How to Search Montgomery County Court Records
There is no county-wide case portal in Montgomery County. The official county pages do not host a searchable civil or criminal docket database. Instead, the search runs office by office. You pick the court that handled the case, then you contact that court's clerk. This is the most reliable path, and it works for almost every record type.
Before you start, gather a few details. Have the full party names ready. Note the approximate filing year. Know the case type, since that points you to the right court. If you have a case number, bring it. The clearer your request, the quicker the clerk can help.
The county homepage is a useful first stop because it links the clerk offices, payment options, and court directory. You can review the public county portal that anchors these offices, shown below, before you call.
The county website, the Montgomery County government homepage, lists elected officials, court contacts, and online payment links in one place.
From that homepage, a site keyword box and the courts directory help you confirm which office to call for a given case. Use these steps to route any Montgomery County court records request.
- Identify the court level for your case type, from Circuit and Chancery down to Justice and Municipal Court.
- Open the county courts directory to find the matching office address, phone, and judge.
- Call the correct clerk and give party names, filing year, and a case number if known.
- Ask whether the file is open, sealed, archived, or restricted before you visit.
- If the record is offline or older, file a written Public Records Act request for a copy.
Note: Because Montgomery County splits records between offices, confirm the court level by phone before driving to a counter or mailing a request.
The Montgomery County Court System
Mississippi divides its trial courts by subject matter. Montgomery County uses Circuit Court, Chancery Court, Justice Court, and Youth Court, plus a city court in Winona. There is no separate Montgomery County Court or district court. Each level hears a defined set of cases, which is why "court records" can live in more than one office.
Circuit Court is the main trial court for felony criminal cases and larger civil disputes. Chancery Court handles equity, family, probate, and land matters. Justice Court takes small civil claims, misdemeanors, traffic tickets, and early felony steps. The Mississippi Court of Appeals and the Mississippi Supreme Court sit above all of them. Two Circuit judges, Hon. Alan D. Lancaster and Hon. Joseph H. Loper, serve the Fifth Circuit District, while three Chancery judges serve the 3rd Chancery District.
Case flow: Justice Court › Circuit Court / Chancery Court › Mississippi Court of Appeals › Mississippi Supreme Court
The state judiciary explains each court's role on its public structure page. You can read the Mississippi Judiciary court-structure overview to see how trial and appellate courts connect.
That state page mirrors the local split shown in the table below, which lists each Montgomery County court and the work it handles.
| Court | Jurisdiction | Case Types |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Court | General trial court | Felonies, civil suits not vested elsewhere, jury trials, judgments |
| Chancery Court | Equity and domestic | Divorce, custody, adoption, estates, guardianships, land and title |
| Justice Court | Limited jurisdiction | Civil claims to $3,500, misdemeanors, traffic, preliminary felony |
| Youth Court | Juvenile matters | Delinquency, children in need of supervision, abuse and neglect |
| Winona Municipal Court | City matters | Ordinance violations and municipal fines |
Where Montgomery County Court Records Are Kept
The county uses a two-clerk model. The Circuit Clerk keeps Circuit Court files, and the Chancery Clerk keeps Chancery Court files. The two offices share the Summit Street courthouse but hold separate record streams. This is the single most important point for anyone searching Montgomery County court records.
The Circuit Clerk, Robert M. Perry, receives and files lawsuits, indictments, motions, judgments, and executions in civil and criminal Circuit cases. The office also issues process, draws juries, issues marriage licenses, keeps marriage records, records professional licenses, and registers voters. The Chancery Clerk, Ryan Wood, runs one of the most varied offices in county government, recording deeds, mortgages, liens, lis pendens, and military discharges, keeping Board of Supervisors minutes, and serving as Clerk of the Chancery Court for estates, divorce, custody, and land disputes.
You can review the public Circuit Clerk office page to confirm contact details and duties before you call. The Montgomery County Circuit Clerk page names the clerk and lists the civil, criminal, marriage, and election duties handled there.
If your matter is family, probate, or land related, the Chancery Clerk is the office to call instead. Matching the record to the right clerk avoids wasted trips and repeat phone calls.
Montgomery County Courthouses and Locations
Court business in Montgomery County is split across three addresses. The main courthouse at 614 Summit Street in Winona anchors Circuit Court, Chancery Court, Youth Court, both clerks, and the Sheriff. Justice Court sits a short drive away at 706 Alberta Drive. Winona Municipal Court keeps an office at 116 Quitman Avenue but holds its sessions at the Justice Court building.
The county courts directory shows each court block with its own address, phone, and judges. The Montgomery County courts page lists the Chancery, Circuit, Justice, and Youth Court details side by side.
Use the cards below to reach the right counter. Note that municipal court sessions run on the second and fourth Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m. at the Alberta Drive building, not at the Quitman Avenue office.
Montgomery County Courthouse
614 Summit Street, P.O. Box 765
Winona, MS 38967
662-283-4161
Types of Montgomery County Court Records
Court records in Montgomery County span criminal, civil, family, probate, traffic, and juvenile matters. Each type lives with the court that handled it. Circuit Court produces the criminal and major civil files. Chancery Court produces the family, estate, and land records. Justice and Municipal courts produce the misdemeanor and traffic records.
