How to Search Walthall County Court Records
There is no single free public database that covers every Walthall County Court case. The most specific online case search is the Walthall Chancery Court Cases Link, hosted by Delta Computer Systems. It covers Chancery cases from 2004 to the present, which means divorce, probate, guardianship, and land or equity disputes. Access is subscription based at $30 a month, and scanned court documents cost $.50 per page. It is not a Circuit Court search, so felony and circuit civil files are not in it.
Circuit Court records were not found in any free county online database. For those, the Circuit Clerk's office is the practical counter. Before you start, gather the party name, the case number if you have it, an approximate filing date, the record type, and whether you need a plain or certified copy.
A look at the county court system page from the Walthall County Chamber shows how the local courts are organized before you pick a search path.
That overview lists Circuit, Chancery, Justice, Municipal, Youth, and Drug Court side by side, which is the clearest signal that "county court" is not one office here. The steps below walk through the Chancery portal, the one true online case search the county offers.
- Open the Walthall Chancery Court Cases Link at the Delta Computer Systems address.
- Decide whether your search can run on public metadata or whether the gated detail needs a paid subscription.
- Search by one displayed key: Party Name in "last, first" form, Case Number, Filed Date, Final Disposition Date, Docket Book and Page, or File Number.
- If searching by name, choose whether to apply refinements, which work only on name searches.
- Narrow a name search with the optional Filing Date Range and Nature of Action filters.
- Log in or subscribe if the system gates the case detail or the scanned documents you need.
For records that are not online, including most Circuit Court files, call the Circuit Clerk at 601-876-5677 or visit the courthouse during office hours. Justice Court misdemeanor and traffic files are requested directly from Justice Court at 601-876-2311.
The Walthall County Judicial System
Walthall County sits inside Mississippi's multi-track trial court system, and the state's appellate courts top that structure. At the top are the Mississippi Supreme Court and the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Decisions from Chancery, Circuit, and County courts may be appealed upward, with the Supreme Court assigning many error-correction cases to the Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court keeps direct authority over matters like death penalty cases, election contests, utility rates, and attorney discipline.
Walthall County is part of the 14th Circuit District for Circuit Court and the 4th Chancery District for Chancery Court. The Circuit Court hears felony prosecutions, civil lawsuits, and appeals from the lower courts, with 12-member juries and usually one or two alternates in jury trials. The Chancery Court is a separate equity court that handles divorce, custody, adoption, guardianship, sanity hearings, wills, and land records. A page from the Mississippi Judiciary is the state entry point for understanding how these levels connect.
The state site confirms the same hierarchy that shapes local filings, from Justice Court at the entry level up to the Supreme Court. Most felony cases begin with an initial appearance, bond, or preliminary hearing in Justice or Municipal Court, then move to Circuit Court after indictment.
Case flow: Justice Court › Circuit Court › Court of Appeals › Supreme Court
| Court | Jurisdiction | Case Types |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Court (14th District) | General trial court of record | Felonies, civil lawsuits, appeals from Justice and Municipal Court |
| Chancery Court (4th District) | Equity and domestic | Divorce, custody, adoption, guardianship, wills, land records |
| Justice Court | Limited jurisdiction | Small claims to $3,500, misdemeanors, traffic outside cities, search warrants |
| Tylertown Municipal Court | City jurisdiction | City ordinances, municipal misdemeanors, city traffic, initial appearances |
| Youth Court | Juvenile | Abuse, neglect, and delinquency for youth under 18 |
Walthall County Courthouses and Offices
Walthall County records live in a compact government district in Tylertown, but they are split across two addresses, and confusing them is the most common mistake record seekers make. The Walthall County Courthouse at 200 Ball Avenue holds the Circuit Clerk, Circuit Court filings, felony criminal records, civil lawsuits, and marriage licenses. The Sheriff's Office, the Jail, and the Justice Court all sit at 807 Magnolia Avenue. Traffic citations, bonds, small claims, and jail questions belong on Magnolia Avenue, not Ball Avenue.
The Chancery Clerk, Shannon Fortinberry, is tied to the courthouse system and handles Chancery Court files, land records, probate, and divorce decrees by phone at 601-876-3553. One more name causes confusion: the District Attorney's office for Pike and Walthall matters is in Magnolia, Mississippi, a separate town, not on Magnolia Avenue in Tylertown.
