About the DeSoto County Chancery Clerk
The Chancery Clerk is a separately elected county officer in Mississippi. The job is not the same as the Circuit Clerk. In DeSoto County, the Chancery Clerk serves Chancery Court and also acts as the county's land recorder and the keeper of board minutes. That dual role makes the office a common stop for both court users and property owners.
Most visits fall into a few buckets. People file or pull a divorce, custody, guardianship, or estate matter. Property buyers and title workers search deeds and recorded instruments. Couples apply for a marriage license. Each of these tasks runs through the Chancery Clerk, and each has its own counter or online tool. The office sits at the DeSoto County Courthouse in Hernando, the county seat.
DeSoto County Chancery Clerk
DeSoto County Courthouse
2535 Highway 51 South
Hernando, MS 38632
Note: phone numbers and counter hours change, so the current county directory is the right source to confirm them before a visit.
What the DeSoto County Chancery Clerk Handles
The office wears several hats at once. As the filing officer for Chancery Court, it takes in equity and family cases and keeps the case files. As the DeSoto County recorder, it indexes deeds, mortgages, liens, and other instruments that affect land title. As the custodian of county records, it holds the minutes of the Board of Supervisors and related administrative files. The marriage-license function rounds out the duties.
Chancery Court covers a wide field. The main categories the clerk files include the following:
- Divorce, custody, and child-support matters
- Guardianships and conservatorships
- Wills, estates, and probate administration
- Trusts and equity disputes
- Land title and boundary questions
On the recording side, the clerk maintains the public index of land instruments so that ownership and liens can be traced over time. Estate filings and land records often overlap, since property frequently passes through probate. The board-minute role keeps county business open to the public as well.
Which DeSoto County Clerk to Use
DeSoto County splits clerk duties between two offices, and sending a request to the wrong one slows things down. The Circuit Clerk handles Circuit Court and County Court files, which means felonies, large civil suits, and appeals from lower courts. The Chancery Clerk handles Chancery Court, land records, marriage licenses, and county board records. A short comparison helps point a request to the right counter.
| Record Type | Office That Holds It |
|---|---|
| Deeds and recorded land instruments | Chancery Clerk |
| Divorce, custody, guardianship, estates | Chancery Clerk |
| Marriage licenses | Chancery Clerk |
| Board of Supervisors minutes | Chancery Clerk |
| Felony and major civil case files | Circuit Clerk |
| County Court and jury service | Circuit Clerk |
For Circuit and County Court files, the DeSoto County Circuit Clerk is the office to contact. For everything in the equity and land columns, the Chancery Clerk is the correct stop.
Search DeSoto County Land Records Online
Recorded land documents and Chancery Clerk index data are posted through the vendor-hosted Delta Computer Systems portal. This tool is built for land and recorded records, not for felony criminal case files. A user selects DeSoto County, picks a search group, and enters a name, an instrument number, or a book and page. Results can show document type, recording date, grantor and grantee names, and image links where available.
The fields below map what the portal commonly asks for. Exact instrument numbers and full legal names return the cleanest results.
| Field | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| County selection | Link / list | Choose DeSoto County from the Mississippi county list. |
| Search type | Link / tab | Land records, name searches, and instrument searches are split into groups. |
| Name | Text | Search by grantor, grantee, or party name by record group. |
| Instrument / document number | Text | Best identifier for a known recorded document. |
| Book / page | Text | Used for older indexed instruments. |
| Date range | Date / text | Narrows by recording date where supported. |
| Buttons | Button | Search, reset or clear, and record-group navigation. |
The county also links search resources from its own Records page. When a record does not appear online, the clerk's counter remains the fallback for older or paper-only instruments.
DeSoto County Chancery Court Dockets
Case dockets are different from land records. Divorce, estate, guardianship, and other Chancery Court matters may appear in Mississippi Electronic Courts, the statewide case system. Public access runs through MEC and its public arm, PAMEC, where the court participates. Many functions require a registered account and login, and document images can be gated behind access rules or payment.
When a docket is visible, it can show the case caption, case number, party names, filing date, docket entries, hearings, and judgment information. Sensitive items stay restricted. Records tied to minors, sealed exhibits, and certain financial details may be hidden. The Mississippi Electronic Courts portal is the entry point for registered users.
If a case does not show online, the Chancery Clerk counter is the backup. Older files, recently filed matters, and restricted categories often sit outside the public web view and have to be requested directly.
Marriage Licenses in DeSoto County
The DeSoto County Chancery Clerk issues marriage licenses. Both applicants should be ready to show government identification and give legal names, dates of birth, and prior-marriage details when the form asks. The county's marriage-license page controls the current local process, including accepted identification and the fee.
The basic flow is short. Confirm eligibility, appear with valid identification, pay the published fee to the clerk, and receive the license. After the ceremony, the officiant returns the completed license to the clerk for recording. Certified copies are requested from the Chancery Clerk once the license is on record. Divorce decrees follow a separate path, since divorces are Chancery Court cases rather than recorded vital documents. The county's marriage and divorce records page walks through both sides in more detail.
Note: a certified copy of a marriage license is a local Chancery Clerk record and is not the same as a statewide vital-records verification.
Request a Certified Copy
A certified copy from the DeSoto County Chancery Clerk carries the clerk's seal and proves that a document matches the official record. Courts, title companies, and government agencies often require one. Plain copies work for personal reference, but legal use usually calls for certification. The steps below outline a request to the Chancery Clerk.
- Identify the record. For a case, find the Chancery case or estate number; for a land document, find the instrument number or the book and page.
- Gather the search details. Party names, decedent or ward names, document type, and a date or date range help the clerk locate the file.
- Choose a channel. Visit the clerk's counter in person, or send a written request by mail to the address the office specifies.
- State what you need. List the document type, the number of copies, and whether each copy must be certified.
- Pay the fee. Confirm accepted payment methods and the per-page and certification charges before you submit.
- Collect the copy. Pick it up at the counter or wait for the office to return it by mail.
For recorded land documents, the same request works with an instrument number in place of a case number. The clerk can confirm whether a record is available as a plain, certified, or exemplified copy.
DeSoto County Chancery Clerk Fees
Recording and copy charges in Mississippi are set by statute and by the local clerk, and they vary by document type, page count, and certification. DeSoto County does not publish every amount in a single official source, so the figures should be confirmed with the office or the county Document Center before paying. The table lists the fee types rather than invented dollar amounts.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Recording fee per instrument | Set by statute; see official schedule |
| Plain copy per page | See official schedule |
| Certified copy per page | See official schedule |
| Certification or exemplification | Set by statute; see official schedule |
| Marriage license | See official county marriage page |
Mississippi clerks commonly collect statutory filing and copy fees, but a current DeSoto County source should always control the exact figure. The clerk's office can quote the charge for a specific document before the request is finalized.
DeSoto County Board Records and Public Requests
Beyond court and land files, the Chancery Clerk keeps administrative county records, including the minutes of the Board of Supervisors. These fall under Mississippi Public Records Act principles for non-court material. A written request that names the record, the relevant dates, and a contact method helps the office respond.
Court case files follow a different rule set. Access to those is governed by court rules and clerk procedures rather than general public-records policy alone. Probate and estate files, for example, are handled through Chancery Court channels; the county's probate records page covers that route. For administrative records, the Mississippi Public Records Act framework and the county office are the starting points.
Note: court case records and general county administrative records follow different access rules, so the request method depends on which kind of record is sought.