Knowing which court made a record tells you which clerk to ask. The list below maps the common record types to their home offices.
- Criminal records - Felony indictments, pleas, and judgments are filed with the Circuit Clerk.
- Civil records - Lawsuits, motions, and money judgments sit in Circuit Court files.
- Family and divorce records - Divorce, custody, and support cases are Chancery Court matters.
- Probate records - Wills, estates, guardianships, and conservatorships are kept by the Chancery Clerk.
- Traffic records - Tickets and citations run through Justice Court and Winona Municipal Court.
What Montgomery County Court Records Show
A court file is built from a series of fields and entries. Whether the case is criminal or civil, the same basic pieces appear. The fields below show what to expect when you open a Montgomery County court record or ask a clerk for one.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | The court's unique file identifier; the local format is not published online. |
| Filing Date | The date the complaint, indictment, petition, or citation was filed. |
| Parties | Plaintiff and defendant, State and defendant, or petitioner and respondent. |
| Charges / Cause | The criminal charge or the legal claim that started the case. |
| Disposition | The outcome, such as dismissed, guilty, not guilty, or judgment entered. |
| Sentence / Judgment | The penalty or the enforceable decision the court ordered. |
Docket entries also track the steps in between, from summons issued to hearing set to order entered. Mississippi Electronic Courts adds flag labels like Bench Warrant Issued, Closed, Sealed, and Probation that help readers follow a case at a glance.
Online Tools for Montgomery County Court Records
Two online tools support the office-by-office search. The county website carries a simple keyword box that helps you find directory pages and contacts. Mississippi Electronic Courts, known as MEC and its public side PAMEC, handles statewide e-filing and some public docket access, though that access often needs registration and credentials.
The county contact page and homepage host the site search field, while the Fifth Circuit posts a public court-information page for the local Circuit Court. You can confirm the county's contact channels through the Montgomery County contact page, which lists the mailing address, phone, fax, and web form.
The county site search uses one open keyword field, summarized below.
| Field | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Search | Text field | Site-wide keyword box in the page header. |
| Search | Button | Submits the site search. |
The Fifth Circuit MEC court-information page is not a party search, but it confirms the local court details and lists docket flag terms.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Court's Name | Fifth Circuit Court District |
| Montgomery County Circuit Court | 614 Summit Street, Winona, MS 38967; 662-283-4161 |
| MEC Go Live Date | December 14, 2020 |
| PAMEC Help Desk | 601-576-4650; helpdesk@mec.ms.gov |
To reach these tools directly, visit Mississippi Electronic Courts for the e-filing and PAMEC access page.
Public Access Laws in Montgomery County
Mississippi treats most court and government records as public property. The Public Records Act sets the baseline rules for inspecting and copying records held by a county office. When a record is not online or not easy to find by phone, the Act is the fallback that lets you make a written request to the office that holds the file.
The law also limits what an office may charge and sets a response timeline. The key sections are summarized in plain English below.
Key Statutes:
Mississippi Code § 25-61-1 - Public records are public property and open for inspection unless another law makes them confidential.
Mississippi Code § 25-61-5 - Anyone may inspect or copy public records; with no written procedures, access is due within one working day.
Mississippi Code § 25-61-7 - A public body may charge only fees reasonably calculated to cover actual search, review, copying, and mailing cost.
Confidential and Sealed Records
Not every court record is open. Mississippi law keeps several categories private. Youth Court files are confidential and released only under youth-court law or a court order. Adoption files, mental-health commitment records, and sealed or expunged criminal records are also restricted. Clerks must redact Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and similar personal data.
To view a sealed or expunged record, a Public Records Act request usually will not work. Instead, the person must qualify under the relevant law or obtain a court order. Expungement itself begins in the court that handled the case, whether Justice, Circuit, or Municipal Court. Gather the case number, arrest date, charge, disposition, and proof that fines and sentence terms are complete, then file the petition in that court and expect an eligibility review.
Specialty Courts in Montgomery County
Montgomery County does not run a drug court, veterans court, mental-health court, DUI court, or family-treatment court in its official sources. The county courts page lists only Chancery, Circuit, Justice, and Youth Court. No problem-solving program name, eligibility rule, or presiding judge was published, so none should be assumed.
Youth Court is the closest dedicated venue. Hon. Sabrina Howell serves as Referee, and the court covers delinquent children, children in need of supervision, and abuse or neglect cases. It is not a specialty court in the treatment sense, and its records are confidential under Mississippi law. A defendant seeking diversion or alternative sentencing should contact the Circuit Clerk for case location, the prosecutor for charging questions, and defense counsel for eligibility.
Montgomery County Sheriff and Jail
Sheriff Jeff Tompkins leads the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department at 614 Summit Street in Winona. The office keeps the peace, provides courthouse security for Circuit and Chancery Courts, transports cases, and serves civil papers. The county does not publish an online jail roster, booking log, visitation schedule, or warrant list, so custody questions are handled by phone.