Walthall County Courthouse / Circuit Clerk
200 Ball Avenue, P.O. Box 351
Tylertown, MS 39667
601-876-5677
Walthall County Justice Court
807 Magnolia Avenue
Tylertown, MS 39667
601-876-2311
Sheriff's Office / Jail
807 Magnolia Avenue
Tylertown, MS 39667
601-876-3481
The Circuit Clerk office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and also handles voting and absentee-voting questions, so its role is not limited to court cases. Mail for the Circuit Clerk goes to P.O. Box 351 in Tylertown.
Types of Court Records Available in Walthall County
The record you want is defined by the court that created it. Circuit Court produces felony and civil case files. Chancery Court produces divorce, probate, guardianship, and land records. Justice and Municipal courts produce misdemeanor and traffic files. Knowing the category points you straight to the right clerk.
The county court-system page describes each track, and the categories below map the most-requested record types to their home court.
- Criminal records - Felony indictments, pleas, dispositions, and sentencing orders are Circuit Court files; misdemeanors are in Justice or Municipal Court.
- Civil records - Lawsuits, money judgments, and lower-court appeals are filed in Circuit Court, where a new lawsuit filing fee is $160.
- Family and divorce records - Divorces, custody, and adoptions are Chancery Court matters, with certified divorce decrees obtained from the Chancery Clerk.
- Probate records - Wills, estates, guardianships, and conservatorships are handled in Chancery Court rather than a separate probate court.
- Traffic records - Citations outside city limits go to Justice Court; city traffic goes to Tylertown Municipal Court.
Land records, including deeds and liens, are kept by the Chancery Clerk, though some personal identifiers may be redacted. Youth Court files for abuse, neglect, and juvenile offenses exist but are not open to ordinary public search.
What Walthall County Court Records Show
A court file gathers every official action in a case, and the same core fields show up across Circuit, Chancery, and Justice Court records. The exact Circuit Court case-number format was not published in official sources, but the Chancery portal accepts a Case Number, a Docket Book and Page, and a File Number as separate search keys. Docket entries track the case from the first filing through judgment, including motions, hearings, continuances, and the final order.
Criminal files add charge details such as the arresting agency, the charge description, the felony or misdemeanor class, bond, plea, and sentence. Financial fields can list filing fees, fines, court costs, restitution, and copy charges. The table below breaks down the fields a typical record displays.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | The unique identifier the clerk assigns when a case opens. |
| Filing Date | When the complaint, petition, or charge was first filed. |
| Parties | Plaintiff and defendant, or petitioner and respondent, plus estate or ward where it applies. |
| Charges / Cause | The charge description and class, or the nature of the civil action. |
| Disposition | The final outcome, such as a plea, verdict, dismissal, or judgment. |
| Sentence / Judgment | The punishment or the enforceable decision the judge ordered. |
Some fields are redacted by law, including Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, minor names, and victim-sensitive details.
Public Access Laws for Walthall County Court Records
Mississippi treats government records as open unless a statute, court rule, or order makes them confidential. The Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983 sets the policy, and a clean copy of the statute is posted by the Mississippi Ethics Commission. To start a request, go to the office that created or maintains the record, then ask for the inspection or copy procedure in writing if needed.
The page that hosts the statute text is a useful reference when you want to read the law before filing a request.
That page lays out the act section by section, including the access rights and the exemptions that apply to court files. The key sections below explain what the law requires in plain terms.
Key Statutes:
Miss. Code Ann. § 25-61-1 - Names the Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983 and sets the policy that public records are available unless the law says otherwise.
Miss. Code Ann. § 25-61-5 - Gives any person the right to inspect and copy public records, and limits delays beyond seven working days without a written explanation.
Miss. Code Ann. § 25-61-7 - Lets an agency charge reasonable actual-cost fees for searching, reviewing, copying, redacting, and mailing.
Miss. Code Ann. § 25-61-12 - Protects personal information of officers, judges, and prosecutors, while keeping incident reports public and allowing some investigative reports to be withheld.
Note: If a record holds exempt material, the office should redact that part and release the rest of the file when it can.
Records That Are Restricted or Confidential
Not every Walthall County court file is open to the public. Youth Court records for abuse, neglect, and juvenile offenses are restricted to parties, attorneys, and court-authorized people. Adoption files in Chancery Court are confidential and are not searchable like ordinary chancery civil cases. Sanity and mental-health proceedings can involve medical detail and should be treated as restricted unless the clerk confirms otherwise.
Sealed and expunged criminal records are another limit. Once a record is expunged, public portals may drop the case or show only limited metadata. A Walthall County expunction starts by identifying the court of conviction: Circuit Court for felonies, or Justice or Municipal Court for many misdemeanor and traffic matters. The petitioner gathers the case number, charge, disposition, sentence-completion date, and proof of paid fines before filing.
