How to Search Harrison County Court Records
Harrison County does not run one search box for every court file. The work is split by subject and by district. Harrison County posts free docket tools for Circuit, County, Chancery, and Justice Court. These tools show scheduled hearings by court type. They are schedule lookups, not full case files. For actual documents, the path runs through a clerk's office or the statewide e-filing system.
The county runs its court links and service menus from one central web hub at the official Harrison County homepage. The image below shows that landing page and the navigation that leads to each court office.
From there, the county online services menu opens the docket searches and payment portals that drive most Harrison County court records lookups.
Know two things before you start. First, the court level. Second, the judicial district. The steps below follow the path the county clerks describe.
- Match the case to a court level. Felonies, large civil suits, and appeals point to Circuit Court. Divorce, custody, estates, and land disputes point to Chancery Court. County misdemeanors and mid-size civil claims point to County Court. Sheriff and Highway Patrol tickets begin in Justice Court.
- Open the matching Harrison County docket search. Search by last name or by date. The current day shows by default below the form.
- Write down the case number, courtroom, hearing date and time, district, and presiding judge. A Harrison County clerk needs these to pull the file.
- For full documents, contact the right clerk or use Mississippi Electronic Courts. The Harrison County docket pages do not store filings.
- For older, sealed, juvenile, or adoption files, expect in-person clerk review or a court order rather than an online result.
- For a city ticket, use the municipal court named on the citation, not the county docket tools.
Note: The county docket pages display only scheduled hearings, so a name that returns nothing may still have a file that the clerk holds offline.
The Harrison County Judicial System
Mississippi runs a layered court system. The Mississippi Supreme Court sits at the top, and the Mississippi Court of Appeals is the middle appeals court. Trial work falls to Circuit, Chancery, County, Justice, Municipal, and Youth Courts. The Mississippi Judiciary explains how each level fits together.
The state court site lays out the full structure from trial courts up to the high court. The screenshot below comes from that overview.
Harrison County sits in the Second Circuit Court District with Hancock and Stone Counties, and in the 8th Chancery District with the same two counties. It keeps court operations in both Gulfport and Biloxi. Most appeals from a lower court move up to Circuit Court before they reach the appellate level.
Case flow: Justice Court › County Court › Circuit Court › Mississippi Court of Appeals
| Court | Jurisdiction | Case Types |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Court | General trial law court | Felonies, major civil claims, jury trials, appeals from lower courts |
| Chancery Court | Equity court | Divorce, custody, estates, guardianships, land disputes, commitments |
| County Court | Shared limited trial court | Civil claims up to $200,000, some criminal and youth matters |
| Justice Court | Lower court | Traffic tickets, misdemeanors, small claims, felony first appearances |
| Municipal Court | City court | City ordinance and city traffic cases in each town |
Circuit Court and Chancery Court in Harrison County
Two main trial courts carry most of the Harrison County load. Circuit Court is the law court for felonies, big civil suits, and jury trials. Chancery Court is the equity court for divorce, estates, and property matters. Harrison County also splits its clerks. The Circuit Clerk, Justin Wetzel, supports Circuit and County Court files and marriage licenses. The Chancery Clerk, Angela Thrash, keeps Chancery Court files and land records.
Both trial courts also use Mississippi Electronic Courts. The 8th Chancery District court information page lists the Gulfport and Biloxi Chancery locations and their e-filing dates. The view below shows that court information page.
The table sorts the three busiest trial courts so a reader can spot the right venue before searching.
| Feature | Circuit Court | Chancery Court | County Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main role | Law and crime | Equity and family | Shared limited trial |
| Typical cases | Felonies, major suits | Divorce, estates, land | Mid-size civil, some criminal |
| Clerk | Circuit Clerk | Chancery Clerk | Circuit Clerk |
| Jury trials | Yes | Rare | Yes, in some cases |
Harrison County Courthouses
Harrison County runs two main courthouse centers. Judicial District 1 is in downtown Gulfport, the county seat. Judicial District 2 is in Biloxi. Circuit Clerk, Chancery Clerk, and the trial courts keep offices at both buildings. A third Harrison County facility, the Adult Detention Center, holds jail records and sits apart from the courthouses.
