Contact the Washington County Court Clerks

Washington County's Split Clerk System

Mississippi gives most counties two clerk offices, and Washington County follows that pattern. The Circuit Clerk and the Chancery Clerk are separate elected officials. They keep different records and answer different questions. The Circuit Clerk is the clerk for the Circuit Court and the County Court. The Chancery Clerk is the clerk for the Chancery Court. Each office also carries non-court duties that the state assigns by law. A request sent to the wrong office can bounce, so the first step is matching the record to the clerk who holds it.

Both clerks work out of Greenville. Both are public officials chosen by county voters. The Circuit Clerk is the primary court clerk for civil and criminal case files. That office is the right starting point for most lawsuits, indictments, and judgments. The contact details below cover the Circuit Clerk first.

Circuit Clerk Duties in Washington County

Barbara Esters-Parker serves as Clerk of the County and Circuit Courts. The office receives and files lawsuits, indictments, motions, and related papers in civil and criminal cases. It issues process, which means summons and subpoenas that order people to appear or respond. The Circuit Clerk also draws and qualifies jurors for trials. The office keeps the record of judgments and executions once a court rules. These are the core court tasks the Circuit Clerk handles for Washington County.

The same office does more than case files. It issues marriage licenses and keeps marriage records for the county. It records medical and professional licenses. It registers citizens to vote and runs election duties. So a Washington County clerk records search can touch courts, weddings, and the ballot box at one desk. The official county page lays out each duty in plain terms.

The county describes these duties on the Circuit Clerk page, which also lists the office contact details. The page confirms that civil, criminal, jury, and marriage records all route through the Circuit Clerk. Marriage license details and certified copy steps appear on the Washington County marriage and divorce records page.

• Filing civil and criminal cases for Circuit and County Court
• Receiving indictments, motions, and related court papers
• Issuing summons, subpoenas, and other process
• Drawing and qualifying jurors for trials
• Recording judgments and executions
• Issuing marriage licenses and keeping marriage records
• Voter registration and county election duties

Note: The Circuit Clerk handles marriage licenses, but Mississippi's older blood-test rule no longer applies, so call the office to confirm current requirements before you apply.

Chancery Clerk Duties in Washington County

Marilyn Hansell serves as the Washington County Chancery Clerk. The office wears several hats at once. It is the county treasurer and auditor. It is also the Clerk to the Board of Supervisors, so it records Board minutes and keeps the indexes that help the public research county records. That makes the Chancery Clerk the keeper of the county's land and money records as well as its equity court files.

The Chancery Clerk records the documents that prove who owns property. These include deeds and mortgages, construction and condominium liens, federal tax liens, lis pendens notices, and military discharges. The office stores and later disposes of older land rolls, tax receipts, and county records after their active life. As Clerk of the Chancery Court, it handles estates, guardianships, conservatorships, divorces, child custody, adoption, property disputes, and other equity matters. Probate filings and estate records live here, not with the Circuit Clerk.

The county explains these duties on the Chancery Clerk page, which also links the court fee documents. The page confirms that divorce, probate, and land records all flow through the Chancery Clerk. Estate and guardianship steps appear on the Washington County probate records page.

Which Washington County Clerk Holds Your Record

The fastest way to start is to match the record to the clerk. Court files split by court level. Law cases and felony files sit with the Circuit Clerk. Equity, family, and estate files sit with the Chancery Clerk. The table below sorts the most common requests so you can pick the right office at a glance.

When you are unsure, call the office that sounds closest and ask. Clerk staff route misdirected requests every day. Older, non-digitized files may take longer to pull, so allow extra time for archived material.

How to Request a Certified Copy

A certified copy carries the clerk's seal and signature. Courts, banks, and agencies often accept only certified copies for legal use. A plain printout is fine for reading, but it does not stand in for the certified version. The steps below work for either clerk once you know which office holds the file.

1. Find the case number or document reference if you have it. The party names and filing year help the clerk locate the file faster.
2. Pick the right office. Use the Circuit Clerk for Circuit and County Court files, marriage records, and judgments. Use the Chancery Clerk for divorce, probate, land, and equity records.
3. Call the clerk to confirm the certified copy fee, the certification fee, and the accepted payment forms before you send anything.
4. Submit the request in person, by mail to the office P.O. box, or by email, and state that you need a certified copy and how many.
5. Pick up the copy at the counter or wait for it to arrive by mail, depending on how you filed the request.

Note: A certified copy proves a record is genuine for legal use, so request the certified version any time a court or agency asks for an official document.

Washington County Records Request Form Fields

The county does not publish a single court-records request form on its general forms page. A written request still works under state law. Include enough detail for the clerk to find the file fast. The fields below cover what a clear request to either Washington County clerk should carry.

Washington County Clerk Fees and Copy Costs

Mississippi clerks charge for copies, certification, searches, and filings. Washington County does not post a plain-text fee list for the clerk offices online. The Chancery Clerk page links official fee documents, but the dollar amounts were not published in a readable text form, so they are not repeated here. Call the clerk for the current amount before you send payment.

The Chancery fee documents sit on the Chancery Clerk page as linked PDFs. Treat any figure you find there as a starting point and confirm it by phone. Fees can change, and the clerk gives the current total for your exact request.

Searching Clerk Records Online in Washington County

Many Washington County court files are managed through Mississippi Electronic Courts, known as MEC. Public viewing runs through a related system called PAMEC. Both Circuit and Chancery cases appear there. The catch is that full documents sit behind a login, so the public cannot browse case files for free. Lawyers file through MEC, while the public registers for PAMEC to view records remotely.

The login screens ask for a short set of fields. The table shows what the public access pages request. A courthouse terminal or a clerk counter copy remains the fallback when you do not hold a login.

Viewers who do not need to file can sign up at the PAMEC online registration page. The statewide hub at Mississippi Electronic Courts explains the login route for each court. Once your PAMEC account is active, you can read Washington County clerk records without a counter trip.

Public Records Act Requests in Washington County

Mississippi treats court and county records as public by default. The Mississippi Public Records Act sets that rule, with limits for sealed and confidential files. When an online file is login-gated or never digitized, a written request to the clerk is the reliable path. Send the request to the office that owns the record. Be specific so the clerk can find and price the file.

• Name the record and the party names involved
• Add the case number and a date range when known
• Say whether you want a plain or certified copy
• Give your full contact details for the reply

Expect redactions on personal identifiers like Social Security numbers, birth dates, and minor children's names. Youth Court files stay confidential under state law and are not part of the public search. The Mississippi Public Records Act page sets the framework that keeps Washington County clerk records open to the public.

Note: Direct each Public Records Act request to the clerk who holds the file, since the Circuit Clerk and Chancery Clerk keep entirely separate sets of Washington County records.