| Circuit Clerk | Lamar County Circuit Clerk |
|---|---|
| Chancery Clerk | Lamar County Chancery Clerk |
| Clerk address | Lamar County Circuit Clerk: 203 Main Street, Purvis, MS 39475 (mail: P.O. Box 369, Purvis, MS 39475). Lamar County Chancery Clerk: 403 Main Street, Purvis, MS 39475 (mail: P.O. Box 247, Purvis, MS 39475). |
| Phone | Circuit Clerk (601) 794-8504 or (601) 794-3478; Chancery Clerk (601) 794-3448; Justice Court (601) 794-2950; county main line (601) 794-8504 |
| Hours | Confirm current hours with the clerk before visiting |
| Earliest records noted | Varies by court — older files may be on paper or microfilm |
| Plain copy fee | Circuit clerk: $1.00 per page if the clerk's office makes the copy, $0.25 per page if you make it yourself (Miss. Code Ann. § 25-7-13). Chancery clerk: $0.50 per page by the clerk's staff, $0.25 per page self-service (§ 25-7-9) |
| Certified copy fee | Circuit clerk: $2.00 per page for copies the clerk makes and certifies (§ 25-7-13). Chancery clerk: $1.00 per complete document for certification, added to the per-page copy charge (§ 25-7-9) |
Lamar County is the fast-growing western half of the Hattiesburg metro area — Oak Grove, Sumrall, Lumberton, and part of Hattiesburg itself — but its courthouse is in the small county seat of Purvis, where the circuit and chancery clerks sit a block apart on Main Street. The Lamar County Circuit Clerk at 203 Main Street keeps all records of the Circuit Court and the official court seal, collects and disburses court fines, costs, and restitution, and runs a criminal division (felonies, misdemeanors, DUI, traffic, and juvenile matters on appeal or transfer) and a civil division for everything else filed in circuit court. Lamar County is part of the 15th Circuit Court District.
The Lamar County Chancery Clerk at 403 Main Street clerks the Chancery Court — divorces, land matters, estates, paternity, child support, conservatorships, and adoptions — and notes that most of its cases are public record. Chancery Court is held two weeks out of each month, convening at 9:00 a.m. The chancery clerk is also the custodian of the public land records, collector of delinquent property taxes, clerk of the Board of Supervisors, and county auditor.
Lamar County has no County Court, so misdemeanors, evictions, and small claims up to $3,500 go to Justice Court, whose civil division handles roughly 6,000 cases a year and whose criminal division handles about 7,100, including every ticket written by the sheriff's department, the Highway Patrol, and state wildlife and transportation officers. None of the county's courts offers an online case search; filed documents are on Mississippi Electronic Courts (MEC) for paid public access, and everything else is requested from the clerk.
Search Lamar County court records online
Circuit Clerk
Lamar County Circuit Clerk
- Cost
- Copy and search fees set by statute (Miss. Code Ann. § 25-7-13); MEC/PAMEC account (fee) to view documents online
- Coverage
- Circuit Court criminal division (felony, misdemeanor, DUI, traffic, juvenile, and criminal contempt case types) and civil division (law, eminent domain, mental health, orders of protection, small claims on appeal, tax, and other civil filings), plus fines and restitution accounts
- Records
- Civil, Criminal
Office of Martin Hankins, Circuit Clerk, 203 Main Street, Purvis; mail to P.O. Box 369, Purvis, MS 39475. The department page lists (601) 794-8504 and the county directory lists (601) 794-3478 for the Circuit Clerk. No online case search and no office hours are posted.
Chancery Clerk
Lamar County Chancery Clerk
- Cost
- Copy and certification fees set by statute (Miss. Code Ann. § 25-7-9); the office links a chancery fee schedule; MEC/PAMEC account (fee) to view chancery documents online
- Coverage
- Chancery Court cases (divorce, land matters, estates, paternity, child support, conservatorships, adoptions, civil commitments, domestic-abuse protection orders) and the county's public land records and delinquent-tax records
- Records
- Family, Probate
Office of Jamie Aultman, Chancery Clerk, 403 Main Street, Purvis; mail to P.O. Box 247, Purvis, MS 39475. The department page lists (601) 794-8504 and the county directory lists (601) 794-3448 for the Chancery Clerk. The page links an "Online Deeds" resource and a chancery fee schedule but no case docket search and no office hours.