You can review the official sheriff page to confirm contact details and duties. The Montgomery County Sheriff page gives the office phone and outlines its law-enforcement and court-security roles.
For state-prison custody, use the Mississippi Department of Corrections inmate search rather than the county. For local custody, call the Sheriff's Department directly. You can also check Montgomery County inmate records for the full lookup options and warrant records for the steps when someone misses court.
Marriage, Divorce, and Chancery Court Records
Marriage and divorce records split between the two clerks. The Circuit Clerk issues marriage licenses and keeps marriage records. The Chancery Clerk handles divorce, custody, and the rest of the family docket. For estates and guardianships, the Chancery Clerk is again the office of record. You can pull more detail from the marriage and divorce records page and the probate records page.
The Chancery Clerk page confirms the office duties for these files. The Montgomery County Chancery Clerk page describes the estate, guardianship, divorce, and land-record work handled there.
Several probate terms come up often in these files. The definitions below help when reading an estate or guardianship record.
- Testator
- A person who makes a will to direct how property passes after death.
- Executor
- The person named in a will to carry out its terms and settle the estate.
- Conservator
- A person appointed to manage the property or finances of another adult.
- Guardian
- A person appointed to care for a minor or an incapacitated person.
- Lis pendens
- A recorded notice that a pending lawsuit affects a piece of real property.
Montgomery County Court Records Fees
The county does not publish a copy-fee schedule for Circuit or Chancery records in its official pages. Marriage-license, land-recording, and probate filing fees are also not posted online. That does not mean copies are free. It means you should confirm the current charge with the clerk before you order.
Under the Public Records Act, any fee must reflect the actual cost of search, review, copying, and mailing. The table below shows what is and is not published.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Plain copy per page | Not published; call the clerk |
| Certified copy per page | Not published; call the clerk |
| Records search fee | Not published; call the clerk |
| Public Records Act request | Actual cost of search, review, copying, and mailing |
For traffic tickets, Justice Court accepts a cashier's check or money order by mail to P.O. Box 229, Winona, MS 38967, plus a county-listed online payment option that may not always load.
Local Court Updates and Closures
Weather and local conditions can change a court date in Montgomery County. The county homepage promotes CodeRed signup for emergency and weather alerts. Winona Municipal Court has postponed a scheduled session because of power outages and road conditions, so a quick call before you travel is wise during severe weather.
Montgomery County is small, with about 9,354 residents and a county seat in Winona. Many users will not search online, since not every household has broadband. Phone, mail, and in-person access stay central here, and the office-by-office routing matters more than any single website.
Note: Always confirm hearing dates and record details with the originating office before relying on them, since postings can lag and sessions can be moved.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there one website to search all Montgomery County court records?
No. Montgomery County does not run a single county case portal. Records are split by court, so you contact the office that handled the matter. Circuit Court files go through the Circuit Clerk, Chancery files through the Chancery Clerk, and traffic or small claims through Justice Court or Winona Municipal Court. Mississippi Electronic Courts offers statewide e-filing, but full public access usually needs registration. The fastest route is to match your case type to the right court, then call that clerk with party names and an approximate filing year.
Which clerk holds the record I need?
It depends on the case type. The Circuit Clerk, Robert M. Perry, keeps civil and criminal Circuit Court files, judgments, and marriage records. The Chancery Clerk, Ryan Wood, keeps divorce, custody, adoption, estate, guardianship, and land records. Justice Court holds misdemeanors, traffic tickets, and small civil claims. Winona Municipal Court holds city citations. If you are unsure, the county courts directory lists each office with its jurisdiction, so you can match the file before calling.
How much do copies cost?
The county does not publish a copy-fee schedule online. Plain copies, certified copies, and search fees are set by the clerk, so call before ordering. Under Mississippi Code Section 25-61-7, any charge must reflect the actual cost of searching, reviewing, copying, and mailing the record. When you request a copy, ask whether you need a plain or certified version, since certified copies usually cost more and carry the clerk's seal.
Can I see Youth Court or sealed records?
Generally no. Youth Court records are confidential under Mississippi law and are released only under youth-court rules or a court order. Sealed and expunged criminal files, adoption records, and mental-health commitment records are also restricted. A standard public-records request will not open them. To access a sealed record, you must qualify under the relevant law or obtain a court order from the court that handled the case.
How do I look up someone in custody?
For local custody, call the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department at 662-283-3343, since the county does not post an online jail roster. For state prisoners, use the Mississippi Department of Corrections inmate search by name or MDOC ID. Mississippi VINE offers free custody notifications for victims and family. Charges tied to a booking are tracked by the court that handled the case, so Justice Court covers misdemeanors and Circuit Court covers felonies.
What if the record is old or not online?
Use a written Public Records Act request to the office that holds the file. Identify the record as clearly as you can with party names, case type, approximate year, and a case number if known. State whether you want to inspect the file or receive copies, and whether you need certified copies. The Chancery Clerk stores many older county records, so older land, estate, and equity files often start there.