About the Copiah County Chancery Clerk
Deborah Sandifer serves as the Copiah County Chancery Clerk. The county describes the office as its official record keeper, the office that records the present and protects the county's past. Two deputy clerks, Kimberly Hemphill and Kristina Williams, help with daily records work. The Chancery Clerk works at 122 South Lowe Street in Hazlehurst, a short walk from the main courthouse. This is a separate office from the Circuit Clerk. The two clerks keep different files, so the first step is always to match the record to the right office.
The Chancery Clerk holds the equity, family, and land side of Copiah County records. Wills, estates, divorces, and guardianships are filed here. So are deeds, deeds of trust, and many liens. The office also serves as Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, recorder of the board minutes, and County Treasurer. The same office collects past-due ad valorem taxes for the county. For most record seekers, though, the draw is land records, will files, and family-court paperwork. Details about the office appear on the official Copiah County Chancery Clerk page.
Copiah County Chancery Clerk
Clerk: Deborah Sandifer
122 S. Lowe Street
P.O. Box 507
Hazlehurst, MS 39083
(601) 894-3021
dsandifer@copiahcountyms.gov
What the Copiah County Chancery Clerk Records
The Chancery Clerk records a long list of documents, and not all of them are court cases. Land and lien papers make up a large share of the daily filings. Court files cover family, probate, and equity matters that the Chancery Court hears. Many of these records are sensitive, so some are open to the public and some are not. The list below shows the main record types the office maintains.
- Deeds, deeds of trust, and oil leases
- Powers of attorney, military discharges, and federal tax liens
- Bonds and oaths, lis pendens, and construction liens
- Wills, estates, guardianships, and conservatorships
- Divorces, DHS matters, child support, and adoptions
- Mental and drug or alcohol commitments
- Youth Court files, which stay confidential under state law
Estate and guardianship filings are part of the probate side of the court. A closer look at those case types sits on the Copiah County Chancery Court records page. The Chancery Clerk remains the first contact for the underlying file, whether it is a will, an estate, or a conservatorship.
How to Search Copiah County Chancery Clerk Records
There is no single free search that opens every Copiah County Chancery file in one place. The office uses more than one channel, and the right one depends on the record. Land records and wills are described by the county as available online. Court cases run through the statewide electronic system. Older files, certified copies, and sealed matters often need a direct call or a counter visit.
The county links an official Chancery Clerk portal at chancery.copiahcountyms.gov. The county states that all county land records and wills are online through this site. The portal did not show a readable search form during review, so the exact fields are not published here. Treat it as the official online land and will portal, and call the office if the search tool does not load or does not return what you expect.
The Chancery Court also takes part in Mississippi Electronic Courts, the statewide e-filing and case system. Public remote viewing runs through PAMEC, which requires registration, a login, and per-page fees. Sealed and sensitive family, probate, and juvenile cases may not appear in remote search at all. When the online route stalls, the clerk's counter and phone line remain the reliable fallback.
Several access channels reach the same office. Pick the one that fits the record and the timeline.
- In person at 122 S. Lowe Street for files, copies, and genealogy
- Phone at (601) 894-3021 for status and copy questions
- Email to dsandifer@copiahcountyms.gov or a deputy clerk
- Mail to P.O. Box 507, Hazlehurst, MS 39083
- Online for land records, wills, and PAMEC court cases
Note: deputy clerks Kimberly Hemphill and Kristina Williams can be reached at khemphill@copiahcountyms.gov and kwilliams@copiahcountyms.gov for routine records questions.
How to Request a Certified Copy
A certified copy carries the clerk's seal and proves that a document matches the official record. Courts, title companies, and other agencies often demand a certified copy rather than a plain printout. An online image or a counter photocopy will not always be accepted in a legal matter. The steps below outline how to ask the Copiah County Chancery Clerk for one.
- Identify the record. Gather the case or instrument number, the party or estate names, and the approximate filing date so the clerk can find the file.
- Confirm the office. Make sure the record is a Chancery matter, such as a deed, will, estate, divorce, or guardianship, and not a Circuit Court file.
- Contact the clerk. Call (601) 894-3021, email the office, or visit 122 S. Lowe Street to ask how many pages the document runs and what the copy and certification will cost.
