Montgomery County Circuit Clerk

About the Montgomery County Circuit Clerk

Robert M. Perry serves as the Circuit Clerk for Montgomery County. The post is an elected county office. The clerk works from the Montgomery County Courthouse on Summit Street in Winona, the county seat. This is the records hub for the Circuit Court, which is the county's main trial court for felony criminal cases and larger civil disputes.

The Circuit Clerk acts as the Clerk of the Circuit Court. The office receives and files lawsuits, indictments, and motions in every civil and criminal case that opens in Circuit Court. It issues court process, draws and qualifies juries, and keeps the record of judgments and executions. The clerk also issues marriage licenses, keeps marriage records, records professional licenses, registers voters, and helps run elections. To reach the office, use the contact card below.

What the Circuit Clerk Does in Montgomery County

The Circuit Clerk does far more than store paper. The office is the front desk for the Circuit Court and the keeper of several public records that have nothing to do with a court case. A request goes faster when you know the office actually holds the record you want. The official county page for the Circuit Clerk lists the core duties, and the main ones are below.

• Files lawsuits, indictments, and motions in all civil and criminal Circuit Court cases.
• Issues court process, such as summons and subpoenas.
• Draws and qualifies jurors for Circuit Court terms.
• Keeps the record of judgments and executions.
• Issues marriage licenses and keeps Montgomery County marriage records.
• Records medical and other professional licenses.
• Registers voters and handles election duties.

For the records this office does not hold, plan a second stop. Land deeds, probate files, divorce decrees, and estate papers belong to a different clerk. That split is explained next.

Mississippi's Split Clerk System

Mississippi does not put all county court records in one office. The duty is split between two elected clerks. The Circuit Clerk handles the Circuit Court side. A separate office, the Chancery Clerk, handles the Chancery Court side along with the county's land and recording work. Both offices sit in the same courthouse on Summit Street, yet they keep distinct record streams.

The line between them is mostly about case type. Felony criminal cases, civil money disputes, and jury trials run through the Circuit Court and its clerk. Divorce, child custody, adoption, guardianships, conservatorships, estates, and land or title disputes run through the Chancery Court and its clerk. The Chancery Clerk is also the county's public recorder for deeds, mortgages, liens, lis pendens, and military discharges, and the clerk of the Board of Supervisors.

If you are not sure which office holds your record, start with the case type. A criminal indictment or a civil complaint points to the Circuit Clerk. A will, a deed, or a divorce file points to the Chancery Clerk. The county courts directory can confirm the right desk before you call.

For users who want a broader map of where each record type lives, the Montgomery County court records overview ties the clerk offices together with the trial courts they serve.

The county also posts general resources that help residents reach the right office and stay current on local notices. The official Montgomery County links page points users to Winona, census data, payment links, and other local services.

That links hub is a handy starting point when a record search spans more than one county office.

How to Request a Certified Copy

A certified copy is a court copy stamped and signed by the clerk to prove it is a true match of the file. Banks, lawyers, and government agencies often ask for a certified copy rather than a plain printout. A divorce decree, a judgment, or a marriage record may need this stamp before another agency will accept it. The steps below cover a Montgomery County Circuit Clerk request.

1. Identify the case. Gather the case number if you have it, the party names, the case type, and the approximate filing year. The clerk searches faster with these details.
2. Confirm the office. Make sure the record is a Circuit Court matter. Probate, divorce, and land records go to the Chancery Clerk instead.
3. Contact the clerk. Call 662-283-4161, email rmperry@montgomerycountyms.com, or visit the office at 614 Summit Street in Winona to ask for the document and the current copy cost.
4. Submit the request. Provide the case details in writing by mail to P.O. Box 765, Winona, MS 38967, by fax to 662-283-3363, or in person. State that you want a certified copy, not a plain copy.
5. Pay the cost. The office charges for searching, copying, and mailing under the actual-cost rule. Ask for the total before you send payment.
6. Receive the copy. Pick the document up at the counter or wait for it to arrive by mail.

Records Request Form Fields

The Montgomery County Circuit Clerk does not post a county case database online. Most requests are made by phone, mail, email, or at the counter. A written request works best when it carries the details the clerk needs to pull the right file. Use the table as a checklist before you contact the office.

Montgomery County Circuit Clerk Fees

The county's official pages do not publish a fixed copy fee schedule for the Circuit Clerk. That does not mean copies are free. Under Mississippi's Public Records Act, a public office may charge a fee that is reasonably calculated to reimburse its actual cost of searching, reviewing, copying, and mailing a record. The exact total depends on the size of the file and the work involved, so the office quotes the cost when you request a document.

The Public Records Act fee rule comes from Mississippi Code Section 25-61-7. To avoid surprises, ask the clerk for a written cost estimate before the office starts a large search. Payment methods are set by the office, so confirm whether it takes cash, check, or money order.

E-Filed Circuit Records and MEC

Montgomery County Circuit Court records are filed through Mississippi Electronic Courts, the statewide e-filing system known as MEC. The local Circuit Court went live on the system in December 2020. Attorneys and parties file documents into MEC, and the clerk processes them through the same platform. This is the digital backbone behind the paper files the clerk keeps.

Public access to those electronic documents runs through PAMEC, the public-access side of the system. PAMEC is not an open database. It usually requires registration, a login, and account management before you can view dockets or pull documents, and some access is limited by case type or court level. For help, the PAMEC office is reachable at P.O. Box 117, Jackson, MS 39205, by phone at 601-576-4650, or by email at helpdesk@mec.ms.gov.

When a record is not available to you online, the Circuit Clerk remains the reliable path. The office can confirm a case, locate a document, and prepare a certified copy under the public-records process described above.

City matters follow a different track from the county Circuit Court. Winona handles municipal court and city records through its own offices. The official City of Winona homepage identifies the city clerk's duties and posts current public announcements.

Residents who follow city business can also watch for posted meeting notices. The official Winona board meeting notice shows how the city announces public sessions and records-related city business.

For the trial court itself, the Montgomery County Circuit Court page covers judges, jurisdiction, and how cases move through the docket the Circuit Clerk maintains.