How to Search Union County Court Records
There is no single search that covers every court level in Union County. The right channel depends on the type of case. Circuit Court case information runs through Mississippi Electronic Courts, known as MEC, and its public side, PAMEC. Chancery land records run through a separate online index called DuProcess. Justice Court, Municipal Court, and Youth Court matters are not posted in one public website, so those go by phone or in person.
Before starting, gather a few details. A full name, a case number if one is known, and a rough date range all narrow the search. For a circuit case, a viewer account is needed because filed documents are not open to anonymous browsing.
The official Union County government homepage shows the county contact block and the platform the county uses for public communication. The county page data sits behind a published welcome record for the county site, which describes the site as a tool for residents and visitors.
That county platform points people to local resources, but it is not a case-search tool, so a court records search still routes through the clerk channels below.
- Decide which court holds the case: Circuit for felonies and large civil suits, Chancery for divorce, probate, and land.
- For a circuit case, register for a PAMEC login through the Third Circuit District and sign in.
- For land records, open the DuProcess index and search by name, instrument number, or book and page.
- Review the docket entries or instrument details that the system returns.
- Request a certified copy from the Circuit Clerk or Chancery Clerk when an official copy is needed.
The Union County Judicial System
Mississippi uses a multi-court trial system, and Union County sits inside it. The Circuit Court handles felony prosecutions, major civil law cases, jury trials, and appeals from the lower courts. The Chancery Court handles equity, which covers divorce, custody, land and title disputes, probate, estates, guardianships, and conservatorships. Justice Court and Municipal Court are lower trial courts for small claims, misdemeanors, traffic, and eviction. Youth Court handles juvenile and child-welfare cases, and those records are confidential.
Union County Circuit Court is part of the Third Circuit Court District, which also serves Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Lafayette, Marshall, and Tippah counties. Appeals from the trial courts move up to the Mississippi Court of Appeals and the Mississippi Supreme Court. The Mississippi Bar publishes a plain guide to how the state court system is organized.
The Mississippi Association of Supervisors keeps a county profile for Union County officials that lists the elected officers who run these offices.
That official roster matters for records access because each elected clerk holds a different set of court files. The table below shows where each level fits.
| Court | Jurisdiction | Case Types |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Court | Felony and major civil; appeals from lower courts | Felony charges, large civil suits, jury trials, bound-over cases |
| Chancery Court | Equity and family | Divorce, custody, probate, estates, guardianship, land and title |
| Justice Court | Limited civil and minor criminal | Small claims, misdemeanors, traffic, eviction, preliminary matters |
| Municipal Court | City limits | Ordinance, traffic, misdemeanor, failure-to-appear matters |
| Youth Court | Juvenile and welfare | Delinquency and child-welfare cases, kept confidential |
| Court of Appeals / Supreme Court | Statewide appellate | Review of trial-court judgments |
| U.S. District Court, N.D. Miss. | Federal | Federal civil and criminal cases, not county records |
Which Union County Office Holds the Record
Mississippi splits clerk duties between two elected officials, and they do not hold the same files. The Circuit Clerk is the chief officer of the Circuit Court and the county's chief elections officer. The Chancery Clerk is clerk of both the Chancery Court and the Board of Supervisors. A records request that goes to the wrong clerk simply gets redirected, so picking the right office first speeds things up.
Donna Treadaway serves as the Union County Circuit Clerk, and Annette Hickey serves as the Chancery Clerk. The comparison below sorts the most common records by office.
| Record Type | Circuit Clerk | Chancery Clerk |
|---|---|---|
| Felony criminal cases | Yes | No |
| Major civil law cases | Yes | No |
| Divorce and custody | No | Yes |
| Probate and estates | No | Yes |
| Land and title records | No | Yes |
| Marriage licenses | Yes | No |
| Lower-court appeals | Yes | No |
Marriage licenses are issued by the Circuit Clerk, while a finished divorce decree comes from the Chancery Clerk. That split surprises many first-time requesters.
Union County Courthouse Locations
The Union County courthouse block in New Albany carries more than one official address. The county government posts 108 E. Main Street, the Chancery Clerk records portal lists 109 E Main Street, and Mississippi Electronic Courts lists the Circuit Court at 114 E. Bankhead Street. These point to different counters and entrances clustered around the same civic block. The map data behind the county site fixes the location near latitude 34.49 and longitude minus 89.01.
The county map data record publishes the coordinates and address text used on the official contact card.
Because each office sits at a slightly different address, confirm the exact entrance with the clerk you plan to visit. The cards below list the main offices.
Circuit Court / Circuit Clerk
114 E. Bankhead Street
New Albany, MS 38652
662-534-1910
Types of Court Records Available in Union County
Union County court records span several case categories, and each one lives with a particular court. Civil Circuit files hold complaints, answers, motions, orders, judgments, garnishments, and cost bills. Criminal Circuit files hold indictments, arraignment entries, pleas, bond orders, bench warrants, and sentencing orders. Chancery files hold divorce, custody, equity disputes, probate, and guardianships.
