How to Search Jackson County Court Records
Jackson County spreads its court files across several courts, so the first task in any court records search is matching the file to the court that created it. Chancery cases, including divorce, custody, estate, and guardianship matters, sit on a free portal hosted by Delta Computer Systems at the Chancery Court Cases search. Felony files and the largest civil suits live in Circuit Court, and County Court handles the mid-range cases. Both move through Mississippi Electronic Courts. Justice and municipal citations follow their own paths. Knowing where a case lives saves the most time.
Gather a few details before you begin. A party name typed last name first, a case or file number, a filed date, a final disposition date, or a docket book and page will each narrow the results. The Delta portal also accepts case type and nature-of-action filters once refinements are switched on. For full documents rather than short case summaries, you will need a registered viewer account through the chancery district's electronic system.
The Chancery Court Cases search form shows the layout a Jackson County searcher meets first.
The form groups name, number, and date fields in one place and adds optional filters for case type and nature of action below them. Follow these steps to run a search the right way.
- Identify the court. Divorce, custody, adoption, estate, guardianship, conservatorship, commitment, and land-title matters point to Chancery Court. Felonies and major civil suits point to Circuit Court. Misdemeanor, traffic, and citation matters may sit in County Court, Justice Court, or a city court depending on the issuing agency.
- For a Chancery case, open the Delta Chancery Court Cases search. Enter a party name in last-first form, a case number, a filed date, a disposition date, a docket book and page, or a file number.
- Turn on refinements when a date range, case type, or nature of action would tighten the list, then submit the form.
- For hearing dates, switch to the Chancery Court Calendar and filter to the Jackson County courthouse, a judge, a month, and a year.
- For filed documents, register for PAMEC and sign in through Mississippi Electronic Courts. Some attachments stay restricted to attorneys of record.
- For Circuit and County Court cases, use MEC or PAMEC or call the Circuit Clerk. For chancery files from 1875 to 1980, contact the county Archives.
Jackson County Court Records Search Fields
The Delta Chancery Court Cases form mixes text boxes, date fields, and optional filters. Each field targets a different way of reaching the same file, so you only need to fill the ones that match what you already know. A note on the form reminds searchers that the name refinements apply only to name searches, not to number or date lookups. The table below lists the fields the portal presents.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Number | Text | No | Search by a known chancery case number. |
| Party Name | Text | No | Enter last name first, for example "Hancock John". |
| Styled Plaintiff | Text | No | Search the plaintiff style field. |
| Styled Defendant | Text | No | Search the defendant style field. |
| Filed Date | Date | No | Month, day, and year boxes. |
| Final Disposition Date | Date | No | Date the case closed. |
| Docket (Book/Page) | Text | No | Search by docket book and page. |
| File Number | Text | No | Search by file number. |
| Use Refinements? | Radio | Optional | Yes or No; refinements apply to name searches only. |
| Case Type | Dropdown | Optional | All, Civil, or Criminal. |
| Nature of Action | Dropdown | Optional | Long list: adoption, divorce, custody, estate, guardianship, land, name change, and more. |
Types of Jackson County Court Records
The records you can pull depend on which court opened the case. Circuit Court keeps felony files and major civil suits, each holding complaints, answers, motions, orders, docket entries, judgments, and appeal papers. County Court is a court of record that handles mid-range civil actions, misdemeanors, felony preliminaries, and appeals from Justice Court. Chancery Court holds family and equity files, from divorce and custody to estates, guardianships, conservatorships, and land-title disputes. Justice Court handles small civil claims, misdemeanors, and citations written by state and county agencies.
Because the work splits this way, the record you want has a single home. A felony indictment will not appear on the chancery portal, and a divorce decree will not turn up through the Circuit Clerk. The list below sorts the common Jackson County court records by the court that produces them.
- Circuit Court records: felony case files, major civil suits over the county-court threshold, and criminal appeals from County Court.
- County Court records: mid-range civil actions, misdemeanors, felony preliminary matters, eminent domain, and Justice Court civil appeals.
- Chancery Court records: divorce, custody, adoption, alimony, estate administration, guardianship, conservatorship, and commitment files.
- Justice and municipal records: small claims, garnishments, evictions, traffic citations, and city ordinance cases.
The county publishes case types, court terms, and the assigned judges on its Circuit Court page.
