About the Prentiss County Circuit Clerk
Michael R. Kelley holds the office of Circuit Clerk in Prentiss County. The role carries a double title. He serves as Clerk of both the County Court and the Circuit Court. That makes him the keeper of the main trial-court files in Prentiss County, from lawsuits to indictments. The office works out of the Prentiss County Courthouse in Booneville, the county seat.
Mississippi splits clerk duties between two elected officers. In Prentiss County, the Circuit Clerk runs the law side and the election side. Land deeds, estates, and divorce files belong to a different counter. For those, the Prentiss County Chancery Clerk is the right office. Sorting that split first will point most requests to the correct door.
Prentiss County Circuit Clerk
Clerk: Michael R. Kelley
101A North Main Street
PO Box 727
Booneville, MS 38829
662-728-4611
Fax: 662-728-2006
mkelley@co.prentiss.ms.us
Mon to Fri, 8am to 5pm
What the Prentiss County Circuit Clerk Handles
The Circuit Clerk receives and files lawsuits, indictments, motions, and related papers in every civil and criminal case opened in Circuit or County Court. The office also issues court process. That includes summonses and subpoenas sent out to parties and witnesses. Once a case ends, the clerk keeps a record of the judgment and any execution that follows. These files form the backbone of trial-court history in Prentiss County.
The duties reach well past the courtroom. The Circuit Clerk draws jurors and qualifies juries, issues marriage licenses, records medical and other professional licenses, registers citizens to vote, and runs election tasks for Prentiss County. One office touches court records, marriage records, and the ballot.
- File civil and criminal pleadings for Circuit and County Court
- Issue summonses, subpoenas, and other court process
- Keep judgments, executions, and case dispositions
- Draw jurors and qualify juries for trial terms
- Issue marriage licenses and keep marriage records
- Register voters and manage county elections
Divorce, probate, guardianship, and land records do not run through this counter. Those sit with the Chancery Clerk instead. Marriage licenses stay here, but a divorce decree is a Chancery Court file.
Prentiss County Court Records at the Circuit Clerk
Prentiss County does not run one all-purpose case-search website. Circuit and County Court files start with this clerk. Electronic court records moved onto the Mississippi Electronic Courts system, known as MEC. The First Circuit Court District went live on MEC on August 22, 2022. Public users reach filed documents through Public Access to MEC, called PAMEC, when a case is posted there.
Not every record sits online. Older files, sealed matters, and some case types still need a counter visit or a phone call. The table below maps the common needs to the right channel. Each path leads back to the same office in Booneville.
| Record Need | Channel | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit or County Court civil and criminal files | Circuit Clerk counter or PO Box 727 | Phone 662-728-4611, fax 662-728-2006 |
| Electronic court documents | First Circuit MEC and PAMEC | Live since 08/22/2022; an account or fees may apply |
| Marriage license or marriage record | Circuit Clerk | Call first to confirm current requirements |
| Older or offline case files | In-person file review | Call ahead so staff can pull the file |
| Sealed or expunged matters | Court order or party access only | Not shown in ordinary public results |
The Public Access to MEC office can help with login and statewide search questions. It is reached at P.O. Box 117, Jackson MS 39205, by phone at 601-576-4650, or by email at helpdesk@mec.ms.gov. The First Circuit MEC court information page lists the Prentiss location, hours, and file limits.
Note: An online docket may lag the paper file, so confirm any case status with the Circuit Clerk before relying on it for a deadline.
How to Request a Certified Copy
A certified copy is a document the clerk authenticates as a true and correct copy of the original. Courts, agencies, and many private offices accept only certified copies for official use. A plain printout usually will not do. The steps below walk through a Prentiss County certified copy request to the Circuit Clerk.
- Identify the court and the case. Note the cause number if you have it. First Circuit civil cases for Prentiss County carry a "PR" county suffix in the number.
- Confirm the file is open. Sealed, expunged, adoption, and youth court records are restricted and need court authorization.
- Contact the Circuit Clerk. Call 662-728-4611, visit 101A North Main Street, or write to PO Box 727, Booneville, MS 38829.
- Ask about cost and payment. Confirm the per-page copy charge, the certification fee, accepted payment, and whether photo ID is needed.
- Submit the request and fee. Provide party names, the document type, and the number of copies wanted.
- Collect the copy. Pick it up at the counter, or allow mailing time when staff send it to you.
