Access the Quitman County Chancery Clerk

About the Quitman County Chancery Clerk

The Quitman County Chancery Clerk is T.H. "Butch" Scipper, an elected county officer based at the courthouse in Marks. The chancery clerk is the official keeper of records for the county's Chancery Court, which is the equity court. In Mississippi this clerk also serves the county board of supervisors and records its minutes. That mix of court, board, and land duties makes the office one of the busiest counters in the building.

Records held here cover divorce, custody, estates, wills, guardianships, conservatorships, adoptions, and land documents. The office files new petitions, marks them into the docket, collects fees, and issues certified copies once a case or deed is on record. The clerk's staff cannot give legal advice, but they can point a visitor to the right file, explain a fee, and confirm whether a record is public or restricted.

What the Chancery Clerk Handles in Quitman County

Mississippi splits court records between two clerks, and the Chancery Clerk owns the equity and family side. The state judiciary describes Chancery Courts as the venue for domestic relations, custody, adoption, divorce, wills, and related equity matters. In Quitman County those files all flow through the Chancery Clerk at Suite 2. The clerk records the documents, keeps the index, and protects the originals.

• Chancery civil and equity cases, including injunctions and property disputes
• Divorce, child custody, child support, and paternity matters
• Adoption, guardianship, and conservatorship files
• Wills, estates, and probate, including heirship and final accountings
• Land records, deeds, and other recorded instruments
• County board of supervisors minutes and related county records

Some records do not belong here. Felony and major civil cases, appeals from the Justice and Municipal courts, and marriage licenses are kept by the Quitman County Circuit Clerk in Suite 4 instead. Traffic tickets and small claims sit with the Justice Court on East Main Street. Matching the record to the right counter is the first step in any search. The Mississippi Judiciary explains the split on its Chancery Court page.

Requesting Quitman County Chancery Records

A certified copy carries the clerk's seal and signature. Courts, banks, title companies, and government agencies often demand a certified copy rather than a plain printout. A divorce decree for a name change, a letter of administration for an estate, or a recorded deed for a sale usually must be certified. Plain copies are fine for personal reference.

1. Identify the case and the record. Note the names of the parties, the type of matter, and the year if you know it. A case number speeds the search but is not always required.
2. Gather your details. For an estate, have the decedent's name and approximate date of death. For a divorce, have both spouses' names and the year the decree was granted.
3. Choose a channel. You can visit Suite 2 in person, call the office, or mail a written request to the courthouse address.
4. Pay the copy and certification fee. Local amounts are not published, so confirm the current charge and accepted payment before you mail money.
5. Receive the record. Pick it up at the counter or wait for the mailed copy. Ask how many business days to expect for a mailed request.

Note: Some chancery family files are sealed or restricted, so a clerk may need to confirm you are a party or attorney before releasing a certified copy.

Quitman County Chancery Request Fields

No local Quitman County Chancery Clerk request form was located in official sources. A clear written request still works. Include the items below so staff can find the file on the first try and quote the right fee. A short, specific letter is easier to fill than a vague one, and it cuts down on phone calls back and forth.

Quitman County Divorce and Estate Records

Divorce in Mississippi is a chancery matter, so the certified decree lives with the Chancery Clerk in the county where the divorce was granted. The federal CDC vital records guide is clear on this point. State Vital Records can run an index search and tell you the county, book, and page, but it does not issue certified divorce decrees. For the actual certified copy, the request comes back to Suite 2 in Marks. Marriage licenses, by contrast, are kept by the circuit clerk.

Estate and probate files also sit with this office. An estate file may hold the will, the petition to probate, heirship papers, an inventory, creditor notices, accountings, and the final decree closing the estate. Guardianships and conservatorships protect minors or adults who cannot manage their own affairs, and those files are handled here as well. The full probate path is covered on the Quitman County Chancery Court records page.

Petitioner

The party asking Chancery Court for relief, such as a divorce or to open an estate.

Executor

The person named in a will to carry out the estate.

Administrator

The person the court appoints when there is no valid will.

Intestate

Dying without a valid will.

Conservatorship

A court arrangement to manage the property of a protected adult.

Important: A plain online printout is not the same as a certified copy. Banks, title companies, and courts usually accept only a certified copy stamped and signed by the Chancery Clerk.

Quitman County Chancery Clerk Fees

Quitman County does not publish a chancery clerk fee schedule online. The safe approach is to call 662-326-2661 and ask for the current copy, certification, and filing charges before you send payment. A few related fees are set at the state level and are worth knowing. The table below mixes the sourced statewide amounts with a reminder to confirm local copy costs by phone.

Note: The statewide $10 registration and 20-cent page fee come from the Mississippi Judiciary, while the $17 divorce index search is a state vital-records charge, not a Chancery Clerk fee.

Online Access Through PAMEC

Mississippi runs its electronic court records through the Public Access Mississippi Electronic Case management system, known as PAMEC. All 82 counties, including Quitman, now file circuit and chancery cases on this single statewide platform. Viewing filed documents online requires a registered account. You can set one up at the PAMEC registration site. The reported cost is $10 a year plus 20 cents per page.

Remote access is limited for the very categories the Chancery Clerk handles most. Public reporting on the system lists divorce, child custody and visitation, child support, termination of parental rights, conservatorship, guardianship, minor's settlement, and protection from domestic abuse among the matters not available remotely. When a file is blocked online, the in-person counter at Suite 2 is the fallback.

Can I read a Quitman County divorce file online? Often not in full. The docket may appear, but sensitive chancery family categories are restricted remotely, so the certified decree usually comes from the clerk's counter or by mail. Sealed files stay closed to the general public regardless of channel.

Visiting and Contacting the Office

The Chancery Clerk's counter is in Suite 2 of the Quitman County Courthouse at 220 Chestnut Street in Marks. The main line is 662-326-2661. Posted public hours were not found in official sources, so call ahead if your trip depends on a tight schedule. In-person visits work well for older estate books and land records that may not be fully electronic.

Written and mailed requests go to the same courthouse address. A request for a non-confidential public record falls under the Mississippi Public Records Act, Miss. Code Ann. Section 25-61-1, explained by the Mississippi Ethics Commission. Under Section 25-61-5, a public body generally cannot push production or denial past seven working days after it receives the request. Court files still follow court rules and confidentiality laws, so some chancery records remain restricted even when the general open-records principle applies.

Note: For circuit criminal and civil files, appeals from the lower courts, or a marriage license, contact the Circuit Clerk at 662-326-8003 rather than the Chancery Clerk.