Each card below lists a primary public address for court visitors.
Judicial District 1 Courthouse
1801 23rd Avenue
Gulfport, MS 39501
228-865-4051
Judicial District 2 Courthouse
730 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
Biloxi, MS 39530
228-435-8258
Adult Detention Center
10451 Larkin Smith Drive
Gulfport, MS 39503
228-896-3000
Types of Court Records Available in Harrison County
Court records in Harrison County span several courts and subjects. A civil case may land in Circuit, County, Justice, or Chancery Court based on amount and topic. Criminal work runs from Justice Court first appearances up to Circuit Court felony trials. Family and probate matters belong to Chancery Court. Across Harrison County, traffic tickets split between Justice Court and the city municipal courts.
The court that handles a case is also the court that produces its record. That is why the search starts with the court level, not a single database.
- Criminal records - affidavits, indictments, bonds, pleas, dispositions, and sentences from Justice, County, and Circuit Court.
- Civil records - complaints, answers, motions, judgments, garnishments, and writs across the trial courts.
- Family and divorce records - divorce, custody, support, paternity, and name-change files in Chancery Court.
- Probate records - estates, wills, guardianships, conservatorships, and heirship matters in Chancery Court.
- Traffic records - county tickets in Justice Court and city tickets in the municipal court named on the citation.
What Harrison County Court Records Show
The free Harrison County docket pages show a slim set of fields. You see the case number, the parties, the courtroom, the hearing date and time, and the presiding judge. You do not see pleadings, orders, or financial detail. Those live in the full file held by the clerk or in Mississippi Electronic Courts.
A full Harrison County clerk record holds far more. It can include the filing date, case status, every party and attorney, motions and orders, and the final judgment or sentence. Criminal files add charges, statute references, bond, plea, and disposition. The table below maps the common fields.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | The court code for the file, such as 23CI1:25-CR-00170, encoding district, court, year, and type. |
| Filing Date | The date the case opened with the clerk; shown in the full file, not the docket page. |
| Parties | The plaintiff or petitioner and the defendant or respondent named in the caption. |
| Charges / Cause | The criminal charge and statute, or the civil cause of action behind the suit. |
| Disposition | The outcome of a charge or claim, such as dismissed, guilty plea, or judgment. |
| Sentence / Judgment | The penalty, award, or decree the court enters at the close of the case. |
Note: A jail listing or a filed charge is not a conviction, since the record reflects an allegation until a court enters a plea or verdict.
Searching Harrison County Court Dockets
Each Harrison County trial court posts its own docket search. The Circuit Court docket, the County Court docket, the Chancery Court docket, and the Justice Court docket all run as separate tools. Harrison County gathers them on its online services hub.
The hub also links payment portals, land records, and tax tools. The image below shows that service menu.
All four docket searches share the same simple form. The fields below come straight from those pages.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search by Last Name | Text | Optional | The Chancery Clerk asks for at least the first three letters of the name. |
| Search by Date - Month | Dropdown | Optional | Months 1 through 12. |
| Search by Date - Day | Dropdown | Optional | Days 1 through 31. |
| Search by Date - Year | Dropdown | Optional | Current and future years only; no historical date search. |
| Submit | Button | n/a | Current-day scheduled cases display by default. |
Public Access Laws for Harrison County Court Records
Mississippi treats public records as open to any person unless a statute closes them. The Mississippi Public Records Act sets that baseline rule for Harrison County. Court files carry their own access rules on top of it. Juvenile, adoption, sealed, and commitment files stay closed even when most records remain open.
Trial-court documents flow through Mississippi Electronic Courts, the statewide e-filing system. The screenshot below shows that portal.
Full document viewing through this system may need a PAMEC account or a courthouse public terminal. The statutes below shape what stays open and what stays sealed.
