Mississippi People Search

Mississippi keeps business filings, state prison records, the sex offender registry, electronic court records and vital records at the state level, so a search can start with these five offices. Deeds sit with the chancery clerk of each county, covered below.

• Mississippi Secretary of State business searchCorporations, LLCs and limited partnerships with registered agents
• MDOC inmate searchPeople now in Mississippi state prisons
• Mississippi Sex Offender RegistryKept by the Department of Public Safety, with a map search
• Mississippi Electronic Courts (MEC)Chancery, circuit and county court records; account and page fees
• Mississippi State Department of Health, Vital RecordsBirth, death and marriage certificates for eligible requesters

The Mississippi Public Records Act (§ 25-61-1 et seq.) governs the public's right to access government documents. The law states that all public records are open for inspection and copying by any person, subject to specific statutory exemptions.

Exemptions in Mississippi are quite standard compared to the rest of the country: medical records, active law enforcement investigation files, academic records, and certain concealed carry permit identities are restricted. Also, agencies are legally allowed to charge for the "actual cost" of searching for, reviewing, and copying records, which can make extensive FOIA requests costly.

Two state sites help find other agencies and state spending:

• MS.GOVOfficial state portal with links to every state agency
• Transparency MississippiState spending, contracts and public employee pay

Mississippi has a unique 4-tier court structure: the Supreme Court/Court of Appeals, Circuit Courts, Chancery Courts, and Justice/Municipal courts.

Circuit Courts: Handle felony criminal prosecutions and major civil lawsuits.

Chancery Courts: Handle equity matters, divorces, child custody, probate/wills, and land disputes.

Justice Courts: Handle small claims and misdemeanor crimes outside city limits.

Mississippi Electronic Courts (MEC), linked in Where to Look, uses the same kind of system as federal PACER. You need an account, and documents cost a fee per page; in some counties the docket index can be viewed free.

In Mississippi, property deeds, land records, and tax liens are the domain of the Chancery Clerk in each of the state's 82 counties. Property tax assessment values are determined by the County Tax Assessor. To research a person's real estate assets, you must identify the county where the property is located and search the specific Chancery Clerk's land records portal.

• Hinds County online databasesJackson; Chancery Clerk general index, tax rolls and dockets
• Harrison County Chancery ClerkGulfport and Biloxi land records
• DeSoto County Chancery ClerkMemphis suburbs, with online land records
• Rankin County Chancery ClerkSuburbs east of Jackson
• Madison County Chancery ClerkSuburbs north of Jackson

Businesses register with the Secretary of State, whose search is linked in Where to Look. Professional licenses are issued by separate state boards, so check the board for the profession.

• Mississippi State Board of Medical LicensurePhysicians and physician assistants, with discipline
• The Mississippi Bar lawyer directoryLawyers admitted to practice in Mississippi

The Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) maintains a public search tool for individuals currently serving time in state prisons or under state parole supervision. For local jail bookings, you must consult the county sheriff's department website.

Mississippi Parole Board

The Parole Board has no page of its own. MDOC explains parole and community supervision on its supervision page and lists the board's contact on its contact page.

Mississippi vital records are strictly controlled by the Mississippi State Department of Health. They are not open to the general public. Only the registrant, their immediate family (spouse, parent, child, sibling), or a legal representative can obtain copies of birth and death certificates.

Marriage records are maintained at both the state level (for statistical purposes) and locally by the Circuit Clerk of the county where the license was issued. Divorces are recorded by the Chancery Clerk.

Mississippi voter files are public but are not offered as a free statewide search. The Secretary of State's Y'all Vote site lets you check your own registration and polling place, and bulk voter data must be requested and bought.

• Y'all Vote, verify your registrationSecretary of State lookup of your own voter record

For genealogy and historical research, start with the state archives:

• Mississippi Department of Archives and HistoryState records, military records, land patents and genealogy collections

Mississippi has 82 counties, and much of its public record data stays with them. Some counties have online record searches, while in rural counties you may need to call or visit.

The largest counties are Hinds, Harrison, DeSoto, Rankin, Jackson and Madison. For courthouse links in every county, see our Mississippi County Public Records directory.

Know the Clerks: If you want a divorce decree or a property deed, go to the Chancery Clerk. If you want a criminal conviction or a civil lawsuit judgment, go to the Circuit Clerk.

Using MEC: in counties on MEC you need an account to see documents, and there is a small fee per page.

Dual County Seats: Be aware that several Mississippi counties have two county seats (e.g., Harrison County has Gulfport and Biloxi; Hinds County has Jackson and Raymond). You may need to check records in both courthouses.

Researcher Tip: When using the MDOC inmate search, variations in first names (e.g., "Willie" vs "William") can cause missed results. Always search by the offender's MDOC ID number if known, or use partial name searches if the system allows.

Mississippi has no general consumer privacy law like the California CCPA; bills have been filed in recent sessions, including 2026, but none has passed.

Privacy Note: Mississippi offers a program called the Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) managed by the Attorney General's office. This protects the physical addresses of victims of domestic violence and sexual assault by providing a substitute address for public records.

FCRA Reminder: Information obtained from these state and county databases cannot be used for employment screening, tenant evaluations, or credit decisions under the Fair Credit Reporting Act unless processed through a compliant Consumer Reporting Agency.