Eligibility is not guaranteed. Mississippi expunction law has offense exclusions and waiting periods, so confirm the current rules with the court clerk or an attorney before filing rather than relying on older summaries.
Specialty Courts in Walthall County
Walthall County is served by the 14th Circuit Drug Court, which covers Lincoln, Pike, and Walthall counties. It is a problem-solving court for drug and alcohol-related crime, built around treatment, intense supervision, drug testing, frequent court appearances, and a mix of incentives and sanctions. The program was established on February 1, 1999, and the Mississippi Judiciary reported it marked 25 years of operation in 2024 as the state's oldest felony adult drug intervention court. The Honorable Michael Taylor presides, and Russanna Lindley serves as the Drug Court Coordinator.
The county's other specialty track is Youth Court, reached at 601-876-3553. Youth Court handles abuse and neglect cases plus offenses by juveniles, generally for youth under 18. Because Walthall County has no separate County Court, a Chancery Judge may hear Youth Court matters or appoint a lawyer to serve as Youth Court Referee. Both of these courts are confidential or specialized tracks rather than open public-lookup tools.
Walthall County Sheriff and Jail
The Walthall County Sheriff's Office and Jail operate from 807 Magnolia Avenue in Tylertown under Sheriff Kyle Breland, with Warden Cherie Bailey leading the jail. The main line, 601-876-3481, is staffed 24 hours, while administrative hours run Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. A separate crime-tip hotline takes calls at 844-786-7200. The sheriff's home page is the hub for the inmate roster and other public-safety links.
A look at the Walthall County Sheriff's Office site shows how booking and roster tools are organized for the public.
The site keeps a current inmate roster and a 48-hour release list, both updated with live bookings, plus a crime-tip hotline and a sex offender registry link. The roster shows a mugshot, booking number, charges, and bond, but charges and bail can change after court, so call the Detention Center to confirm.
The roster shows only current and recent custody, so it is not a warrant database. For full booking details, see the Walthall County inmate records page, and for active warrants, the warrant records page leads with the correct phone and court-level fallback chain.
Marriage, Divorce, and Chancery Court Records
Marriage licenses are issued by the Circuit Clerk at 200 Ball Avenue, where the local filing fee is $36. Both applicants appear together with valid ID, and each must be at least 21 unless a parent signs or a court order applies. Older marriage records can also be requested through the Mississippi State Department of Health, and divorce decrees are Chancery Court files obtained from the Chancery Clerk at 601-876-3553. The full process and fees live on the marriage and divorce records page, while estates and guardianships are covered on the probate records page.
Chancery and probate filings use a handful of legal terms worth defining before you search.
- Testator
- A person who makes a valid will to direct how their property is handled after death.
- Executor
- The person named in a will to carry out its terms and settle the estate.
- Conservator
- A person a court appoints to manage the finances or affairs of someone unable to do so.
Walthall County Chancery Court Case Search Fields
The Delta Computer Systems Chancery portal is the one online case search the county offers, and it lets subscribers query several keys. A name search can be narrowed with refinements, which apply only to name searches. The Nature of Action filter is a long dropdown that doubles as a useful taxonomy of chancery record types, from boundary and easement disputes to foreign wills and receiverships.
| Field Label | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Party Name (last, first) | text | Name search; refinements apply only here. |
| Case Number | text | Alternative to a name search. |
| Filed Date | date | Search by the date a case was filed. |
| Final Disposition Date | date | Search by the date a case closed. |
| Docket (Book/Page) | text | Book and page format shown as a label. |
| File Number | text | Alternative file-number search. |
| Use Refinements? | radio | Yes or No; enables the filters below. |
| Filing Date Range From / To | date range | Applies only to name searches. |
| Nature of Action | dropdown | Long list, from Boundary and Easement to Foreign Will and Receivership. |
The page also shows buttons to create an account, choose a subscription with a credit card, and log in, since the case detail and scanned documents are gated behind the $30 monthly subscription.
Walthall County Court Records Fees
Fees vary by office and by whether you need a certified copy or an online subscription. The figures below come from the local Circuit Clerk material, the Delta Chancery portal, and the state vital-records pages, so they cover the offices a typical record seeker contacts most.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marriage license filing fee | $36 |
| New lawsuit filing fee (Circuit Court) | $160 |
| Writ of garnishment filing fee | $35 |
| Chancery case-search subscription | $30 per month |
| Scanned Chancery documents | $.50 per page |
| MSDH certified vital record copy | $17 plus vendor fee |
| MSDH divorce index search | $17 for a five-year search |
An official Walthall County probate fee schedule and a Circuit Court copy-fee list were not published in text, so confirm those amounts with the Chancery Clerk or Circuit Clerk before mailing payment.