Key Statutes:
Mississippi Code § 25-61-1 - Public records are open for inspection by any person unless a law makes them confidential.
Mississippi Code § 25-7-9 - Sets the Chancery Clerk filing, recording, and copy fees used across the county.
Mississippi Code § 99-19-71 - Lets eligible convictions be expunged by petition in the court of conviction.
Mississippi Code § 43-21-261 - Keeps youth court records confidential except for authorized people or by court order.
Mississippi Code § 93-17-25 - Closes adoption files and records to the public absent a court order.
Mississippi Code § 41-21-65 - Governs mental-health commitment filings, which carry sensitive medical detail.
Note: A free docket lookup tells you where a case is scheduled, but the certified document still comes from the clerk or the e-filing system.
Records That Are Restricted or Confidential
Some Harrison County files never appear in an ordinary search. Youth Court matters that involve delinquency, abuse, or neglect stay closed to the public. Adoption files are sealed. Mental-health and civil commitment cases hold medical detail and stay restricted. Sealed and expunged criminal records drop out of public view once a court grants the order. Records may also redact Social Security numbers, account numbers, and minor names.
The state explains the open-records baseline on its public records page. The image below shows that explainer.
Expungement starts in the court where the case was decided. A petitioner gathers the case number, the charge, the disposition, and the date the sentence ended. The Harrison County Sheriff public resources page links an expungement handbook, motion, and order. A clerk can accept the filing but cannot give legal advice. If a court grants the motion, the order goes to the agencies that hold the record so it leaves public access.
Specialty Courts in Harrison County
Harrison County runs problem-solving courts that treat root causes rather than only punish. These Harrison County programs sit alongside the standard trial courts. The Second Circuit Intervention Court serves Harrison, Hancock, and Stone Counties. It offers a therapeutic path instead of standard prosecution so a defendant can address substance abuse and avoid a felony record. The program description sets a length of 12 to 27 months with court-monitored supervision. Court meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and missing a session can trigger a warrant.
Youth Court runs two more programs. The Family Intervention Program works with abuse and neglect cases tied to substance use. The Juvenile Intervention Program works with delinquency cases. Both are free and usually last 9 months to a year, with drug testing, therapy, and regular hearings. Juvenile case files stay confidential even where the program itself is public.
Harrison County Sheriff and Jail
The Harrison County Sheriff's Office is led by Sheriff Matt Haley. It runs the Adult Detention Center in Gulfport and an Inmate Work Center nearby. The office keeps a separate Public Records Department for police reports and information requests, plus a warrants and extradition desk. Booking, bond, and jail questions go to the detention center, not the courthouse clerk.
The county inmate search needs at least two letters of a last name to return results. The Sheriff's Office warns that the jail docket shows detention and does not confirm any conviction. For booking detail and the full roster, see the Harrison County inmate records page. For arrest warrants and how to clear one, see the warrant records page.
Note: The jail docket can change quickly, so confirm any custody or bond detail by phone with the Adult Detention Center before you rely on it.
Marriage, Divorce, and Probate Records
In Harrison County, marriage licenses run through the Circuit Clerk, while divorce and probate run through Chancery Court. The marriage license page sets the rules to apply in either district. Divorce and estate files sit with the Chancery Clerk in Gulfport or Biloxi. The image below shows the Chancery Clerk homepage and its record links.
For more detail, see the marriage and divorce records page and the probate records page. Probate uses its own set of terms, defined below.
- Testator
- A person who leaves a valid will at death.
- Executor
- The person named in a will to settle the estate.
- Intestate
- An estate left without a will, settled under state law.
- Guardian
- A person with legal authority over a minor or incapacitated person.
- Conservator
- A person who manages the finances or care of an adult who needs help.
