Frequently Asked Questions

Court records are a series of case filings, subject but not limited, to divorce, child custody, child support, property divisions, adoptions, guardianships, conservatorships, estates, land issues, name changes, paternity matters, mental commitments, drug and alcohol commitments, and appeals.

In most instances, court records are available for public inspections from 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday in Poplarville or Picayune using public terminals. Physical records are housed at 100 South Main Street in the new courthouse annex beside the historic courthouse.

Adoptions and commitment filings, by law, are private. Therefore, they are sealed and not subject to public inspection. In certain instances, one of the four Chancellors in the 10th Judicial District may issue orders sealing entire cases or parts of case files for a variety of reasons.

Court documents or suits can be filed at both the Poplarville and Picayune offices or mailed to: Chancery Court, P.O. Box 431, Poplarville, MS 39470. Be sure to include the appropriate fees, if necessary.

In many instances, court filings can be done using the Mississippi Electronic Courts (MEC).

For more information, please visit the 10th District Chancery Court of Mississippi and the Supreme Court of Mississippi websites.

No. All persons needing legal assistance must consult an attorney or proceed as a Pro Se (self-represented) litigant. The four Chancellors (Judges) of the 10th Chancery Judicial District have created packets that may be purchased by Pro Se litigants to use as templates for filing in the following cases:

• No-Fault Divorce
• Name Change
• Simple Guardianship

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.

No. You must seek your own legal counsel.

If you cannot get a copy from your attorney, you may request copies at either of our offices in Poplarville or Picayune from 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. Fees for copies made by our staff are 50 cents per page and an additional $1 for a certified copy of the document.

Copies of court 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 $1 is applied for a certified copy of the document.

No. Please contact the DHS Child Support Division for any questions or concerns regarding payments made to or received from DHS.

Due to the sensitive nature of civil commitments, we ask citizens to come to the Poplarville office to fill out the appropriate paperwork. Pine Belt Mental Health Resources performs pre-evaluation screenings for those in mental crisis to determine the need for in-patient or out-patient treatment. We ask you to provide the party's name, address, phone number, social security number, date of birth, medications the patient is currently taking, and medical history. The filing fee for both mental and substance abuse commitment is $148. Contact by emailing Allison McCormick, civil commitment deputy clerk, or call at 601-403-2348.

Please see the links below for additional information:

• Home - Mental Health Mississippi
• Uniform Civil Commitment Guide (PDF)
• A&D Commitment Guide (PDF)
• Find Services - Mental Health Mississippi (mentalhealthms.com)
• Mobile Crisis Response Teams - Mental Health Mississippi (mentalhealthms.com)
• Crisis Lifelines - Mental Health Mississippi (mentalhealthms.com)

The Lifeline provides 24/7, free, and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals in the United States.

The 1-800-799-7233 National Domestic Violence Hotline provides 24/7 assistance to offer support and tools to free themselves or their family from abuse.

The Gulf Coast Center for Non-Violence in Gulfport was opened as a safe house in 1977 to offer help to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Since then, the Center has grown to be the largest, most comprehensive program in the State of Mississippi.  More than 20,500 women, children, and men have received services through shelter and non-residential programs since it opened. Approximately 12,000 children, adolescents, and adults attend violence prevention sessions annually. The 24-hour crisis line receives over 15,000 calls per year requesting assistance and information. The center serves the six southernmost counties of Mississippi: Pearl River, Stone, George, Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson counties. All services for victims are free of charge and completely confidential.

A petition for a DAPO should only be filed if you are being abused and your relationship with the abuser is one of the following:

• Spouse or former spouse
• Person currently living as a spouse or who formerly lived as a spouse
• Current or former dating partner
• Person related by blood or marriage and currently residing together or formerly residing together
• Person with whom you have a child(ren) in common

Justice, Municipal County, or Chancery Courts can issue a DAPO but if you are in immediate danger and seeking emergency relief, you must contact the Pearl River County Justice Court located at 153 Savannah-Millard Road, Suite A, Poplarville, MS 39470, 601-403-2572.

For more information on how to file a DAPO, please visit the Mississippi Attorney General's website.

The Chancery Clerk's Office is prohibited by state law from offering any type of legal advice or assistance in helping you prepare documents for filing in our court and land departments. We are not attorneys and can only assist you within the confines of our duties as keepers of the records. Our office, however, has compiled a list of resources available to those who meet income eligibility requirements for free legal assistance. We hope this will be of service to you.

• Mississippi Free Legal Answers

The state's first-ever, free online civil legal help website is designed to assist Mississippi's low-income citizens with their legal questions. The website is a cooperative effort of the Mississippi Access to Justice Commission and the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project. Question topics can include family law matters (such as divorce, custody, child support, visitation, guardianship, emancipation, and adoption), name change, birth certificate correction, domestic violence, bankruptcy, consumer, education, employment, housing, workers compensation, wills, and estate planning. The site will not deal with criminal law questions. Individuals who qualify for assistance will sign up for an account and then post a question privately to the website. Attorneys will respond to questions and users will be alerted to their responses by email.

• Mississippi Access to Justice Commission - 601-960-9581

A collaborative commission was created to make available more legal services access to Mississippi's low-income citizens. The website offers insight into valuable resources in Mississippi. The Commission is funded through the generous support of the Mississippi Supreme Court, The Mississippi Bar, and The Mississippi Bar Foundation.

• Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project - 601-960-9577

A non-profit legal organization dedicated to providing free legal services to low-income Mississippians with divorce, visitation, child support, guardianship, conservatorship, adoption, emancipation, birth certificate correction, name change, and estate planning matters.

• Mississippi Center for Legal Services Corporation - 800-498-1804

An organization serving eligible people with an annual household income at or below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines and reside in one of 43 counties in the central and southern regions of Mississippi. Offering services in the following areas of law: family, consumer, education, employment, housing, income maintenance, health, individual, and juvenile rights.

• Mississippi College School of Law Clinical Programs - 601-925-7180

Mississippi College School of Law offers clinical opportunities for students to serve low-income and disadvantaged people with adoption, family, HIV-AIDS employment and housing discrimination and youth court matters.

• Northcutt Legal Clinic - 228-864-7144 in Gulfport; 601-705-0139 in Hattiesburg

The Northcutt Legal Clinic is a traditional law office that handles legal matters of a non-criminal nature for victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault, and stalking. The clinic attorney has 30 years of experience and is assisted by a secretary/paralegal. The clinic is a subsidiary of the Gulf Coast Center for Nonviolence, Inc. It represents victims in their legal battles for protection, for divorce, and for child custody and support. The legal clinic usually takes information from a client over the phone and then arranges an interview to determine if they can assist the client.

• University of Mississippi School of Law Clinical Programs - 662-915-7429

The University of Mississippi School of Law offers clinical opportunities for students to serve low-income and disadvantaged people across Mississippi and affect systemic change through policy initiatives and law reform projects. The Law School has clinical programs in the following areas: child advocacy, criminal appeals, elder law, family, housing, and a low-income tax clinic.