History of Walthall County Courts
Walthall County was created in 1912 and named for General Edward Cary Walthall, with Tylertown as its county seat. The county's legal life follows Mississippi's split Circuit and Chancery tradition, with Walthall in the 14th Circuit District and the 4th Chancery District. Long known as "The Cream Pitcher of Mississippi," the county grew up around cotton, dairy, poultry, and pine, and that rural backdrop still shapes how residents reach the courthouse.
The wider court structure changed over time too. Mississippi's Court of Appeals was created to ease the Supreme Court's backlog and began hearing cases in 1995. The 14th Circuit Drug Court, established in 1999, became a long-running specialty-court milestone for the circuit. U.S. Census QuickFacts helps frame who uses these courts today.
A look at the Census QuickFacts profile fills in the county's current population and geography.
The profile lists about 13,928 residents as of mid-2025 across roughly 404 square miles, with a mean travel time to work of 36.5 minutes. That long average commute is a practical clue: many court visitors drive in from rural addresses, which makes calling ahead more useful than relying on transit.
A second local source, the historic courthouse and jail page, ties the modern courthouse to the county's older landmarks.
That page collects local history around the courthouse and jail, useful color for understanding the Tylertown government district even though it does not publish a detailed construction timeline.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a free online search for Walthall County Court cases?
Not for every court. The only county-specific online case search is the Walthall Chancery Court Cases Link, run by Delta Computer Systems, and it is subscription based at $30 a month for cases from 2004 forward. It covers Chancery matters like divorce, probate, and land disputes. There is no free public online search for Circuit Court felony and civil files, so those are requested from the Circuit Clerk by phone, in person, or by a records request.
Which building do I go to for my record?
It depends on the case. The Walthall County Courthouse at 200 Ball Avenue holds the Circuit Clerk, Circuit Court files, and marriage licenses. The Sheriff's Office, Jail, and Justice Court are at 807 Magnolia Avenue, which is where traffic citations, small claims, bonds, and jail questions belong. Matching the record to the right address before you travel saves a wasted trip across town.
Who keeps divorce and probate records in Walthall County?
The Chancery Clerk, Shannon Fortinberry, reached at 601-876-3553. Chancery Court handles divorce, custody, adoption, guardianship, wills, estates, and land records. For a certified divorce decree, contact the Chancery Clerk directly. If you do not know which county granted a divorce, the Mississippi State Department of Health offers a five-year index search for $17 that can point you to the right county, book, and page.
How do I find out if someone is in the Walthall County Jail?
Use the inmate roster on the Walthall County Sheriff's Office website, which lists current inmates and a 48-hour release list with booking numbers, charges, and bond. Because charges and bail can change after a court appearance, call the Detention Center at 601-876-3481 to confirm a bond amount or case number. The roster shows only current and recent custody, so it does not list every active warrant.
How do I check for a warrant in Walthall County?
No official online active-warrant list was found for the county. The fallback chain is to call the court tied to the case: Justice Court at 601-876-2311 for county traffic and misdemeanors, Tylertown Municipal Court for city cases, and the Circuit Clerk for felony indictments. To check custody status, call the jail at 601-876-3481. Consider speaking with a lawyer before appearing on a felony or no-bond warrant.
What does it cost to file a new lawsuit or get married?
A new lawsuit filing fee in Circuit Court is $160, and a writ of garnishment is $35. A marriage license filing fee is $36, paid when both applicants appear together at the Circuit Clerk's office with valid ID. The Chancery case-search subscription runs $30 a month, with scanned documents at $.50 per page. Always confirm current amounts with the clerk before mailing payment.
Where are Walthall County federal cases handled?
Walthall County is in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, Eastern Division, based in Hattiesburg. Federal cases are separate from county court records. Federal dockets and documents are accessed through PACER, while bankruptcy filings go through the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. Appeals from the district court go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Can I get court records by phone or mail?
Yes. For Circuit Court records that are not online, call the Circuit Clerk at 601-876-5677 or mail a request to P.O. Box 351, Tylertown, MS 39667. Supply the party name, the case number if known, an approximate filing date, the record type, and whether you need a plain or certified copy. The Chancery Clerk handles divorce, probate, and land records by phone at 601-876-3553.