Lawrence County Circuit Clerk Office

About the Lawrence County Circuit Clerk

Tracey Carney serves as the Lawrence County Circuit Clerk. The circuit clerk is an elected official, chosen by county voters to run the office that supports the Circuit Court. The clerk keeps the court's files, signs and issues court papers, swears in juries, and helps the public find case information. Lawrence County sits in the 15th Circuit Court District, which it shares with Jefferson Davis, Lamar, Marion, and Pearl River Counties.

The office works out of the Lawrence County Courthouse in Monticello, the same building used by the Chancery Court. Most requests start with a phone call or an in-person visit to the clerk's counter. The clerk's staff can tell you whether a file is open to the public, how to ask for a certified copy, and what it costs. They cannot give legal advice or tell you what to file, so a lawyer is the right source for case strategy.

What the Circuit Clerk Handles in Lawrence County

The Circuit Clerk is the records hub for the court that hears felony crimes and large civil suits. The office opens new case files, time-stamps every filing, mails out summonses and other process, and collects court costs. It also keeps the circuit dockets and the orders and judgments the court signs. Beyond the courtroom, the clerk carries voter and election duties and processes marriage-license applications for the county.

• Felony criminal case files, including indictments, pleas, and sentencing orders
• Circuit civil case files, motions, judgments, and appeal notices
• Circuit Court dockets and the court minute records
• Appeals that come up from Justice Court and Municipal Court
• Jury summonses and other jury-related functions
• Voter registration and county election functions
• Mississippi marriage-license applications filed in Lawrence County

Arrest reports and jail booking sheets are not circuit clerk records. Those start with the Sheriff's Office and are a different kind of file from the court case the clerk keeps. If you need the police side of an event, contact the arresting agency rather than the clerk.

Circuit Clerk or Chancery Clerk in Lawrence County

Lawrence County splits clerk duties between two offices, and the difference matters. The Circuit Clerk, Tracey Carney, handles felony criminal files, circuit civil suits, jury work, voter rolls, and marriage licenses. The Chancery Clerk, Kevin Rayborn, is a separate elected official who keeps a very different set of records. Sending a request to the wrong office is the most common reason a search stalls.

Divorce files, child custody, adoptions, estates and wills, guardianships, conservatorships, and land or property records all belong to the Chancery Clerk, not the Circuit Clerk. If your need is a divorce decree, a probated will, or a deed, start with the Lawrence County Chancery Clerk instead. The two offices share the same courthouse, but they keep separate files, counters, and mailing boxes.

Clerk office listings can be confirmed through statewide directories, including the Mississippi Chancery Clerks Association directory, which collects office names, addresses, and phone numbers across the state.

Use a directory like that one to verify the right phone number before you mail a request or drive to Monticello. A quick check confirms whether the Circuit Clerk or the Chancery Clerk holds the file you want.

How to Request a Certified Copy

A certified copy is a court copy stamped and signed by the clerk to show it is a true match of the original. Courts, lawyers, and many agencies require a certified copy rather than a plain printout. A plain copy is fine for personal reading, but it will not hold up where an official record is demanded.

1. Find the case number. Circuit case numbers are not published on the no-login MEC pages, so call 601-587-4791 or visit the counter if you do not have it. The clerk can search by party name to help locate the file.
2. Tell the office which document you want and how many certified copies you need. Common requests include judgments, orders, and full case-file copies.
3. Confirm the cost and the accepted payment before you submit. Fees are not posted online for Lawrence County, so ask the clerk to quote the charge first.
4. Submit the request in person or by mail to P.O. Box 1249, Monticello, MS 39654. Mailed requests should include your name, a return address, a daytime phone, and payment as directed.
5. Pick the copies up at the counter or wait for them to arrive by mail. Ask the staff for a rough turnaround so you can plan around a court deadline.

Records Request Form Fields

Whether you write a letter or fill out a counter form, the clerk needs enough detail to pull the exact file. A clear request moves faster and avoids a return call for missing facts. The fields below cover what a circuit records request should contain.

Lawrence County Circuit Clerk Fees

Lawrence County does not publish a circuit clerk fee sheet on an official page. Copy charges, certification charges, and civil filing fees should be confirmed straight from the office before you pay. The one fee that is set in state policy is the cost of a marriage record ordered from the Mississippi State Department of Health, which is a state charge and not a local one.

Note: The $17 and $6 marriage-record charges are state fees collected by the Mississippi State Department of Health, not local Circuit Clerk fees.

Marriage Licenses and Marriage Records

The Circuit Clerk issues marriage licenses for couples who apply in Lawrence County. The license application is filed and signed in person at the clerk's office, and photo identification is part of the process. Once a couple marries, the record of that marriage becomes searchable through the state health department for older and statewide copies.

For a certified marriage record, the Mississippi State Department of Health is the state-level route, with copies available by mail, in person, or through its online vendor. Divorce is a separate matter that does not run through the Circuit Clerk at all. Both topics are covered together on the county marriage and divorce records page, which explains the license steps and where a divorce file lives.

Common Clerk Forms and Portals

The Circuit Clerk does not host a county forms library online, so most online tools sit on statewide systems. The links below cover registration, general filing rules, and the state marriage-record application that pairs with a Lawrence County license.

• PAMEC online registration - sign up for public access before searching cases and documents online.
• MEC general information - statewide rules for how electronic court files are viewed and downloaded.
• MSDH marriage record application - state instructions for fees, identification, and payment on a marriage copy.

Mail and Online Access to Circuit Records

Online access to Lawrence County circuit cases runs through Mississippi Electronic Courts, the statewide CM/ECF-style filing and records system. Because the 15th Circuit is live on the system, the public reaches case and document information through Public Access Mississippi Electronic Courts after creating an account. A single login lets a registered user view docket information, open documents that are public, and pull other case details.

Registration is required before the full search screen appears, so there is no open name-only lookup on the no-login pages. Sealed, youth, and other restricted files stay closed even when the case exists. The PAMEC registration page and the Mississippi Judiciary MEC landing page are the starting points for an account, and the MEC help desk answers setup questions by phone and email.

Two fallbacks cover people who do not want an online account. Public terminals at the courthouse let anyone inspect available files for free, and a written request mailed to P.O. Box 1249 reaches the Circuit Clerk for copies. For administrative or non-case records, the Mississippi Public Records Act under Miss. Code Ann. section 25-61-1 supports inspection of public records held by public bodies, though sealed court orders and confidentiality rules still apply. Calling ahead before a courthouse trip is the safest way to confirm a file is ready.