Coahoma County Court Records
How To Find Court Records in Coahoma County in 2026
CoahomaRecords.us provides access to publicly available information related to court records in Coahoma County, Mississippi. Members of the public seeking court records may find case-related data including docket entries, party names, case types, hearing dates, and disposition information, subject to applicable access restrictions under Mississippi law.
Record categories that may be available through various official channels include:
- Civil court filings and judgments
- Criminal case records and dispositions
- Probate and estate records
- Family court orders and decrees
- Traffic citations and infractions
- Small claims filings
- Appellate case records
Court records in Coahoma County may be searched through five primary methods. First, the Clerk of Court maintains official case files and can assist members of the public with in-person record requests at the courthouse. Second, courthouse public access terminals allow on-site electronic searches of case indexes at no charge. Third, online court search tools provided by the Mississippi judiciary offer remote access to certain case information. Fourth, the Mississippi Administrative Office of Courts maintains statewide judicial search tools that index cases across multiple court levels. Fifth, written or mail requests submitted to the appropriate clerk's office allow individuals who cannot appear in person to request specific records, though processing times and applicable fees vary by request type.
When searching for a case, providing the full name of a party, a case number, or a filing date range improves search accuracy. Certain records, including juvenile matters, sealed filings, and expunged cases, are not accessible through public channels regardless of the search method used.
Coahoma County Circuit Court Clerk
115 First Street
Clarksdale, MS 38614
Phone: (662) 624-3014
Mississippi Courts
Are Court Records Public In Coahoma County
Court records in Coahoma County are presumptively public under current Mississippi law. The Mississippi Public Records Act, codified at Miss. Code Ann. § 25-61-1, establishes that public records are available for inspection and copying by any person unless a specific exemption applies. Mississippi court rules further affirm that court records are open to public inspection subject to the authority of the presiding court to seal or restrict access in appropriate circumstances.
Records that are generally available to the public include:
- Case dockets and indexes
- Party names and case numbers
- Hearing dates and continuances
- Filed pleadings, motions, and orders
- Final judgments and decrees
- Sentencing entries and conviction records
Records that may be confidential, sealed, redacted, or restricted include:
- Juvenile court records
- Adoption proceedings
- Mental health commitment records
- Expunged criminal matters
- Sealed filings ordered by the court
- Protected personal identifiers such as Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and dates of birth in certain filings
A distinction exists between courthouse inspection and online access. While the public may inspect most court records in person at the clerk's office during business hours, not all records available for in-person review are accessible through online portals. The Mississippi judiciary's electronic access systems index a subset of case information, and document images may not be available for all case types or older filings.
What Are Court Records in Coahoma County?
Court records are the official documents, filings, and entries created and maintained by a court or its clerk in connection with judicial proceedings. In practical terms, a court record encompasses everything filed with or generated by the court from the initiation of a case through its final disposition and any subsequent appellate proceedings.
A docket entry is a chronological log notation recording an event in a case, such as a filing, hearing, or order. A full case file includes the actual documents underlying those docket entries, such as complaints, motions, exhibits, and judgments. Civil court records arise from disputes between private parties or between a party and a government entity, while criminal court records document proceedings in which the state prosecutes an individual for an alleged offense. Filed pleadings are the initial and responsive documents that frame the legal issues, whereas final judgments represent the court's conclusive resolution of those issues.
Public filings are documents accessible to any member of the public, while sealed or restricted filings are withheld from public access by court order or statute. Trial court records are maintained at the originating court level, while appellate records are held by the relevant appellate court, such as the Mississippi Court of Appeals or the Mississippi Supreme Court.
In Coahoma County, the Circuit Court Clerk maintains records for circuit court proceedings, including felony criminal cases and major civil matters. The Chancery Court Clerk maintains records for chancery proceedings, including equity matters, domestic relations, probate, and guardianship cases. Justice court records are maintained at the justice court level for misdemeanor and limited civil matters. Court records are created at the moment of filing and updated continuously as the case progresses through hearings, motions, orders, and final disposition.
Coahoma County Chancery Court Clerk
115 First Street
Clarksdale, MS 38614
Phone: (662) 624-3014
Mississippi Courts
What's Included in a Coahoma County Court Record?
A court record in Coahoma County may include a range of documents and data entries depending on the case type, the court in which the matter was filed, and applicable public-access rules. The following categories of information commonly appear within a court record:
- Case identification: Case number, court name and division, and filing date
- Party information: Names of plaintiffs, defendants, petitioners, respondents, and other named parties
- Case classification: Case type such as civil, criminal, probate, or domestic relations, and current case status
- Docket entries: Chronological log of all filings, hearings, and court actions
- Hearing information: Scheduled and completed hearing dates, continuances, and minute entries
- Filed documents: Complaints, petitions, answers, motions, briefs, notices, stipulations, and similar pleadings
- Court orders and judgments: Interlocutory orders, final judgments, decrees, sentencing entries, custody rulings, probate orders, and appellate decisions
- Administrative and financial data: Filing fees, assessed court costs, fines, restitution amounts, and bond information where publicly reflected in the record
Certain categories of information are commonly excluded or restricted from public court records. Sealed filings are withheld pursuant to court order. Expunged matters are removed from public access under applicable expungement statutes. Juvenile files are confidential under Mississippi law. Adoption records are sealed. Protected personal data such as Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and minor children's identifying information may be redacted from publicly accessible documents. Certain exhibits, particularly those containing sensitive personal or proprietary information, may be restricted by court order.
Types of Courts in Coahoma County
Coahoma County is served by several courts operating within the Mississippi state judiciary system, each with defined subject-matter jurisdiction and a designated records-keeping authority.