Other courts
Lamar County Justice Court
- Cost
- Civil filing fees prepaid: $84.00 for one defendant, $99.00 for two, $70.00 for a post-judgment action; copy fees set by statute
- Coverage
- Misdemeanors, DUI, traffic tickets written by the sheriff's department and state agencies, felony bond and preliminary hearings, search warrants, and civil cases up to $3,500 including evictions, replevins, garnishments, and domestic orders of protection
- Records
- Criminal, Civil, Traffic
Criminal court convenes Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. for misdemeanor pleas and 1:30 p.m. for trials. Citation payments are taken Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. or online. County directory phone (601) 794-2950. No online docket search.
What is available online
Lamar County posts no online case search for the circuit, chancery, or justice courts. The county site lists each clerk's address, phone, and case types, and the chancery clerk links an online deeds resource for land records, but court dockets and documents are available online only through Mississippi Electronic Courts with a paid PAMEC account, and only from the date each court joined MEC forward. Older files are paper or microfilm at the clerks' offices in Purvis. Justice Court offers online citation payment but not a docket lookup. Office hours are not posted for either clerk (Justice Court states it accepts payments Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.), so call before driving to Purvis.
Which clerk has your record
In Mississippi, the clerk who keeps a file depends on which court heard the case. Check the court name on the case notice, citation, or order, then use the office and coverage details above to identify the record holder. Court names and responsibilities differ by state; a county clerk may not keep court case files. For federal cases, see the PACER guide. The full court structure is on the Mississippi page.
| Court | Typical cases | Records kept by |
|---|---|---|
| Chancery Court | Divorce, child custody, and support; Adoption and guardianship; Probate of wills and estate administration | Chancery Clerk of the county |
| Circuit Court | Felony criminal cases; Civil suits above the county court's jurisdictional limit; Appeals from county, justice, and municipal court | Circuit Clerk of the county |
| County Court | Civil cases within a set dollar limit; Misdemeanors referred from circuit or justice court; Eminent domain and some youth court matters | Circuit Clerk of the county (County Court is a division the circuit clerk also serves) |
| Justice Court | Misdemeanors; Small claims and civil cases up to the justice-court limit; Traffic citations issued by the sheriff's office | Clerk of the Justice Court |
| Municipal Court | Misdemeanors within city limits; City ordinance violations; Traffic tickets issued by city police | Municipal court clerk for that city |
Request records in person or by mail
Lamar County clerk offices
Lamar County Circuit Clerk: 203 Main Street, Purvis, MS 39475 (mail: P.O. Box 369, Purvis, MS 39475). Lamar County Chancery Clerk: 403 Main Street, Purvis, MS 39475 (mail: P.O. Box 247, Purvis, MS 39475).
Phone: Circuit Clerk (601) 794-8504 or (601) 794-3478; Chancery Clerk (601) 794-3448; Justice Court (601) 794-2950; county main line (601) 794-8504
Contact details were taken from the office's website and are re-checked on a schedule; confirm hours before visiting.
Circuit Court records (felonies, DUI, civil suits, eminent domain, protective orders). Contact the Circuit Clerk at 203 Main Street, Purvis, or write to P.O. Box 369, Purvis, MS 39475. Give the case number or party names and approximate year, identify the document, and state whether you need a plain or certified copy. Fees follow the circuit clerk fee statute (Miss. Code Ann. § 25-7-13); call (601) 794-3478 or (601) 794-8504 to confirm the total before mailing a check or money order. Fines and restitution balances are also handled by this office.
Chancery Court records (divorce, estates, paternity, child support, conservatorships, land). Contact the Chancery Clerk at 403 Main Street, Purvis, or P.O. Box 247, Purvis, MS 39475, phone (601) 794-3448. The office links its own chancery fee schedule; statutory copy and certification fees are in Miss. Code Ann. § 25-7-9. Adoption files are sealed. Chancery Court sits two weeks a month, so the clerk's office may be busiest during term.
Online. Register for a PAMEC account through Mississippi Electronic Courts to search and download filed documents for Lamar County's circuit and chancery courts yourself.
Justice Court records (misdemeanors, traffic, evictions, small claims). Contact the Justice Court clerk at (601) 794-2950. Civil filings are prepaid ($84.00 for one defendant, $99.00 for two, $70.00 for a post-judgment action). Tickets written by Hattiesburg, Purvis, Sumrall, or Lumberton police are in those cities' municipal courts, which the county does not index.
