Holmes County Circuit Clerk Records

About the Holmes County Circuit Clerk

Brenda Powell-Travis serves as the Holmes County Circuit Clerk. Voters elected her to the office in 2024. The Circuit Clerk is an elected county officer, not an appointed staff member, and the job runs on a four-year cycle in Mississippi.

The office acts as the record keeper for the 21st Circuit Court. Every felony case, civil suit, and appeal that lands in Circuit Court leaves a paper trail with this clerk. The same office issues marriage licenses, manages jury lists, and signs up new voters. Staff work from a counter in Lexington and take requests in person, by phone, and by mail.

The county posts the office details on its official Holmes County contact page, which carries the address, phone line, and a general request form.

The Lexington office is the front door for most Circuit Court record requests, so the contact card below is the fastest way to confirm hours and copy methods before a visit.

What the Holmes County Circuit Clerk Does

The Circuit Clerk wears several hats at once. The core role is custodian of Circuit Court and County Court case files. Beyond filing papers, the office issues court process, supports juries, and handles election duties for the whole county. These jobs are set by Mississippi law and listed on the county's official clerk page.

The main duties of the office include the following.

• Serves as clerk of the Circuit Court and the County Court
• Files lawsuits, indictments, motions, and other case papers
• Issues summonses and subpoenas in civil and criminal cases
• Draws jurors and qualifies trial juries
• Records judgments, executions, and professional licenses
• Issues marriage licenses and registers voters for elections

Saturday hours are added during election seasons. The office publishes those extra hours for the 30 days before a scheduled election and on the Saturday right before each election. Voter and election work is one of the busiest parts of the clerk's calendar.

Holmes County Circuit Clerk Fees

Fees depend on the service you ask for. The marriage license filing fee is set by the county and is paid at the time of application. Copy and certification charges are billed per page, and a records search carries a minimum charge. The county does not publish a separate Circuit Clerk copy schedule, so the rates below reflect the Holmes County published copy schedule used across the courthouse.

Plan to pay by check or money order for mailed orders. Call ahead if you are not sure how many pages a file runs, since long case files raise the copy total quickly.

Note: The copy and search amounts shown are the county's published Chancery Clerk rates, so confirm the exact Circuit Clerk charge by phone before mailing payment.

Applying for a Holmes County Marriage License

Marriage licenses are issued only by the Circuit Clerk, not the Chancery Clerk. Both partners must come to the Lexington office together. Each person needs to show an official document that proves age, such as a driver license or birth certificate. The clerk keeps the marriage record after the license is returned and filed.

Some applicants need extra paperwork. A person under 21 needs a parent or legal guardian to sign consent. A court order is required when the male applicant is under 17 or the female applicant is under 15. The clerk will not issue a license if either applicant appears unable to understand the request.

1. Call the office to confirm current hours and accepted payment.
2. Both applicants appear together at the Lexington counter.
3. Bring a picture ID, driver license, or birth certificate showing age.
4. Provide parent or guardian consent if either applicant is under 21.
5. Bring any court order required for an under-age applicant.
6. Pay the $22 filing fee at the time of application.

Older marriage records may also sit with the state. The Mississippi State Department of Health can search for the county where a license was issued and can sell certified copies for many years of record.

Access Holmes County Circuit Clerk Records

Circuit Court records reach the public through several channels. The statewide system is Mississippi Electronic Courts, often called MEC or PAMEC. Online docket and document access through that system needs an approved account. People who cannot use the portal, who need sealed material, or who need certified paper can still use the clerk counter, the phone line, or the mail.

To open an account, register through the PAMEC account portal, which links to the wider Mississippi Electronic Courts system. The login screen asks for a short set of fields.

The clerk counter remains the surest channel for many requests. Use it for Circuit criminal and civil files, indictments, motions, judgments, marriage licenses, and marriage records. The phone line at 662-834-2476 handles quick questions about a file or a fee. Mailed copy requests should identify the document well enough for staff to locate it and include payment plus a return envelope.

Federal cases are a separate track. Bankruptcy filings for this region go to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District, whose electronic docket sits in its own filing system shown on the district CM/ECF page.

Knowing whether a file is state or federal saves a wasted request, since the county clerk does not hold federal dockets.

Note: Online PDF views from the electronic system are not certified copies, so a court filing or legal use still requires a certified document from the clerk.

How to Request a Certified Copy

A certified copy carries the clerk's seal and proves the document is a true match to the court file. Courts, lawyers, and many agencies require certified paper rather than a screen print. The steps below work for case files, judgments, and marriage records held by the Circuit Clerk.

1. Identify the case number, party names, court, and filing year.
2. Decide whether you need a plain copy or a certified copy.
3. Contact the Circuit Clerk in person, by phone, or by written request.
4. Submit payment for the copy plus the certification fee.
5. For mailed orders, add a stamped, self-addressed return envelope.
6. Pick up the document or wait for it to arrive by mail.

A clear request moves faster. Give the clerk enough detail to find the file on the first try, and state plainly whether you want a certified copy or a plain copy.

Records Request Form Fields

The county does not publish a single online court-record request form. When a record is not available online, the practical route is a written request to the office that holds the file. The county's general contact form collects the fields below, and a mailed letter should carry the same identifying detail plus the case facts.

In the comments, name the case number, the parties, the filing date, the court, and the copy type you want. The more facts you supply, the less the clerk has to guess.

Holmes County's Two Court Clerks

Holmes County runs a split clerk structure, so the office you call depends on the record. The Circuit Clerk holds Circuit Court and County Court files, criminal indictments, civil suits in those courts, jury records, judgments, marriage licenses, and marriage records. The other elected officer is the Holmes County Chancery Clerk, who keeps Chancery Court files, divorce records, probate and estate files, land records, and Board of Supervisors minutes.

The county Board of Supervisors lists its office and meeting schedule on the official Board of Supervisors page, and the Chancery Clerk staffs that board.

Matching the record to the correct clerk prevents a trip to the wrong counter, since the two offices sit at different addresses in Lexington.

For the broader picture of the court itself, the Holmes County Circuit Court page covers jurisdiction, the judge, and the courthouse complex. Federal records, by contrast, are not kept by either county clerk.

The federal bankruptcy court for the region lists its phone lines and Jackson courthouse on its official contact page.

Note: Federal civil, criminal, and bankruptcy dockets sit with the federal courts and are never filed with the Holmes County Circuit Clerk.