The Circuit Court is the court of general jurisdiction for Coahoma County, handling felony criminal prosecutions, major civil cases, and jury trials. The Circuit Court Clerk maintains the official record for all circuit court proceedings. Coahoma County is part of the Eleventh Circuit Court District.
The Chancery Court handles equity matters, domestic relations including divorce and child custody, probate and estate administration, guardianship, conservatorship, and real property disputes. The Chancery Court Clerk maintains records for all chancery proceedings. Coahoma County is part of the Second Chancery Court District.
The County Court, where established, handles intermediate civil and criminal matters. Mississippi's county court system operates in counties that have established such courts by statute.
The Justice Court handles misdemeanor criminal matters, traffic violations, and civil cases involving amounts within its limited monetary jurisdiction. Justice court judges maintain records at the justice court level.
The Municipal Court in the City of Clarksdale handles municipal ordinance violations and certain traffic matters within city limits.
For appellate matters, cases from Coahoma County circuit and chancery courts are reviewed by the Mississippi Court of Appeals and, in appropriate cases, the Mississippi Supreme Court.
Coahoma County Justice Court
115 First Street
Clarksdale, MS 38614
Phone: (662) 624-3000
Mississippi Courts
How to Search Coahoma County Court Records for Free?
Several methods for searching Coahoma County court records are available at no cost. In-person inspection at the clerk's office is free of charge; members of the public may review case files and docket entries during regular business hours without paying a fee. Courthouse public access terminals, where available, allow electronic case index searches at no cost to the user.
The Mississippi Electronic Courts system provides online access to certain case information. The Mississippi Administrative Office of Courts maintains statewide judicial resources that may be accessed without charge for basic case index information.
The following table summarizes typical costs associated with court record access in Coahoma County:
| Service | Typical Cost |
|---|---|
| In-person case inspection | Free |
| Courthouse public terminal search | Free |
| Online case index search | Free |
| Standard paper copies | $0.50–$1.00 per page |
| Certified copies | $1.00–$2.00 per page plus certification fee |
| Research by clerk staff | Variable; may apply |
| Electronic document downloads | Variable by system |
Fees for copies and certified copies are governed by Miss. Code Ann. § 25-7-9, which establishes the schedule of fees applicable to clerks of court in Mississippi. Certified copies of court records carry an additional certification fee set by statute.
How Long Does Coahoma County Keep Court Records?
The retention period for court records in Coahoma County is governed by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History records retention schedules applicable to judicial records, as well as court rules and clerk authority under Mississippi law. Retention periods vary by case type and record category.
Under current retention schedules applicable to Mississippi courts:
- Felony criminal case files are retained permanently or for extended periods given the severity of the underlying matters
- Civil judgment records are retained for periods sufficient to cover the enforceability of judgments under Mississippi law
- Misdemeanor and traffic records may be retained for shorter periods, subject to applicable schedules
- Probate and estate records are retained permanently in many instances due to their ongoing legal significance
- Docket books and minute records are retained permanently as the official record of court proceedings
- Family court and domestic relations records are retained for extended periods given their ongoing relevance to custody and support matters
The Mississippi Department of Archives and History maintains records management guidance applicable to county and court records. Paper files may be destroyed after imaging, microfilming, or transfer to archival storage, provided the retention schedule has been satisfied and proper procedures followed.
A distinction exists among destruction, archival retention, sealing, redaction, and expungement. Destruction means the physical elimination of a record after its retention period expires. Archival retention means the record is preserved indefinitely, often in a state or county archive. Sealing means the record exists but is withheld from public access. Redaction means specific information is removed or obscured from a publicly accessible document. Expungement under Miss. Code Ann. § 99-19-71 means the record is removed from public access and, in appropriate cases, treated as though the underlying matter did not occur.
Older records may exist in paper files, microfilm, county archives, or the holdings of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and may require in-person or written requests to access.
How To Find a Court Docket in Coahoma County
A court docket is the official chronological log maintained by the clerk of court that records every action taken in a case, from initial filing through final disposition. A docket differs from a full case file in that it contains entries and notations rather than the actual documents filed; the full case file includes the underlying pleadings, motions, orders, and exhibits that correspond to each docket entry.
Dockets for Coahoma County cases may be accessed through several channels. The Mississippi Electronic Courts system provides online docket access for cases filed in participating courts. Members of the public may search for a docket by entering a party name, case number, or filing date range into the system's search interface. Courthouse public access terminals at the clerk's office provide on-site docket search capability. In-person requests to the Circuit Court Clerk or Chancery Court Clerk allow individuals to obtain docket information for specific cases.
To find a docket through an official portal, a user should navigate to the Mississippi Courts website, locate the case search or electronic courts section, select the appropriate court and county, and enter available identifying information such as the case number or party name. The system returns a list of matching cases, and selecting a case displays the docket entries associated with that matter.
A court docket typically contains hearing dates and times, continuances and rescheduled hearings, motion filings and ruling notations, minute entries summarizing court proceedings, status updates, and disposition entries. A docket does not include full document images in all systems, sealed entries, exhibits, confidential attachments, or documents that have been restricted by court order.
Motion calendars and hearing rosters may be separately available through the clerk's office or posted at the courthouse. Daily hearing calendars for Coahoma County courts may be obtained by contacting the clerk's office directly. As noted by the Mississippi Administrative Office of Courts, "the official record of a court proceeding is maintained by the clerk of court and reflects all actions taken in a case from filing through final disposition."
Coahoma County Circuit Court Clerk
115 First Street
Clarksdale, MS 38614
Phone: (662) 624-3014
Mississippi Courts