Fees
| Item | Typical cost in Mississippi |
|---|---|
| Plain copy | Circuit clerk: $1.00 per page if the clerk's office makes the copy, $0.25 per page if you make it yourself (Miss. Code Ann. § 25-7-13). Chancery clerk: $0.50 per page by the clerk's staff, $0.25 per page self-service (§ 25-7-9) |
| Certified copy | Circuit clerk: $2.00 per page for copies the clerk makes and certifies (§ 25-7-13). Chancery clerk: $1.00 per complete document for certification, added to the per-page copy charge (§ 25-7-9) |
Copy fees are set by statute and differ by office: Miss. Code Ann. Section 25-7-13 governs circuit clerks and Section 25-7-9 governs chancery clerks. Some clerks post their own schedules (for example, Madison County's circuit clerk charges $10.00 per name for a staff-run records search and $1.00 per document for certification). Both statutes are amended periodically, so confirm the current amount with the clerk before sending payment.
Need a copy an agency will accept? See how to get certified copies of court records.
Sealed and restricted records
Mississippi court records are open to the public unless a statute or court order restricts them:
The Mississippi guide lists every category of sealed and restricted record, and our guide to expunging or sealing a criminal record explains how to remove one from public view.
Frequently asked questions
Where are Lamar County's court clerks located?
Both are on Main Street in Purvis, the county seat: the Circuit Clerk at 203 Main Street and the Chancery Clerk at 403 Main Street. Justice Court is also in Purvis; call (601) 794-2950 for its office.
Can I look up Lamar County court records online?
Not through a county site. Filed documents for the circuit and chancery courts are on Mississippi Electronic Courts, which requires a paid PAMEC account. Justice Court offers online citation payment only. Otherwise, request the record from the clerk of the court that heard the case.
Does Lamar County have a County Court?
No. Lamar County's trial courts are Circuit Court, Chancery Court, and Justice Court. Misdemeanors, evictions, and civil claims up to $3,500 that a County Court would hear in larger counties go to Justice Court here.
Which Lamar County office has my divorce, estate, or child-support case?
The Lamar County Chancery Clerk at 403 Main Street in Purvis. Divorces, estates, paternity, child support, conservatorships, and adoptions are Chancery Court matters and are not in the circuit clerk's criminal or civil divisions.
Sources
- Lamar County Circuit Clerk — https://lamarcountyms.gov/ms/departments/circuit-clerk/
- Lamar County Chancery Clerk — https://lamarcountyms.gov/ms/departments/chancery-clerk/
- Lamar County Justice Court — https://lamarcountyms.gov/ms/departments/justice-court/
- Lamar County Contacts Directory — https://lamarcountyms.gov/ms/contact-numbers/
- State of Mississippi Judiciary — MEC General Information — https://courts.ms.gov/mec/GeneralInformation.php
- Mississippi Electronic Courts (MEC) — https://courts.ms.gov/mec/mec.php
- MEC — PAMEC (Non-Attorney) Terms and Conditions — https://courts.ms.gov/mec/Non-attorney%20Terms%20and%20Conditions.pdf
- Mississippi Supreme Court and Court of Appeals docket/opinion search — https://courts.ms.gov/appellatecourts/docket/login.php
- Mississippi Department of Public Safety — Criminal Information Center — https://www.dps.ms.gov/investigation/criminal-information-center
- Mississippi DPS Personal Background Check — https://www.ms.gov/dps/background_check
- Miss. Code Ann. Section 99-19-71 — Expunction (via Justia Mississippi Code) — https://law.justia.com/codes/mississippi/title-99/chapter-19/in-general/section-99-19-71/
- Miss. Code Ann. Section 25-7-13 — Circuit clerk fees (via Justia Mississippi Code) — https://law.justia.com/codes/mississippi/title-25/chapter-7/section-25-7-13/
- Miss. Code Ann. Section 25-7-9 — Chancery clerk fees (via Justia Mississippi Code) — https://law.justia.com/codes/mississippi/title-25/chapter-7/section-25-7-9/
- Miss. Code Ann. Section 25-7-13 — Circuit clerk fees (via FindLaw) — https://codes.findlaw.com/ms/title-25-public-officers-and-employees-public-records/ms-code-sect-25-7-13/
- Miss. Code Ann. Section 25-7-9 — Chancery clerk fees (via FindLaw) — https://codes.findlaw.com/ms/title-25-public-officers-and-employees-public-records/ms-code-sect-25-7-9/
- Mississippi Ethics Commission — The Public Records Act — https://www.ethics.ms.gov/thepublicrecordact
See also: all Mississippi counties.