Lower-court records carry their own value. Traffic citations and many misdemeanors begin in Justice Court or Municipal Court depending on where the ticket was issued. Those cases may never reach Circuit Court unless they are appealed or bound over.
- Criminal records - felony case files in Circuit Court, plus misdemeanor matters in lower courts.
- Civil records - lawsuits, judgments, garnishments, and appeals filed with the Circuit Clerk.
- Family and divorce records - divorce, custody, and support files kept by the Chancery Clerk.
- Probate records - wills, estates, guardianships, and conservatorships heard in Chancery Court.
- Traffic records - citations handled by Justice and Municipal Courts, with serious offenses moving to Circuit Court.
What Union County Court Records Show
A court file collects the formal events of a case from opening to disposition. Most Union County court records share a common set of fields, whether the case is criminal or civil. The case number, court, filing date, and party names anchor the record. From there, docket entries track every motion, order, hearing, and judgment in date order.
Some details are removed by rule. The MEC system warns that Social Security numbers, taxpayer identification numbers, dates of birth, the names of minor children, financial account numbers, and home addresses may not appear in filings except as the rules allow. The table below outlines the core fields.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | The unique identifier the clerk or MEC assigns to the file |
| Filing Date | When the complaint, indictment, petition, or appeal opened the case |
| Parties | Plaintiff and defendant, or petitioner and respondent, plus the State in criminal cases |
| Charges / Cause | The criminal counts charged or the civil claim at issue |
| Status / Flags | Open, closed, sealed, expunged, plea pending, bench warrant issued, and similar labels |
| Disposition | The current or final outcome of each charge or claim |
| Sentence / Judgment | The penalty, award, or order that resolves the case |
Note: Online indexes can lag behind the paper file, so confirm any disposition with the clerk before relying on it for a legal purpose.
Searching Circuit Court Records Through MEC
Circuit Court filings in Union County are stored in Mississippi Electronic Courts. Public viewing requires a PAMEC login rather than anonymous browsing. The Third Circuit court-information page confirms the local court details, and the login page routes new users to registration. Union County Circuit Court went live on MEC on September 26, 2022, so electronic case data generally starts from that period forward.
To open an account, a viewer registers through the PAMEC online registration page and then signs in at the Third Circuit login screen. The sign-in form is short, and its fields are listed below.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Login | Text | Yes | MEC filer login or PAMEC login, up to 256 characters |
| Password | Password | Yes | Up to 32 characters |
| Client code | Text | No | Optional billing or tracking code, up to 32 characters |
| Login button | Submit | n/a | Submits the credentials for authentication |
If the system returns a message that a document cannot be viewed, that document may be restricted to attorneys of record. For help, the court lists the PAMEC helpdesk by email at helpdesk@mec.ms.gov and by phone at 601-576-4650.
Chancery, Probate, and Land Records in Union County
The Chancery Clerk maintains an online index of Union County land records through a portal called DuProcess Official Records Online. It searches deeds and recorded instruments by name, date range, instrument number, book and page, legal description, or street name. The portal carries a strong warning: the online index is not the official index. Only the Land Records Index kept inside the courthouse is official, and purchased online copies are final.
Probate, estates, and guardianships are heard in Chancery Court, not a separate probate court. The DuProcess index covers land instruments, but an estate court file is separate and is requested from the Chancery Clerk. The land-records search uses the fields below.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Name | Text | No | Enter as lastname, firstname |
| Begin Date / End Date | Date | No | Date range, with 7, 30, and 90 day shortcuts |
| Instrument Number | Text | No | Search by recorded instrument number |
| Book / Page | Text | No | Book or volume and page lookup |
| Legal Description | Text | No | Search by legal description |
| Street Name | Text | No | Property-address related search |
The portal opens from the official Union County government website, which links the county's public services.
From there, a viewer chooses Official Land Records to reach the DuProcess search and detail screens.
Public Access Laws for Union County Court Records
Mississippi policy favors open records. The Public Records Act states that public records held by public bodies must be available for inspection unless another law provides otherwise. That law supports requests to county offices and the Sheriff, but it does not override court sealing orders or statutes that make certain files confidential. Court access also depends on court rules and any privacy redactions in the file.
Several statutes shape what stays open and what closes. The callout below pairs each with a plain reading.
Key Statutes:
Miss. Code § 25-61-1 - Mississippi's Public Records Act presumes that public records are open for inspection unless the law says otherwise.
Miss. Code § 99-19-71 - Lets people petition to expunge some misdemeanors and certain felonies after statutory conditions are met.
Miss. Code §§ 43-21-251 and 43-21-261 - Keep Youth Court records confidential and limit who may see them.
Miss. Code § 93-17-25 - Makes adoption pleadings, files, and records confidential except by court order.
Restricted and Confidential Union County Records
Not every court file is open. Youth Court records are confidential by statute, and the public website copy should not imply an open juvenile search. Adoption files are confidential and released only by court order on good cause. Mental-health and sanity matters in Chancery Court restrict the display of medical detail. Sealed and expunged cases are removed from ordinary public access, and the MEC system uses actual labels such as SEALED and EXPUNGED.