- Submit the request and payment. Provide the record details in writing along with the fee the clerk quotes, in person or by mail to P.O. Box 507.
- Receive the copy. Pick it up at the counter or have it mailed once the clerk prepares and certifies it.
Note: ask about the fee and accepted payment methods before you mail anything, since the office did not publish a fixed copy fee in the sources reviewed.
Records Request Form Fields
No standard Copiah County Chancery Clerk court-copy request form was located in official sources. Because of that, a written request works best, and it should carry the details a clerk needs to pull the right file fast. The table lists recommended fields to include in that letter or email. Strong detail in the request cuts down on follow-up calls and speeds up the copy.
| Field | Recommended | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case or instrument number | Yes | Speeds the search; ask the clerk if you do not have it. |
| Party or estate names | Yes | Grantor and grantee, decedent, ward, or both spouses. |
| Record type | Yes | Deed, will, estate, divorce decree, guardianship, or lien. |
| Approximate date | Yes | Filing year or range helps with older files. |
| Book and page | If known | Useful for land records and older probate or will entries. |
| Certified or plain copy | Yes | Certified copies carry the seal and a separate fee. |
| Requester contact | Yes | Name, mailing address, phone, and email for the reply. |
Copiah County Chancery Clerk Fees
Clerk fees in Copiah County were not published in full in the official sources reviewed. Rather than guess at a number, the honest answer is to confirm the current charge with the office before you pay. Copy and certification fees can change, and they often depend on page count. The table sets out the items to ask about and what is known so far.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Plain copy per page | Ask the Chancery Clerk |
| Certified copy per page | Ask the Chancery Clerk |
| Certification fee | Ask the Chancery Clerk |
| Record or genealogy search | Ask the Chancery Clerk |
| MEC / PAMEC document view | Registration plus per-page fee; confirm current rate |
The statewide PAMEC system charges a per-page fee for documents viewed online, on top of the account registration. Those amounts are set at the state level and should be checked through the Mississippi Electronic Courts system. For paper copies pulled at the counter, the local clerk sets and collects the charge directly.
Chancery Clerk and Circuit Clerk in Copiah County
Copiah County splits its clerk duties between two elected offices. The Chancery Clerk holds equity, family, land, and probate files. The Circuit Clerk handles the law court, felony cases, civil suits at law, jury duty, and marriage licenses. Sending a request to the wrong clerk is the most common delay, so it helps to know the split before you call. The comparison below sorts the two by the records each one keeps.
| Topic | Chancery Clerk | Circuit Clerk |
|---|---|---|
| Court served | Chancery Court | Circuit Court |
| Main records | Land, wills, estates, divorce, guardianship | Felony, circuit civil, appeals, jury |
| Marriage license | No | Yes |
| Address | 122 S. Lowe Street | 100 Caldwell Dr. |
| Phone | (601) 894-3021 | (601) 894-1241 |
Felony cases, jury matters, and marriage licenses belong to the law side of the courthouse. Those are covered on the Copiah County Circuit Clerk records page. If a divorce sits with the Chancery Clerk but the marriage license came from the Circuit Clerk, expect to contact both offices for the full paper trail.
Note: a marriage license filing fee runs through the Circuit Clerk, while a certified divorce decree comes only from the Chancery Clerk in the county where the divorce was granted.
Older Records and Genealogy in Copiah County
The Chancery Clerk keeps the deepest record set in the county. The office says it offers in-house genealogical searches and that its records run from county formation in 1823 to the present. That long reach makes the office a key stop for family history, old land claims, and estate research. Wills and land records are described as available online, which can shorten a first pass before a counter visit.
Divorce researchers have a second tool at the state level. The Mississippi State Department of Health runs a five-year divorce index search for a set fee, described on the MSDH divorce records page. That search names the county, book, and page where a divorce was recorded, but it does not issue the decree. The certified decree still comes from the Chancery Clerk in the county that granted it.
All of these files fall under Mississippi public-records law, found at Miss. Code Section 25-61-1. Some categories, such as youth-court, adoption, and mental-commitment files, are confidential and stay closed to general requests. If a request is denied, the Mississippi Ethics Commission handles public-records complaints and explains the process.