Frequently Asked Questions

Land records refer to those record series that may involve real estate. These include documents traditionally recorded in Deed Books and Plat Cabinets, such as Deeds, Deed of Trust, Authorities to Cancel, Plats, and many other documents.

Yes, land records are available for public inspection from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday in Poplarville or Picayune using the public computer terminals. Physical records are housed at 100 South Main Street in the Chancery Clerk’s Records Room located in the new courthouse annex beside the historic courthouse. Land records are also accessible online on the records website.

Copies of land records can be easily accessed online using our subscription-based website. Fees for copies made by the public in the office are $.25 per page. Fees for copies made by our staff are 50 cents per page.

Copies of land records can be requested by phone or mail. Requested copies sent by mail must be accompanied by a check or money order covering the cost of the copies and a self-addressed stamped envelope to return those copies. The request should reasonably identify the document to be copied. Checks should be made payable to the Pearl River County Chancery Clerk. An additional dollar is applied for a certified copy of the document.

Documents can be recorded at both the Poplarville and Picayune offices or mailed to: 

P.O. Box 431
Attn: Chancery Clerk Recording Department
Poplarville, MS 39470

Be sure to include a self-addressed stamped envelope and the appropriate recording fees.

The person recording the document with the Clerk's Office is responsible for making sure the document:

• is original with a 3-inch blank margin at the top of the first page
• provides the grantor/grantee's name, address phone number and/or indexing instructions all on the front page
• gives name, address, and phone number of "preparer" and "return to"
• gives the legal description of the property
• is signed and notarized with the notary seal affixed
• is accompanied by the proper fees and a self-addressed stamped envelope so that it can be returned to the party offering it for recordation. If no self-addressed envelope is included, the document will be sent back to the address on the envelope in which the document was received

The Chancery Clerk's office is forbidden by law to give legal advice. Therefore, we always advise the citizen it is in his or her best interest to seek the advice of a legal professional for assistance.

Those fees are listed on our fees page.

The Clerk accepts credit/debit cards, cash, checks, and money orders made payable to Pearl River County Chancery Clerk.

We will attempt to contact the filer to rectify payment issues and hold the documents until proper payment is received. If, however, we are unsuccessful at reaching the appropriate filer, we will return the unfiled document to the filer.

Documents are recorded when we receive them in our office accompanied with the appropriate fees.

Yes. The clerk will immediately record your document and return the original once the transaction is completed.

If you submit your recording by mail, once the instrument is recorded on the computer and the sectional indexes, the document will be returned in the self-addressed envelope provided.

No. If you are unable to prepare your document according to state law, we urge you to seek professional legal assistance. The clerk’s office is forbidden by law to give legal advice.

Yes. E-Recording is available for Pearl River County Chancery Clerk's office land records. Submitters who wish to record deeds, deeds of trust and other documents which would be filed in land records, can contact Simplifile or CSC eRecording Solutions.

A release of lien, satisfaction, release, or cancellation should be filed in our land records referencing the original lien. The recorded document will be returned as instructed by the submitter.

If a lien has been satisfied, but a release is not recorded, please contact the lien holder.

Liens filed in the land records can be viewed in office or at the records website. The Chancery Clerk’s office is forbidden by law to search liens or give legal advice. Therefore, we always advise the citizen it is in his or her best interest to seek the advice of a legal professional for assistance.

A TODD is a legal document that transfers an individual’s interest in real property to one or more designated beneficiaries effective at the transferor’s death but does not change the ownership or right to the property until the death of the transferor.

Find more information.

If the decedent owned real property in Pearl River County, the survivor should file a death certificate with the Tax Collector/Assessor.

The Clerk's office is prohibited by law to conduct legal title searches, prepare deeds, or assist others in preparing deeds. Our office strongly recommends seeking out professional legal help to conduct a title search before purchasing real estate. A search of records in the Chancery Clerk's office will determine outstanding mortgages, taxes, or other liens and whether the seller has legal title to the property. Any attorney or title company can do a title search and prepare your deed.

If you purchase and occupy the property before January 1, you are eligible to apply for homestead exemption (PDF) in the Tax Assessor's office. The filing period is January 1 through April 1. Filing for homestead exemption may reduce your taxes substantially. If you are eligible, please be sure and take advantage of these savings. Please be reminded that if you have a change in marital status due to death or divorce, you must refile for homestead exemption. Please contact the Tax Assessor's office for more information.

Property taxes must be paid each year. You may begin paying taxes in November for the current tax year, and they must be paid by February 1 of the following year to prevent being assessed late penalties. The Tax Assessor/Collector mails courtesy notices in November for that year's taxes. Be sure your current mailing address is correct within that office. If you do not receive a tax statement due to being lost in the mail, you are still liable for paying those taxes without further notice. You must call or go by the Tax office to determine your tax liability to the county if you do not receive that card.

If your property taxes are unpaid by the Friday before the last Monday in August, then the unpaid taxes on real property are auctioned off to the highest bidder at the tax sale. If no bids are received, then the property is sent to the Mississippi Secretary of State for future sale. It then becomes the duty of the Chancery Clerk to collect all delinquent years' taxes before the current year's taxes can be paid in the Tax office. All delinquent taxes must be paid in full in the Chancery Clerk's office. We cannot accept installments. We accept cash, debit/credit card payments, money orders and certified bank checks payable to Pearl River County Chancery Clerk. No personal checks are accepted in the redemption of back taxes.

Individuals have two years from the date of the tax sale to redeem their property. If not redeemed before the two-year time period, the property matures to the individual who purchased it at the tax sale, or to the State of Mississippi if no one purchased the property at the tax sale.

If the taxes owed on a parcel of land are not purchased at the August tax sale, then that piece of property will become a part of the State of Mississippi tax-forfeited land inventory.

The tax sale for the previous year's delinquent taxes is conducted by the Tax Assessor/Collector's office on the last Monday of August.

Payment can be made at both the Poplarville and Picayune offices or mailed to: 

P.O. Box 431
Attn: Chancery Clerk Redemption Department
Poplarville, MS 39470

No personal checks are accepted. We accept cash, money orders, certified bank checks, or debit/credit cards. Be reminded of this important fact. Mississippi law requires a 1.5% interest penalty applied on the first day of each month during the delinquent period. At the time of redemption (or payment of your tax debt) that added interest payment, along with the original taxes owed, is given to the person or corporation who purchased your property at the August tax sale. The longer you wait to pay your tax liability, the greater your debt becomes. For that reason, we urge you to contact the Chancery Clerk's Office at 601-403-2316 or 601-749-7734 to obtain the accurate redemption payoff for the month you are intending to pay those taxes.

Foreclosure notices are posted at the historic courthouse's front entrance at 200 South Main Street in Poplarville.

Yes. Any deputy clerk in our office can notarize your signature without charge at both Chancery Clerk office locations. You must provide a government-issued valid identification and sign in the clerk's presence.