Harrison County Court Records Fees
The Harrison County Circuit Clerk publishes a fee schedule for filings, copies, and assessments. Copy and search fees are modest, while filing and criminal assessments run higher. The full Circuit Clerk fee schedule lists every charge. The table below shows the items a records seeker meets most often.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Plain copy per page | $1.00 |
| Certified copy | $2.00 |
| Criminal record search, per name | $10.00 |
| Civil filing or complaint | $166.00 |
| Marriage license | $38.00 |
| Certified copy of marriage license | $17.00 |
Card payments add a small service fee on some items. Chancery filing fees follow a separate state schedule and are due when a case is filed.
How to Interpret Harrison County Court Records
A Harrison County case number tells you a lot at a glance. A code such as 24CO2:26-CV-00560 marks the district, the court, the year, and the case type. CV points to a civil case, CR to a criminal case, and CM to a Chancery matter. The clerk can confirm any code you are unsure about.
The biggest reading mistake is to treat a charge as a conviction. A charge is an allegation a prosecutor files. A conviction is a court finding of guilt after a plea or verdict. A booking entry on the jail docket only means detention. The disposition field is where the real outcome appears.
Important: A plain online copy is not accepted in court proceedings. For legal use, request a certified copy from the clerk who holds the file.
History of Harrison County Courts
Harrison County was founded in 1841 on the Gulf Coast. The 2020 Census counted 204,502 residents, which makes it the second most populous county in Mississippi. Its court system grew around two judicial districts, Gulfport and Biloxi, with work split between the Circuit Clerk and the Chancery Clerk. That two-district pattern still shapes where people file, search, and request copies today.
Record access has shifted toward digital tools in recent years. Harrison County Chancery and Circuit Courts went live on Mississippi Electronic Courts in late 2011. The Chancery Court docket moved online in 2022, letting users search scheduled cases by name or date. The Chancery Clerk also added land records online, a records vault, and a fraud alert service.
Note: A 2025 county notice now requires typed filing documents under a state law change, so handwritten papers are no longer accepted at the clerk counter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there one website for all Harrison County court records?
No. Harrison County runs separate docket searches for Circuit, County, Chancery, and Justice Court. Each tool shows only scheduled hearings for its court. Full case documents come from the matching clerk or from Mississippi Electronic Courts. City traffic tickets sit with the municipal court named on the citation. The first step is always to figure out which court level holds the case.
How do I get a certified copy of a Harrison County court record?
Contact the Harrison County clerk who holds the file. The Circuit Clerk keeps Circuit and County Court records, while the Chancery Clerk keeps divorce, estate, and land records. A certified copy costs $2.00 under the Circuit Clerk schedule, and plain copies run $1.00 per page. A certified copy is the version accepted for legal use. Older or sealed files may need in-person help at the counter.
Are Harrison County criminal records public?
Most are open under the Mississippi Public Records Act. You can search criminal case schedules through the Circuit and County Court dockets. A criminal record search through the Circuit Clerk costs $10.00 per name. Juvenile, sealed, and expunged records stay closed. A filed charge is only an allegation, so always read the disposition field before drawing any conclusion about an outcome.
Which court handles divorce in Harrison County?
Chancery Court hears divorce, custody, support, and property division. The Chancery Clerk holds the files in Gulfport and Biloxi. The Chancery Court docket shows scheduled hearings by name or future date, but it does not show the full divorce file. For a certified copy of a decree, contact the Chancery Court clerks in the correct district or use the e-filing system where the documents are public.
How do I find someone in the Harrison County jail?
Use the Sheriff's Office inmate search and enter at least two letters of the last name. The jail docket reflects current detention at the Adult Detention Center. It does not confirm a conviction. For sentenced state inmates, use the Mississippi Department of Corrections search instead. Bond, booking, and custody questions go to the detention center by phone, since the online docket can change quickly.
What does a Harrison County case number mean?
A case number encodes the district, the court, the year, and the case type. A code like 23CI1:25-CR-00170 marks a Circuit criminal case in District 1. CV marks a civil case, and CM marks a Chancery matter. The number is the fastest way for a clerk to locate the file. Write it down from the docket result before you call or visit the office.