Carroll County Circuit Clerk Office

About the Carroll County Circuit Clerk

Durward Stanton serves as the Carroll County Circuit Clerk. The clerk is the Clerk of the Circuit Court. That office receives and files lawsuits and indictments. It also preserves the circuit court record from the first filing through the final order. The clerk issues Mississippi marriage licenses as well. Most people meet the office when they need a certified copy or want to check a case.

Carroll County runs two judicial districts, so the Circuit Clerk keeps two offices. The First District office sits in Carrollton. The Second District office sits in Vaiden. Both keep regular weekday hours. The district that holds your record depends on where the case was filed.

This split matters before any visit or call. A record from the north of the county usually lives in the Carrollton office. A record from the south usually lives in the Vaiden office. The case number, the filing papers, or a citation can tell you which district to use. When the district is unclear, a quick phone call to either office can point you to the right counter.

The Carrollton courthouse anchors the county's records. It was built in 1876 after the first courthouse on the site burned. The county's Carrollton historic page says the building houses a complete set of county records. That long history is one reason older circuit files still trace back to the Carrollton office.

What the Carroll County Circuit Clerk Does

The Circuit Clerk handles the official paperwork for Carroll County Circuit Court. Circuit Court hears felony cases, larger civil suits, and appeals from the lower courts. Every one of those cases leaves a file, and the clerk builds and guards that file. The office also collects court costs and records key court events on the docket.

• Receive and file civil lawsuits, complaints, and answers in Circuit Court
• File grand jury indictments and criminal charging papers
• Preserve felony case files, dispositions, and jury-trial records
• Docket appeals that move up from Justice and Municipal Court
• Issue and record Mississippi marriage licenses
• Collect filing fees and manage circuit court costs

Note: Older circuit files may sit in storage rather than online, so a request for an aged case can take extra time to pull.

Carroll County's Two Court Clerks

Mississippi does not put every court record under one clerk. The work is split between two offices. The Circuit Clerk keeps circuit court files. The Chancery Clerk keeps chancery court files and the county land records. Casey Carpenter serves as the Carroll County Chancery Clerk.

Knowing the line between the two saves a wasted trip. Divorce, custody, probate, estates, and guardianship are chancery matters. So are deeds and many older county records. A Carroll County divorce decree comes from Chancery Court, and the same court manages local probate and estate cases. The Circuit Clerk cannot certify a chancery file, and the reverse is also true.

The Circuit Clerk file also differs from an arrest record. A circuit case file begins when charges reach the Circuit Court. Arrest and booking details start earlier, with the sheriff or the arresting agency. So a person checking a felony often needs both, and the records sit with different offices.

The county's own roster names both clerks and lists their offices. The Carroll County official contacts page shows the Circuit Clerk, the Chancery Clerk, and their phone numbers.

That page is the most reliable spot to confirm a name or a number before sending a request, since elected offices change hands over time.

How to Request a Certified Copy

A certified copy is a court copy stamped with the clerk's seal. Courts, lawyers, and agencies often require one. A plain printout from an online search will not meet that bar. The Carroll County Circuit Clerk produces certified copies of circuit court records.

1. Identify the record and the district. Decide whether the file sits in the First District at Carrollton or the Second District at Vaiden, and confirm it is a circuit case.
2. Contact the Circuit Clerk to confirm the fee and the ID needed. County copy and certification fees are not posted online, so call before you pay.
3. Submit the request in person, by mail, or through the online system. Give the case number, the party names, and the document you want.
4. Pay the certification fee by the method the clerk accepts.
5. Receive the certified copy with the clerk's seal, in person or by return mail.

Mail requests work well for people who live out of the area. Send the request to the district that holds the file, with the case details and a way to reach you. Confirm the fee and the accepted payment first, since posting a check for the wrong amount slows the order. In person, staff can often print and certify a short file the same day.

Note: A certified copy carries the clerk's seal and stands up in court, while a plain online printout does not meet that standard.

Carroll County Circuit Records Online

Carroll County Circuit Court records moved online through Mississippi Electronic Courts, known as MEC. The public side is called PAMEC. Carroll County circuit cases sit on the Fifth Circuit MEC system. The court became paperless in 2020, so current files are tied to that system.

Remote access is not free. PAMEC registration runs ten dollars a year, and viewing a document costs twenty cents per page. You register first, then log in to search. The PAMEC registration page sets up the account, and the Fifth Circuit MEC login opens the search. The Fifth Circuit court information page lists the county's two court locations and hours.

The login screen asks for a short set of fields.

The login page calls itself a restricted website for official court business. An MEC filer login is for electronic filing by attorneys, while a PAMEC login is for viewing filed documents and case data. Court rules also keep certain personal details out of public view. Social Security numbers, dates of birth, minor children's names, financial account numbers, and home addresses may be redacted from the file.

Note: A message that says you lack permission to view a document usually means the file is limited to the attorneys of record.

Carroll County Marriage Licenses

The Circuit Clerk issues Mississippi marriage licenses. That makes the Carroll County office the local source for the original license and a certified copy. A certified marriage record proves a marriage for a name change, a benefit claim, or another legal need.

The state can help too. The Mississippi State Department of Health, or MSDH, searches county marriage records and sends certified copies. MSDH searches the county where the license was issued, which makes it a useful backup. The MSDH marriage records page explains what the state can pull and how to order. For a Carroll County license, the Circuit Clerk in Carrollton or Vaiden remains the direct local route.

Carroll County Circuit Clerk Fees

Some Circuit Clerk costs are fixed by the state online system, and some are set at the county counter. The online fees are published. The county copy fees are not posted, so confirm them with the Circuit Clerk before you pay.

PAMEC charges apply to remote viewing only. A request made in person or by mail follows the county's own copy and certification fee, which staff can quote by phone.

Reaching the Carroll County Circuit Clerk

Several channels reach the Circuit Clerk, so pick the one that fits the record and the district. Mail and fax routes differ by office, so match them to the right courthouse.

• Online: PAMEC and MEC for circuit dockets and filed documents
• In person: the Carrollton or Vaiden counter, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Phone: 662-237-9274 in Carrollton or 662-464-5476 in Vaiden
• Mail: P.O. Box 60, Carrollton, or P.O. Box 6, Vaiden
• Fax: 662-237-9642 in Carrollton or 662-464-5407 in Vaiden
• Public records request to the clerk who holds the file

When a record is public but hard to reach, the Mississippi Public Records Act backs the request. The Mississippi Ethics Commission explains the act, which sends each request to the office that holds the record. For a circuit case file, that office is the Circuit Clerk in the correct judicial district.