Circuit Court runs four terms a year and is the destination for felony indictments and the largest civil claims. County Court sits a step below it, hearing civil actions in the middle dollar range along with misdemeanors and preliminary felony matters.
A parallel County Court page lists that court's jurisdiction, hearing schedule, and judge.
Because County Court also serves as Youth Court, some of its files stay confidential and never reach a public search. You can also track filings as they move by reviewing the court dockets the county courts publish.
What Jackson County Court Records Show
A chancery case summary on the Delta portal exposes a consistent set of fields, and the same labels carry across most Jackson County court records whether you read them online or on a printed docket from the clerk. The summary tells you who filed, when, what kind of case it is, and how it ended. It does not always include every scanned document, since some attachments require a viewer login or remain restricted. The table maps the standard fields to what each one reveals.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | The unique identifier the clerk assigns when the file opens. |
| Party Name | The people or entities tied to the case, listed last name first. |
| Styled Plaintiff | The plaintiff or petitioner named in the case style. |
| Styled Defendant | The defendant or respondent named in the case style. |
| Filed Date | The date the case was first filed with the court. |
| Final Disposition Date | The date the case reached its final outcome. |
| Docket (Book/Page) | The docket book and page where the case is recorded. |
| File Number | A secondary number some records use to locate the physical file. |
| Case Type | Whether the matter is civil or criminal. |
| Nature of Action | The specific cause, such as divorce, estate, custody, or land dispute. |
Public Access Framework for Jackson County Court Records
Mississippi treats court and county records as open to inspection unless a statute or court rule makes them confidential. The Mississippi Public Records Act, found at Miss. Code Ann. Section 25-61-1, sets that baseline and requires public bodies to keep reasonable procedures for inspection and copying. Court files add their own layer on top. Circuit and County Court records route through the Circuit Clerk and Mississippi Electronic Courts, while Chancery records route through the Chancery Clerk, the Delta portals, or the Archives for the oldest files.
Anyone may ask to see an open record, and you do not have to explain why you want it. Copy fees apply, and only the custodian holding the original certifies copies. Online summaries are convenient, but they are not the certified record. When you need a certified copy for a legal purpose, request it from the clerk who keeps the file.
The Sixteenth Chancery District MEC and PAMEC login controls remote viewing of filed documents.
A PAMEC account lets the public view case information and filings, while a separate MEC login is for attorneys who file documents. Some attachments remain limited to attorneys of record, and the statewide Mississippi Electronic Courts hub explains both login paths.
Note: The existence of a case may be public even when individual filings are sealed, redacted, or limited to the attorneys who represent the parties.
Records That Are Sealed or Confidential in Jackson County
Some Jackson County court records stay closed no matter how you search. Youth Court files, adoption records, and mental and substance-abuse commitments are shielded by statute because they involve children, health, or other sensitive interests. Sealed and expunged cases may show nothing, a stripped-down docket entry, or restricted access. Personal identifiers such as Social Security numbers, birth dates, minor children's names, financial account numbers, and home addresses are redacted under the electronic-court privacy rules even inside otherwise public files.
To view or clear a restricted record, you generally petition the court that holds it. Expunction of an eligible dismissed charge, certain misdemeanors, or certain convictions runs through Miss. Code Ann. Section 99-19-71, but eligibility depends on the offense, prior record, completion of the sentence, and statutory exclusions. Before filing, gather the case number, arresting agency, charge, disposition date, proof the sentence was completed, and the clerk fee. If the court grants the petition, send the signed order to the clerk and any agency that keeps the record so public access is closed.
In-Person and Mail Record Requests
When an online search falls short, the Circuit Clerk handles Circuit and County Court files at the Jackson County Courts Building in Pascagoula. Bring a photo ID, the case number if you have one, and money for copy fees. Counter staff can pull a file, confirm a disposition, and certify copies that an online summary cannot replace. The office keeps regular weekday hours.
Jackson County Circuit Clerk
3104 Magnolia Street
Pascagoula, MS 39567-4127
228-769-3040
Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Mail requests go to the Circuit Clerk at P.O. Box 998, Pascagoula, MS 39568, and the office answers by phone at 228-769-3040. Chancery files from 1875 to 1980 live with the county Archives, which also keeps board minutes, land rolls, and old newspapers. A formal public-records request under the Mississippi Public Records Act is the fallback when the right custodian is unclear. For the full split between the Circuit Clerk and the Chancery Clerk, see the clerk of court overview.