Tallahatchie County Circuit Clerk Records

About the Tallahatchie County Circuit Clerk

Daphane Neal serves as the Tallahatchie County Circuit Clerk. In Mississippi the Circuit Clerk is an elected county officer who keeps the files of the Circuit Court, the county's court for felony cases and major civil suits. The clerk also issues marriage licenses and carries out jury and election duties. The office is the official custodian of those records, which means it both stores the documents and certifies copies.

Tallahatchie County has two courthouse districts. The First Judicial District sits in Charleston, and the Second Judicial District sits in Sumner. The Circuit Clerk keeps a counter in each seat. A request goes faster when it reaches the district where the case was filed.

What the Circuit Clerk Handles in Tallahatchie County

The Circuit Clerk is tied to the Circuit Court, not the equity side of the courthouse. That distinction shapes which records the office holds. Felony and criminal files, civil law suits, and appeals brought up from the lower courts all run through this clerk.

Day to day, the office files new pleadings, marks them with a case number, and updates the docket as a case moves. It collects filing fees, issues process such as summonses and writs, and prepares certified copies on request. The clerk also draws the jury pool and runs county elections.

• Circuit Court criminal files: indictments, pleas, sentencing orders, and bench-warrant entries
• Circuit Court civil law files: complaints, answers, motions, judgments, and writs
• Appeals taken up from Justice Court and Municipal Court
• Marriage licenses for couples applying in the county
• Jury management and county election administration

Mississippi Code Section 9-7-81 gives the Circuit Court broad authority over felony prosecutions and over civil matters not assigned to another court. That jurisdiction is the reason this clerk, and not the Chancery Clerk, holds the criminal docket. Appeals carried up from Justice Court and Municipal Court land here too, so a case that started with a county traffic ticket or a city ordinance charge can end up in a Circuit Clerk file.

Note: The Circuit Clerk does not hold divorce, probate, guardianship, or land records, because those belong to the Chancery side of the courthouse.

Tallahatchie's Split Clerk Structure

Tallahatchie County splits clerk duties between two elected officials. The Circuit Clerk keeps Circuit Court files and marriage licenses. The Chancery Clerk, Anita Greenwood, keeps Chancery Court files, probate and estate matters, divorce decrees, guardianship and conservatorship cases, land records, and the Board of Supervisors minutes. Sending a request to the wrong clerk is the most common reason a file cannot be found at the counter.

The Seventh Chancery Court District covers Tallahatchie along with several neighboring counties. The Seventh Chancery Court District site describes how the district is organized and names its chancellors.

That page confirms the chancery half of the county's records work, which the Circuit Clerk does not touch. For divorce decrees, wills, land deeds, and estate files, the request belongs with the Tallahatchie County Chancery Clerk instead.

A quick rule helps. If the matter is a crime, a money lawsuit, or an appeal from a lower court, start with the Circuit Clerk. If the matter touches family, property, or a deceased person's estate, start with the Chancery Clerk.

How to Request a Certified Copy

A certified copy carries the clerk's seal and signature. Courts, employers, and other agencies often require that seal because a plain printout from an online viewer is not certified. Remote viewing through the electronic court system shows a document, but only the clerk can certify it.

1. Identify the case. Have the case number, the names of the parties, and the document you want. The clerk can sometimes search by name, but a case number is faster.
2. Pick the right district. Confirm whether the file sits in the Charleston or Sumner office before you send a request or drive over.
3. Contact the clerk. Call or visit the office, state that you need a certified copy, and ask for the current fee and accepted payment methods.
4. Submit the request and fee. Hand the request to the counter in person, or mail it with payment to the correct district office.
5. Receive the copy. Pick it up in person or wait for it to arrive by mail once the clerk certifies it.

Older files and paper records that were never digitized are handled the same way. Those still come from the clerk, so a phone call before a trip is worth the minute.

Tallahatchie County Circuit Clerk Fees

Mississippi clerks charge for copies, certifications, and filings, but Tallahatchie County did not publish a public Circuit Clerk fee schedule in the sources reviewed. Rather than guess at amounts, treat the figures below as items to confirm. The clerk quotes the current charge when a request comes in.

Confirm current fees with the Circuit Clerk before you mail a payment. The office in Charleston answers at 662-647-8758, and the Sumner office answers at 662-375-8515.

Searching Circuit Court Records Through PAMEC

Tallahatchie Circuit Court files are part of Mississippi Electronic Courts. Public Access to MEC, known as PAMEC, is the statewide channel for viewing case detail after registration. The Seventeenth Circuit MEC court page lists the Charleston and Sumner locations, the hours, and the access contact.

The Tallahatchie Circuit Court went live on Mississippi Electronic Courts on January 30, 2023. Cases filed since then are the most likely to appear in the electronic system. PAMEC support runs through a central help desk in Jackson rather than the county office.

Registration and document questions go to Public Access to MEC, P.O. Box 117, Jackson, MS 39205, phone 601-576-4650, email helpdesk@mec.ms.gov. The case file itself, and the full criminal and civil docket history, still trace back to the Tallahatchie County Circuit Court through this clerk.

Note: Online viewing is informational, so a document seen through PAMEC is not certified until the Circuit Clerk issues a sealed copy.

Records Request Form Fields

A clean request reaches the right file faster. Whether the request is written on a form or read over the phone, the clerk needs the same core details. The table lists what to gather before contacting the office.

Marriage Licenses at the Circuit Clerk

Mississippi marriage licenses come from the Circuit Clerk, so Tallahatchie couples apply through Daphane Neal's office in Charleston or Sumner. Both applicants usually appear together at the counter. Each shows proof of age and identity and gives the information the state requires for the license record.

Mississippi Code Section 93-1-5 sets the conditions a clerk checks before issuing a license, including age and consent rules for younger applicants. The statute text lays out those requirements. The Tallahatchie license fee was not published in the sources reviewed, so confirm the current fee with the Circuit Clerk.

The clerk holds the license record after the marriage. A certified copy of a county marriage record comes from the Circuit Clerk. The Mississippi State Department of Health also sells marriage records through its vital records service for couples who need a state copy.

Mississippi treats most court records as open under the Public Records Act, but open access does not mean every paper is online or free. The clerk remains the certification source, and sealed, expunged, or juvenile matters stay out of ordinary public view regardless of the format. A name search at the counter or through the electronic system is a starting point, while the certified copy is the document that carries legal weight.

Federal Records Are Separate From the Clerk

The Circuit Clerk handles state court files only. Federal cases that arise in Tallahatchie County are filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, in the Oxford Division. Those records do not pass through the county courthouse at all.

The Northern District of Mississippi court site explains the divisions, the clerk's office, and how to reach federal court staff.

That federal clerk, not the Tallahatchie Circuit Clerk, certifies federal case copies. Federal filing and document access run on a separate electronic system.

The Northern District CM/ECF system is where attorneys file federal cases and where the public reaches federal dockets through PACER.

Anyone looking for a federal case should use that portal, while county criminal, civil, and marriage records stay with the Circuit Clerk in Charleston or Sumner.