Harrison County Circuit Clerk Office

Who the Harrison County Circuit Clerk Is

The Harrison County Circuit Clerk is Justin Wetzel. The county says he brings 10 years inside the Circuit Clerk's Office. He worked there under former clerks Gayle Parker and Connie Ladner. He served as Deputy Clerk and as Chief Deputy Clerk of Finance and Accounting. That work crossed County Court, Circuit Court, and the Circuit Clerk's Office. The Circuit Clerk is an elected county officer in Mississippi. The office sits inside the county's two-district court system, with staffed counters in both Gulfport and Biloxi.

The Circuit Clerk page acts as the hub for the office. It links the Circuit Court and County Court departments, elections, the judgment roll search, jury duty, marriage licenses, online fee payment, and the posted fee schedule. Most public requests start at one of those links or at the clerk's counter.

The whole menu of services lives on the official Harrison County Circuit Clerk page, which lists both district addresses and the clerk's contact links.

That landing page routes visitors to dockets, payments, voter tools, and the marriage desk from one screen, which is the fastest way to reach the right department.

What the Harrison County Circuit Clerk Handles

The Circuit Clerk is the record keeper and fee collector for the county's law courts. The office files pleadings, holds the official court file, issues process, and takes in court costs. It swears in and checks in jurors for trials. It also runs voter registration and the marriage license desk for the whole county.

These duties cover both of the county's main law courts. Felony and large civil cases run through Circuit Court. Smaller civil claims and many criminal matters run through County Court. The same clerk supports both.

• Maintain Circuit Court and County Court case files and the judgment roll
• Issue and certify copies of court documents, judgments, and orders
• Manage jury summons and juror check-in for trials
• Run countywide voter registration and election records
• Issue marriage licenses and keep the marriage license index
• Collect court fees, fines, and assessments, including online payments

Note: Land records, deeds, probate, and divorce files are not kept by the Circuit Clerk; those belong to the Chancery Clerk described further down the page.

Circuit and County Court Records at the Clerk

Two clerk departments hold the case files the public asks for most. The Circuit Court department keeps felony, major civil, and appeal records. The County Court department keeps lower civil claims and county criminal matters. Both publish a free online docket that shows scheduled hearings, but neither docket lets you download the filings themselves. For a full file or a certified copy, the clerk's counter is the real source. The case number, parties, and judge that appear in the full Harrison County Circuit Court record start from these same departments.

The Circuit Court side handles the heaviest cases in the county. The clerk posts its schedule through the official Circuit Court department page, which links the docket search and contact details.

That page is the right starting point for felony case numbers, hearing dates, and the courtroom assigned to a Circuit case.

The County Court side carries civil claims within county jurisdiction and many criminal filings. Its schedule sits on the official County Court department page, also staffed by the Circuit Clerk.

Both department pages point back to the same Gulfport and Biloxi counters when a request needs paper copies or a certified document.

Harrison County Circuit Clerk Fees

The Circuit Clerk charges set fees for filings, copies, searches, and assessments. Many of these amounts are fixed by Mississippi statute, so they hold across both judicial districts. The fee schedule below pulls the most-requested items from the clerk's posted list. Filing fees apply when you open a case; copy and search fees apply when you pull existing records.

The full list, including appeals, writs, and court-cost detail, is published on the official Harrison County Circuit Clerk fee schedule.

Check that posted page before you mail a request, since assessment amounts and service fees can change between budget years.

Note: Card payments at the marriage desk add a $1.50 service fee, so cash avoids the extra charge when you apply in person.

How to Request a Certified Copy

A certified copy is a court-stamped document the clerk verifies as a true copy of the original. People need them for appeals, background matters, name changes, and many legal filings. A plain printout from a docket page does not carry that certification. The steps below cover a Circuit or County Court record held by the Circuit Clerk.

1. Identify the court and case. Note whether the file is a Circuit Court or County Court matter, and find the case number from the docket search or your own paperwork.
2. Choose the right district office. Gulfport handles District 1 files, and Biloxi handles District 2 files.
3. Submit the request. Visit the counter or send a written request that lists the case number, party names, document type, and number of copies.
4. Pay the fee. A certified copy is $2.00, plain copies are $1.00 per page, and a criminal record search runs $10.00 per name.
5. Collect the copy. Pick it up in person, or have the clerk mail it to the address on your request.

