriage records belong to the Circuit Clerk. Equity, family, probate, and land records belong to the Chancery Clerk. The table below maps common record types to the office that holds them.

Note: Older chancery and land files may sit in the county Archives rather than the active clerk office, so confirm the holding location before traveling.

How to Request a Certified Copy

A certified copy carries the clerk's seal and certification, which proves the document is a true copy of the official record. Certified copies are commonly required for property transfers, estate administration, name changes, and out-of-state filings. The process is similar at both offices, though the holding clerk depends on the record type.

1. Identify the record and the court. Match the case to the Circuit Clerk for Circuit or County Court and marriage records, or the Chancery Clerk for chancery, divorce, probate, and land records.
2. Gather identifiers. Note the case or instrument number, the party names, the document type, and the filed or recorded date.
3. Contact the holding office in person, by phone, or by mail to P.O. Box 998, Pascagoula, MS 39568, and confirm the copy and certification fees.
4. Submit the request with payment. Clerk-made copies run $0.50 per page, and certifying a land-record document adds $1.
5. Receive the certified copy at the counter or by return mail, depending on how the request was submitted.

Records Request Form Fields

Jackson County does not publish a single county-wide public-records request form covering every clerk office. Instead, each office takes requests in person, by phone, or by mail, and asks for the same core details whether the request arrives as a letter or a counter slip. Including the fields below speeds up the search and avoids a second trip.

Jackson County Clerk Fees

Clerk fees in Jackson County fall into a few groups: copy and certification charges, the marriage-license fee at the Circuit Clerk, land-recording fees at the Chancery Clerk, and chancery filing fees set by case type. The most common charges appear below. Filing fees vary with the nature of the action, and several estate filings bundle a recording fee.

The Chancery Clerk's land records and redemption page lists recording, copy, and search fees in full.

That page also explains tax-sale redemption charges and the certification fee for recorded documents. Note: Estate and heirship filings include a $26 land-record recording fee because the estate can affect property title in the county.

Searching Jackson County Clerk Records Online

Several official channels put Jackson County clerk records within reach online, but no single portal covers every court. Chancery cases sit on one system, trial-court documents on another, and land records on a third. Choosing the right one depends on the record being sought.

For Chancery Court cases, the county links a free Chancery Court case search hosted by Delta Computer Systems, searchable by party name, case number, filed date, or nature of action. Filed documents for chancery, circuit, and county matters generally require a login through Mississippi Electronic Courts, where public PAMEC registration grants viewing access, though some documents stay restricted to attorneys of record. Recorded deeds and other land instruments are available through the county land records portal. For chancery files from 1875 to 1980, the county Archives preserves the older originals.

Note: Online case information is not a certified copy, so certified documents must come from the clerk that holds the original record.

Mail, Phone, and In-Person Requests

When an online search comes up short, the clerk offices remain the authoritative source. Both accept walk-in requests during regular weekday hours, and both route written requests through the same mailing box. Calling ahead confirms which office holds the file and what payment the staff accept.

In person, visit the Circuit Clerk at 3104 Magnolia Street for trial-court and marriage records, or the Chancery Clerk at 2915 Canty Street, Suite R, for chancery and land records. By phone, reach the Circuit Clerk at 228-769-3040 and the Chancery Clerk at 228-769-3131 or the secondary line 228-769-1680. The Chancery Court Department handles current chancery case files at 228-769-3124. Written requests for either office go to P.O. Box 998, Pascagoula, MS 39568. When a record is not confidential and no court rule restricts it, the Mississippi Public Records Act provides a fallback right to inspect and copy county records held by the custodian.