Prentiss County Records Request Fields
A written copy request should carry enough detail for staff to pull the right file fast. There is no long online form for a basic court-copy request. A short letter, a counter slip, or a phone call usually works. These fields cover what the office typically needs to fill an order.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case or Cause Number | Helpful | Speeds the search; staff can look up without it |
| Party Names | Yes | Plaintiff and defendant, or the named filer |
| Document Type | Yes | Judgment, order, marriage license, full file, and so on |
| Certified or Plain | Yes | Certified copies cost more than plain copies |
| Number of Copies | Yes | Each certified document carries its own fee |
| Requester Name and Phone | Yes | So the clerk can confirm cost and pickup |
| Mailing Address | If mailed | Needed only when copies are sent by post |
Prentiss County Circuit Clerk Fees
Copy costs at the Prentiss County Circuit Clerk follow a posted schedule. A certified copy is priced per complete document. Plain copies are priced per page, and the page rate depends on who makes the copy. The Mississippi Public Records Act lets a public body charge the actual cost of searching, reviewing, and copying records, so unusual jobs can run higher.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Certified copy, per complete document | $1.00 |
| Copy made by the clerk or staff, per page | $0.50 |
| Copy made by any other person, per page | $0.25 |
| Record search and review | Actual cost under the Public Records Act |
Court filing fees are a separate matter and are set by statute, not by a flat office price. They vary with the case type and any state and law-library shares attached to it. The MEC system also sets limits on electronic filings, with a maximum PDF size of 300 megabytes in the First Circuit. Ask the clerk for the current filing cost on a specific case type before you file.
Note: Confirm the certification fee and accepted payment before you mail anything, because prepayment can be required for copies under state public-records rules.
Marriage Licenses at the Prentiss County Circuit Clerk
The Circuit Clerk issues marriage licenses and keeps the marriage records for licenses issued in the county. This is one of the busiest non-court tasks the Prentiss County office handles. Couples planning to marry start here, not at the Chancery counter. A certified copy of a county marriage record also comes from this office.
The county FAQ currently states that applicants should bring a blood test receipt dated within the last 30 days, a picture ID, and, if under 21, a parent's signature on the registration form. Marriage-license rules have changed across Mississippi over the years, so the blood-test note may be out of date. Call the Circuit Clerk at 662-728-4611 to confirm what is needed before you go.
Older marriage records may also sit with the state. The Mississippi State Department of Health keeps marriage records for January 1, 1926 to June 30, 1938, and January 1, 1942 to the present, and can search for the county that issued a license. Divorce records are a different file. A divorce decree is a Chancery Court record and its certified copy comes from the Chancery Clerk, as covered on the Prentiss County marriage and divorce records page.
Voter Registration, Juries, and Elections
The Circuit Clerk wears an election hat as well. The office registers citizens to vote and carries out election duties for Prentiss County. The county FAQ says voting questions go to the Circuit Clerk, that the minimum age to register is 18, and that a voter should register at least 30 days before an election. A voter registration form is linked on the official Circuit Clerk page.
Jury service runs through the same office. The Circuit Clerk draws jurors and qualifies juries for Circuit Court terms. People summoned for jury duty in Prentiss County receive notice tied to this process. Questions about a summons, a date, or a deferral go to the clerk by phone.
Federal Court Clerk for Prentiss County Cases
Some matters never reach the county counter. Bankruptcy and many federal civil cases for residents go to a federal clerk instead. For Prentiss County, that court is the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, with Shallanda J. Clay listed as Clerk of Court. It runs as a separate records system from the Prentiss County Circuit Clerk.
The bankruptcy court posts its own contact details and case guidance through the Northern District of Mississippi Bankruptcy Court site.
That federal clerk handles filings the county Circuit Clerk does not, which is why a bankruptcy search starts at a different door. Attorneys and parties file electronically through the court's own system.
Registered filers and the public reach documents through the bankruptcy CM/ECF login for the district.
The CM/ECF system mirrors the role MEC plays at the state level, holding electronic dockets and filed papers for the court that owns the case.
Searching Prentiss County Records on PACER
Federal case records reach the public through PACER, the national court-records service. A PACER account lets a user pull dockets and documents from federal courts, including the bankruptcy court that serves Prentiss County. Fees apply per page viewed, unlike a counter copy at the Circuit Clerk.
The court lookup page confirms the right access path for the district through the PACER bankruptcy court lookup.
For county court files, though, the path stays local. State and county cases are not on PACER. Circuit and County Court records run through the Prentiss County Circuit Clerk and the First Circuit MEC system, while federal matters use PACER. Knowing which system owns a case keeps a search on the right track.