Jefferson County Chancery Clerk

About the Jefferson County Chancery Clerk

Serena King serves as the Jefferson County Chancery Clerk. The office works from the Jefferson County Courthouse at 1483 Main Street in Fayette, the county seat. Mississippi divides court records between two clerks, and the Chancery Clerk is the keeper of equity, probate, and land records. The Circuit Clerk handles felony and civil case filings, juries, and marriage licenses, while this office handles deeds, estates, and Board of Supervisors business. Deputy Clerks Myrtis Collins and LaShonda Rankin assist at the counter.

This is one of the broadest offices in Mississippi county government. A single clerk wears several hats: court clerk, county recorder, treasurer, and clerk of the governing board. That range means a visitor might record a deed, file an estate, and review county minutes under one roof.

What the Jefferson County Chancery Clerk Handles

The county describes the Chancery Clerk as unusually broad among Mississippi offices. Its work falls into four big roles, and each one produces its own set of public records. Understanding the split helps a researcher land at the right index on the first try.

• Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, recording the official minutes of county government
• County Treasurer, preparing the claims docket and payrolls and signing checks after Board approval
• Public recorder of deeds, mortgages, construction and condominium liens, federal tax liens, lis pendens, and military discharges
• Chancery Court Clerk for estates, guardianships, conservatorships, divorces, child custody, adoption, and property disputes

The Chancery Court side is where most family and property cases live. Divorce, custody, alimony, estate administration, and title disputes all flow through this clerk. Detailed estate guidance sits on the Jefferson County Chancery Court probate page.

The recorder side is just as busy. Real estate buyers, lenders, title searchers, and heirs all depend on the deed and mortgage indexes kept here.

How to Request a Certified Copy or Recorded Document

A certified copy is a clerk-stamped copy treated as a true record of the court or the recorder. Title companies, courts, and benefit agencies usually require the certified version. The Chancery Clerk issues certified copies of Chancery Court case files and of recorded land instruments. The steps below keep a request on track.

1. Decide what you need. A Chancery Court case file covers divorce, estate, guardianship, or conservatorship; a recorded instrument covers a deed, mortgage, or lien.
2. Gather identifiers. For a case, bring the party names and case number; for a land record, bring the grantor and grantee names, the instrument type, and the recording date or book and page.
3. Confirm the office. Land deeds and probate files are filed with the Chancery Clerk, not the Circuit Clerk, so call ahead if you are unsure.
4. Submit the request. Visit the counter at 1483 Main Street, mail it to P.O. Box 145, or call, naming the document type and the number of copies.
5. Pay the fee. Copies run $0.50 per page, and the clerk can quote any certification cost when you call.
6. Receive the copy. Pick it up in person or wait for return mail, and include a self-addressed stamped envelope for mailed requests.

Note: A record missing from any online system may still exist on paper or in an older index, so ask the clerk before assuming it does not exist.

Jefferson County Chancery Clerk Request Form Fields

Jefferson County runs no public case-search portal of its own, so a clear written or in-person request is the practical route. The clerk works faster when a request names the exact record. The county Public Records Request and Report form is scanned, so labels vary, but the fields below cover what any solid request should carry.

The county links the official Public Records Request and Report form for records not already at a counter or in a state database.

Jefferson County Chancery Clerk Fees

The Chancery Clerk charges filing fees for court cases and recording fees for land instruments. Copy and notary fees are small and flat. The county publishes the schedule below, and recording fees climb with the length and type of a document. Call ahead for the exact recording cost on a long instrument.

Chancery clerk fees in Mississippi flow from the statutory schedule at Miss. Code Ann. 25-7-9, and the broader right to inspect records runs through the Mississippi Public Records Act. Confirm the current amount before mailing payment.

Land, Deeds, and Lien Records in Jefferson County

Land records are the heart of the recorder side of this office. Every deed in Jefferson County is filed with the Chancery Clerk, which makes it the first stop for a title search, a property transfer, or an heirship question. The clerk records the instrument, indexes it by the names of the parties, and stores it for public review.

The recorded instruments cover more than simple deeds. The office files deeds of trust and mortgages, construction liens, condominium liens, federal tax liens, lis pendens notices that warn of pending lawsuits over title, and military discharge papers. Each category has its own index, which is why the date, book, and page numbers speed up a search.

Because some Jefferson County land and probate records predate Mississippi statehood, older books may be searched by hand at the courthouse rather than online. The clerk keeps the indexes that tie those early entries to modern parcels.

Note: Adoption files, minor settlements, and mental-health commitment records are restricted, so they are not handled like ordinary public deeds or estate files.

Ways to Reach the Jefferson County Chancery Clerk

The county runs no full online search for Chancery records, so the clerk's counter and phone line are the real access points. In-person service is fastest for recording a deed or pulling a certified copy. Mail handles routine requests well. The county Public Records Request form is the fallback when a record is not at a counter or in a state system.

Several channels work, and the right one depends on the record:

• In person at the Chancery Clerk counter, 1483 Main Street, Fayette
• By phone at 601-786-3021 for case questions, recording fees, and copy requests
• By mail to P.O. Box 145, Fayette, MS 39069, with a self-addressed stamped envelope
• By fax at 601-786-6009 where the office accepts it
• Through the county Public Records Request and Report form for non-case county records

The county does not publish a separate Chancery Clerk email in its official sources, so phone and mail remain the surest routes. Call before traveling to confirm a record is held there and to ask about copy or recording costs.

E-Filing Through Mississippi Electronic Courts

Mississippi runs a statewide e-filing and case-management system called Mississippi Electronic Courts, or MEC. Electronic filing reached every Chancery, Circuit, and County Court in the state on July 2, 2025, so Jefferson County Chancery Court filings now travel through the same platform used statewide. Attorneys file with MEC credentials.

The public views filed documents through a separate account called Public Access to MEC, or PAMEC. Viewers register online for a PAMEC login and may pay per-page charges. Access is blocked when a document is sealed, when the viewer is not an attorney of record, or when a filing link has expired. The state MEC landing page explains the filer and viewer logins. Recorded land instruments, however, are not part of MEC, so deeds and mortgages still come from the Chancery Clerk directly.

Note: MEC rules require filers to redact Social Security numbers, dates of birth, minor children's names, financial account numbers, and home addresses from public filings.