Neshoba County Circuit and Chancery Clerks

Two Clerks Serve Neshoba County

Mississippi splits clerk duties between two separate offices. Delana A. Waddell is the Neshoba County Circuit Clerk. The county lists her in her first term, elected in August 2023, and sworn in on January 1, 2024. Gidget Stovall Tate is the Neshoba County Chancery Clerk. She is also in her first term, was elected in August 2023, and took office the same day. Both work inside the Neshoba County Courthouse on East Beacon Street in Philadelphia.

The Circuit Clerk is the access point for Circuit Court case files, criminal and civil records, marriage-license applications, passport references, and election work. The Chancery Clerk keeps divorce decrees, probate and estate files, land records, guardianship and conservatorship cases, and the record role for the county Board of Supervisors. Each office answers its own counter, phone, and mailbox.

The county Circuit Clerk page names the official, lists the contact block, and links the marriage-license form. You can confirm hours and staff on the Neshoba County Circuit Clerk page.

The screenshot shows the office name, suite, phone, and email for Neshoba County court records work. The two contact cards below give the same details for each clerk so a request lands at the right desk.

How Neshoba County Clerk Duties Split

The fastest way to get a record is to match it to the right clerk. Felony and large civil matters live with the Circuit Clerk. Divorce, probate, land, and equity matters live with the Chancery Clerk. Pick the wrong office and the request just gets routed, which costs days.

The Circuit Clerk handles the work tied to Circuit Court and elections.

• Circuit Court criminal and civil case files
• Marriage-license applications and issuance
• Passport application references
• Voter and election records
• Jury and trial-related filings

The Chancery Clerk covers equity, family, and property records. Divorce decrees, wills, estate administrations, guardianships, conservatorships, and recorded deeds all sit in Suite 107. The county notes that land records are open for public inspection at the Chancery Clerk office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The same office serves as the record keeper for the Board of Supervisors.

Neshoba County Public Record Copy Policy

The county runs one written public-record policy that applies across its offices. Any person may inspect public records during regular working hours at no charge. You can hand-copy a record yourself for free. If a county employee makes a mechanical copy for you, the office charges per page.

When you want staff to pull, copy, and mail a record, the policy asks for a written request and a deposit. A minimum deposit covers employee time for searching, copying, and mailing. Extensive research is billed at an estimated hourly rate quoted when you ask. The county Mississippi Ethics Commission framework backs this access right, and you can read more on the Mississippi Ethics Commission public-records page.

That page explains the commission's role in complaints and enforcement when an office withholds a record. The fee table below pulls the dollar figures straight from the county policy.

Note: The county policy promises records within 14 days after the proper office receives a request, or a letter stating the specific reason a record cannot be produced.

How to Request a Certified Copy

A certified copy carries the clerk's seal and proves a document is a true copy of the court file. Courts, agencies, and out-of-state offices usually require certified copies rather than plain prints. The county does not publish a flat certified-copy price, so confirm the current charge before you pay.

1. Identify the case number, party names, court, and filing year. Circuit cases go to the Circuit Clerk; divorce, estate, and land records go to the Chancery Clerk.
2. Decide on a channel. You can request in person, by mail, by phone, or by email to the office that holds the record.
3. Put the request in writing for any copy made by staff. State the exact record wanted and add any detail that helps locate it.
4. Include the deposit. The policy sets a $30 minimum deposit for employee search, copying, and mailing, with mechanical copies at $0.50 per page.
5. Ask the clerk to certify the copy and pick it up at the counter or wait for it by mail. Unused deposit funds are refunded with the records.

Neshoba County Records Request Form Fields

The public-record policy works like a request form. It tells you which details a clerk needs to find and release a file. Give the office as much as you can, since a vague request slows the 14-day clock. The table lists each field the county policy expects.

Neshoba County Marriage Licenses and Passports

Marriage licenses run through the Circuit Clerk. The office links the county marriage-license application and issues the license at Suite 110. The county does not publish the license fee online, so call ahead for the current cost and the identification rules. You can open the form on the official Neshoba County marriage-license application.

The application asks for the standard personal facts for both partners. Plan to provide each of these before you arrive.

• Full legal name and any suffix for each partner
• Date of birth, age, and state of birth
• Current address and county
• Parent names, including mother's maiden name
• Prior-marriage history and how it ended

After the ceremony, the license is returned and recorded. Later searches for a marriage or divorce record may also run through the Mississippi State Department of Health, which can order a marriage copy or run a county divorce-index search. The split between license issuance and decree copies is covered further in the county marriage and divorce records guidance. The Circuit Clerk also handles passport application references for residents.

Neshoba County Chancery and Land Records

The Chancery Clerk is the practical custodian for the county's property and family files. Recorded deeds, deeds of trust, and other land instruments are open for public inspection at the counter. Wills, estate administrations, inventories, accountings, guardianships, conservatorships, and trust files also sit with this office. Divorce decrees granted in the county are pulled here too.

The county Chancery Clerk page lists the office name, suite, phone, fax, and email for these requests. You can verify the contact block on the Neshoba County Chancery Clerk page.

The screenshot confirms Suite 107 and the direct phone line for chancery and land work. Estate and guardianship filings are explained in more depth in the county probate records material, which also notes the documented fee gaps. Adoption files, sealed cases, and mental-health commitments stay restricted even when the rest of a docket is public.

Requests by Mail, Phone, and Email

Both clerks accept requests through several channels. In person is fastest for inspection, since you read the file at the counter and avoid online viewing charges. Mail works when you cannot travel; send a written request and deposit to the custodian office. Phone and email help when you only need to confirm a case number or ask which office holds a record.

Circuit and Chancery case files also live in Mississippi Electronic Courts, the statewide filing and access system. The Eighth Circuit Court District covers Neshoba Circuit Court, with a documented go-live date of June 24, 2024. The Sixth Chancery Court District covers Neshoba Chancery Court, with a go-live date of March 27, 2017. Public document viewing through the system can require an account and fees, so the courthouse counter is often the cheaper route. The Mississippi Judiciary explains the platform on its Mississippi Electronic Courts page, and court-specific details appear on the Eighth Circuit court-information page and the Sixth Chancery court-information page.

Note: In-person inspection avoids online document-viewing fees, but a clerk may still charge for any copies you ask staff to print or certify.

Mississippi Public Records Act Limits

State law backs the right to inspect county records. The Mississippi Public Records Act, Miss. Code Ann. Section 25-61-1, sets the policy that public records stay open unless an exception applies. The full text and access policy are posted on the Mississippi Ethics Commission Public Records Act page.

That page lays out the statewide framework that the county copy policy follows in practice. Several record types stay closed even under the open-records rule. Youth Court files are confidential under Miss. Code Ann. Section 43-21-259, and mental-health treatment records are protected under Section 41-21-97. Eligible records may also be cleared from public view through expunction under Section 99-19-71.

When a clerk withholds a file, the office should cite the legal reason. Sealed cases, adoption files, and redacted personal identifiers are the most common blocks. For anything not published online, such as the certified-copy charge or the marriage-license fee, the safest step is to call the office that holds the record and confirm the current amount before you pay.