Mail requests should include payment and a return address. The Circuit Clerk uses P.O. Box 998, Gulfport, MS 39502 for mailed court business.

Harrison County Records Request Details

A clear request helps the clerk pull the right file the first time. The office needs enough detail to find the case and enough payment to release the copies. The table below lists what to include on a written or in-person request and how each item matters.

Older, sealed, juvenile, or adoption files do not move on a simple request. Those need in-person clerk help or a court order, and the clerk cannot give legal advice on them.

Note: Court file access goes through the clerk of the court, not a general county public-records request, when the document you want is a court record.

Marriage Licenses Through the Circuit Clerk

Marriage licenses in Harrison County come from the Circuit Clerk, not Chancery. Couples apply at either the Gulfport District 1 courthouse or the Biloxi District 2 courthouse. The Gulfport office sits on the second floor of the courthouse behind the stairs and elevator. Both partners must appear together, and the office will not issue a license after 4:45 p.m. The license can be used only in Mississippi.

• Both parties must apply together in person
• Both must show valid ID proving age, such as a driver's license, birth certificate, or military ID
• The fee is $38.00 by cash or card, with a $1.50 service fee on card payments
• A divorce within the past six months requires a copy of the decree
• Applicants under 21 need parental consent

The full requirement list appears on the county's marriage license page. To look up an existing license, the marriage license search asks you to pick a district first. A certified copy of a marriage license is $17.00, with extra certified copies at $6.00 each.

Voter Rolls, Jury Duty, and Fee Payments

The Circuit Clerk does more than hold court files. The office registers voters for the whole county and keeps the election records that feed each precinct. It also manages jury summons, juror check-in, and the jury duty information that goes out before a trial term. Court fees can be paid without a trip to the counter.

Online court fee payment runs through an nCourt-linked portal reached from the Circuit Clerk page. That portal lets a person clear court costs by card. Justice Court tickets use a separate county payment system, and sheriff bonds use a different vendor, so confirm which obligation you are paying before you submit.

For mailed voter or payment material, the Circuit Clerk lists P.O. Box 998, Gulfport, MS 39502. Voter questions, jury questions, and fee questions can all start at the main District 1 line, 228-865-4051.

The Harrison County Chancery Clerk Split

Harrison County divides clerk work between two elected offices, so the Circuit Clerk is only half of the picture. The Chancery Clerk is Angela Thrash, and her office calls itself the primary record keeper for the county, with more than 40 employees across the Gulfport and Biloxi offices. That office holds land records, deeds, probate, estates, guardianships, conservatorships, divorces, and other equity matters. Anyone after a deed, an estate file, or a divorce decree needs the Chancery Clerk, not the Circuit Clerk.

Chancery Court is the county's equity court, and its clerk supports those filings. The duties, chancellors, and filing-fee categories appear on the official Chancery Court clerks page.

Probate and family files live on that side of the courthouse, and the county's Chancery Court probate records guide covers how to reach those clerks.

Historic and archived land records sit in the Chancery Clerk's records vault. The Gulfport vault is closed to walk-in public access, and users are pointed to a vault clerk, as the official records vault page explains.

A 2025 Chancery Clerk notice also states that documents must be typed under House Bill 600, which amended Section 89-5-24, so the office no longer accepts handwritten filings.

Note: If a request mixes court business and land or estate business, expect to visit both clerks, since the Circuit Clerk and Chancery Clerk keep fully separate files.

Mail, Online, and In-Person Filings

Three main channels reach the Circuit Clerk. You can come to the Gulfport or Biloxi counter, mail a written request with payment, or work through the state e-filing system. Each channel fits a different need, and older or restricted files almost always require the counter.

Mississippi Electronic Courts is the statewide e-filing and public-access environment for trial courts. Circuit, County, and Chancery Court records are e-filed through it, but full public document viewing may need a PAMEC account, a subscription, per-page fees, or a courthouse terminal. The state explains the system on the Mississippi Electronic Courts page. The free county docket pages remain schedule tools, not a complete document repository.

For mailed business, the Circuit Clerk uses P.O. Box 998, Gulfport, MS 39502. Walk-in service runs 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at both district courthouses. When a file is sealed, expunged, juvenile, or simply too old to be digitized, an in-person clerk review is the realistic path.