How to search Mississippi court records
Online access in Mississippi currently covers appellate-level dockets and opinions only. Trial-court (circuit or district) case files generally require a written or in-person request to the county clerk. There's no charge and no account required — results are visible to anyone who searches.
appellate only free criminal data
Open the official Mississippi portal →
What's actually there
Free online access is appellate-only: the General Docket is searched from the courts.ms.gov home page. Trial-court records are on MEC through a paid PAMEC account (20 cents per page) or with each clerk.
Other official lookups for Mississippi
How Mississippi's courts are organized
Mississippi has two general-jurisdiction trial courts and three limited-jurisdiction courts. The general courts are the Circuit Courts and the Chancery Courts. Circuit Courts hear felony prosecutions and civil lawsuits, and appeals from County, Justice and Municipal courts and from some state boards. There are 23 circuit court districts with 57 circuit judges, and circuit trials use 12-member juries.
The limited-jurisdiction courts are the County Courts, the Justice Courts and the Municipal Courts. The 82 Justice Courts handle small claims of $3,500 or less, misdemeanors and traffic offenses outside city limits, and their judges can hold bond and preliminary hearings in felony cases. The 239 Municipal Courts handle misdemeanors, city ordinances and city traffic violations.
Appeals go to the Mississippi Supreme Court and the Mississippi Court of Appeals. The free online General Docket on the Judiciary's home page covers only those two appellate courts. Trial court records are online only through the paid Mississippi Electronic Courts system or a local court's own site.
Searching Mississippi court records online
The General Docket of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals is free and is searched from the courts.ms.gov home page by party name, attorney name or case number. It shows a docket entry for each filing, order and opinion, and orders filed on or after September 25, 2008 can be opened from the docket. Opinions from both courts back to 1996 are in a separate searchable database.
For trial courts, the Mississippi Electronic Courts system (MEC) lists the chancery court and circuit court of every county, and county courts in larger counties, along with the appellate courts. The public uses it through a PAMEC (Public Access to Mississippi Electronic Courts) account. PAMEC users can view electronic documents, docket sheets and notices, but only in courts that have adopted MEC by local rule and only for cases filed electronically. Access is not free: the terms charge 20 cents per page of search results, with a one-page charge even when a search finds nothing, plus an annual renewal fee. Usage is billed monthly.
- Justice and municipal courts are not on MEC; contact the court directly.
- The Judiciary notes that some trial courts and clerks run their own websites or use a private vendor for web access, and some post court calendars and dockets.
Getting copies and certified copies
For trial court cases, ask the clerk of the court where the case was filed; MEC lists a separate chancery court and circuit court for each county. For appellate cases, the Clerk of the Supreme Court keeps the files for both appellate courts at the Carroll Gartin Justice Building, 450 High Street, Jackson. Files can be viewed or copied there, staff may need advance notice, and most requests can be made by phone at 601-359-3694. The clerk's office publishes a fee list, and its fees are set by statute.
Expunged records
Expungement in Mississippi is governed mainly by Mississippi Code section 99-19-71. You petition the court where the conviction happened. For a felony, section 99-19-71(2)(b) lets the court grant the petition only if it finds, on the record or in writing, that the person is rehabilitated from the offense, and if it denies the petition it must state specific reasons. The Court of Appeals has described expungement as an act of legislative grace that is within the trial court's discretion, and has upheld denials where the petitioner offered no evidence of rehabilitation.
The statute also sets which misdemeanors and felonies qualify and how long a person must wait, and it changes from time to time, so read the current text or ask the clerk of the court where the conviction happened. For help with your situation, talk to a lawyer or the Mississippi Access to Justice Commission's resources.
Tip: reading an appellate case number
Mississippi appellate case numbers follow a set pattern: the year the appeal was filed, a two-letter case type, a five-digit number, and a court tag. For example, a number ending in -COA means a case decided by the Court of Appeals. Typing the full number into the General Docket search is the fastest way to pull up a case and its orders. For a trial court case, start with the county and pick the right court, since MEC lists each county's chancery and circuit courts separately.
Sources
- State of Mississippi Judiciary (General Docket search on home page)
- Mississippi Judiciary: Trial Courts
- Mississippi Judiciary: Justice Court
- Mississippi Judiciary: Municipal Court
- Mississippi Electronic Courts (MEC)
- PAMEC non-attorney terms and conditions
- Mississippi Judiciary: Media FAQ (records and copies)
- Clerk of the Appellate Courts
- Mississippi Court of Appeals opinion applying section 99-19-71(2)(b)
- Mississippi Access to Justice Commission
Checked against the official sources above in October 2026. Court rules and fees change; the court's own site is the final word. This is general information, not legal advice.
Federal cases filed in Mississippi
State portals don't cover federal court. If the case you're looking for might be a federal criminal prosecution, civil suit, or bankruptcy, use CourtRecordsFree's live federal search — it queries CourtListener/RECAP directly and isn't limited to any one state.
Search tips
- Try both "Last, First" and "First Last" — courts index names inconsistently.
- Middle initials and suffixes (Jr., III) often matter for common names.
- A date of birth or case number is the only reliable way to confirm you found the right person.
- An arrest or charge shown in a docket is not a conviction — read the disposition.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free to search Mississippi court records online?
Yes. Mississippi's statewide search is free to use, with no account or subscription required.
Does this include criminal records?
Yes. Mississippi's portal includes criminal case records alongside civil cases, though sealed and expunged cases are not shown.
Does one search cover the whole state?
Only at the appellate level. Trial-court records in Mississippi aren't in the online system yet and require contacting the county clerk directly.
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