Lafayette County
Lafayette County is named after the American General Marquis de Lafayette. It is located in the north-central region of Mississippi and covers 632 square miles of land area. The county comprises seven major municipalities, with Oxford City being the largest and serving as its county seat. Data from the 2020 U.S. Census revealed the county's growing population, which now exceeds 55,813 residents.
Residents of Lafayette County are served by five different courts. These courts include the Circuit Court, District Court, Youth Court, Justice Court, and Municipal Courts. The County Circuit Court is the county's highest jurisdiction court. This court hears felonies, serious misdemeanors, and general civil claims with disputed values exceeding $200,000. The Chancery Court oversees matters related to divorces, child custody, alimony, equity cases, probate cases, land disputes, insurance settlements involving minors, and involuntary commitment cases. The Youth Court primarily addresses cases of delinquency, truancy, child abuse, neglect, and custody disputes. Pre-trial hearings for felonies, as well as landlord-tenant disputes, traffic law violations, and civil claims valued below $3,500, are heard by the Justice Court. Finally, the Municipal Court has locations in Abbeville, Oxford, and Taylor. These courts address city ordinance violations, traffic offenses, and minor misdemeanor charges.
Public court records are official documents emanating from legal proceedings of cases heard within a specific jurisdiction. These records may include details such as court rulings and judgments, case histories, dockets, transcripts, and supporting evidence. The Circuit Clerk in Lafayette County is the official responsible for managing, processing, and providing access to these court records. This office provides access to the following court records:
- Criminal records
- Civil records
- Family Law records
- Probate records
To obtain these records, interested individuals can e-mail the clerk's office or visit it in person at the Lafayette County Courthouse in Oxford. Alternatively, they may call the office at (662) 234-4951 or send a mail addressed to the clerk's office.
The Mississippi judiciary also provides online access to these court records. To locate Lafayette County court records online, follow these steps:
- Visit the Mississippi Electronic Courts (MEC) Website
- Create an account using the “register" option and log in after the account has been created
- Scroll to the search tab and select the “Circuit Court" of Lafayette County
- Search for the case using available search criteria such as the case number, party name, or case type
- Review the results for the required court record
Obtaining court records from the clerk's office incurs a fee of $1 to $5 per page for paper copies. The Mississippi Electronic Courts (MEC) portal allows users to search and access dockets free of charge. However, downloading court records, such as filings or judgments, from the portal typically costs around $5 to $10 per document.