To view a sealed record, a person generally needs a court order or a legal right to access tied to the case. Expungement runs through a petition in the court that handled the conviction. If an online search still shows a matter that was expunged, the person should contact the clerk with a certified copy of the expungement order so the record can be corrected.
Union County Sheriff and Jail
The Union County Sheriff's Office, led by Sheriff Jimmy Edwards, sits at 300 Carter Ave. in New Albany and can be reached at 662-534-1941. No official online Union County jail roster was located, so current custody, recent bookings, bond, and release questions go to the Sheriff's Office by phone or in person. County jail custody is short-term and local, which differs from state prison custody handled by the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
The county also runs an official mobile app through a public-safety platform. The Union County app landing page is published for residents and visitors.
The app supports community communication, but no app-only inmate or warrant tool was confirmed, so booking questions still go through the Sheriff's Office. For the full roster details, see the Union County inmate records page, and for active warrants see the warrant records page.
Marriage, Divorce, and Probate Records
Marriage licenses in Union County are issued by the Circuit Clerk, while divorce cases are filed in Chancery Court. Certified divorce decrees come from the Chancery Clerk that entered the divorce, and the Mississippi State Department of Health also offers statewide marriage and divorce ordering routes. Probate, estates, and guardianships are Chancery Court matters in Mississippi. The list below defines a few terms that appear in estate files.
- Testator
- The person who made the will being probated.
- Executor
- The person named in a will to carry out the estate.
- Intestate
- Dying without a valid will, which sends the estate to administration.
- Conservator
- A person appointed to manage the affairs of an adult who cannot.
Full details on these records sit on the marriage and divorce records page and the probate records page.
Union County Court Records Fees
Most filing and copy fees for Union County are set by each clerk and were not published online during research, so the surest figures come from a phone call. One fee is documented: the DuProcess land-records portal adds a service fee for online copy purchases made by credit card. The table below lists what is confirmed and what to confirm by phone.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| DuProcess online copy service fee | 2.95%, $2.50 minimum |
| Circuit filing or copy fees | Not published locally; call 662-534-1910 |
| Chancery filing or probate copy fees | Not published locally; call 662-534-1900 |
| Marriage license fee | Not published locally; call the Circuit Clerk |
Online copy purchases through DuProcess are final, and the service fee is non-refundable, so confirm the instrument before buying.
Federal Court Records for Union County
Federal cases from Union County are not filed with the county clerks. The county falls within the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, and the Oxford division covers Union. Federal civil and criminal matters, habeas petitions, and removed state cases all run through that court. Public access to federal dockets is through PACER rather than any county system.
The Northern District explains its PACER case-information access, and the PACER court lookup for the district lists service-center contacts. Union County's population, which the Federal Reserve tracks using Census estimates, sat near 28,459 for 2025.
That population scale helps explain why the county relies on shared regional systems like the Third Circuit District and the Northern District rather than large standalone portals.
History of Union County Courts
Union County was formed in 1870, and New Albany has served as the county seat since. The courthouse is well documented as a historic civic building. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History designated it a Mississippi Landmark on October 7, 1986, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 26, 1990. The National Park Service describes it as a monumental Classical Revival building from 1909, with a three-story central block, a dome, and recessed two-story wings.
The MDAH property record for the courthouse confirms the landmark and register details.
The most recent records milestone is digital: Union County Circuit Court joined Mississippi Electronic Courts in 2022, which is why electronic case viewing exists for circuit matters today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there one website for all Union County court records?
No. Mississippi splits court records among several offices. Circuit cases run through Mississippi Electronic Courts and its public side, PAMEC. Chancery land records run through the DuProcess index. Justice, Municipal, and Youth Court matters are not posted in one public site, so those go by phone or in person. The first step is matching the case type to the court that holds it.
How do I view a Circuit Court case online?
Register for a PAMEC login through the Third Circuit District, then sign in to view filed documents and case information. Anonymous browsing is not allowed for filed documents. Some documents are restricted to attorneys of record, so a public viewer may see a docket but not every attachment. The Circuit Clerk can help with records that are older or not in electronic form.
Where do I get a marriage license or a divorce decree?
The Circuit Clerk issues marriage licenses in Union County. A divorce, by contrast, is a Chancery Court matter, so the certified final decree comes from the Chancery Clerk that entered it. The Mississippi State Department of Health also offers statewide marriage and divorce ordering routes, but certified court-file copies still come from the clerk.
Is there an online Union County jail roster?
No official online Union County jail roster was located. For current custody, recent bookings, bond, and release information, contact the Union County Sheriff's Office at 662-534-1941. State prison and parole custody is tracked separately by the Mississippi Department of Corrections, which is different from short-term county jail custody.
How do I find out about a warrant in Union County?
There is no official online warrant search for the county. Call the court that likely issued the warrant, which may be Circuit, Justice, Municipal, or Chancery, and ask whether an active bench warrant or capias exists. For arrest warrants and surrender procedure, contact the Sheriff's Office. If represented, have counsel reach the court or prosecutor first.