Union County Court Records
How To Find Court Records in Union County in 2026
Members of the public seeking court records in Union County, Mississippi, may access publicly available case information through several official channels. UnionMSRecords.us provides access to publicly available information related to court records and related data for Union County. Depending on the case type, court level, and applicable access rules, records may include civil filings, criminal case histories, probate matters, family court documents, and traffic dispositions. The availability and completeness of any individual record depends on the court that handled the matter, the current status of the case, and whether any sealing, expungement, or confidentiality order applies.
Court records in Union County may be searched through the following five methods:
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Clerk of Court or Court Records Office — The Union County Circuit Clerk maintains official case files for circuit and chancery court matters. Requesters may appear in person, provide a case number or party name, and request inspection or copies of available records. Fees apply for copies and certified documents.
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Courthouse Public Access Terminals — Public terminals located within the Union County Courthouse allow members of the public to search case indexes and docket entries without charge during regular business hours. Terminal access does not extend to sealed, expunged, or restricted filings.
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Online Court Search — The Mississippi Electronic Courts (MEC) system and the Mississippi judiciary's online portal provide electronic access to certain case records. Registration may be required for full document access, and not all case types are available electronically.
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State-Level Judicial Search Tools — The Mississippi Administrative Office of Courts maintains statewide judicial resources and case search tools that may return results for Union County courts. Search results vary by court level and case type.
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Written or Mail Requests — Members of the public may submit written requests to the Circuit Clerk's office specifying the case number, party name, or other identifying information. Responses are subject to applicable fees and processing times.
Union County Circuit Clerk
109 Main Street
New Albany, MS 38652
Phone: (662) 534-1900
Union County Circuit Clerk
Are Court Records Public In Union County
Court records in Union County are subject to public access under Mississippi law. The Mississippi Public Records Act, Miss. Code Ann. § 25-61-1 et seq., establishes the right of the public to inspect and copy public records maintained by government bodies, including court clerks. Under this framework, docket entries, party names, hearing dates, filed pleadings, orders, and judgments in civil and criminal matters are accessible to members of the public.
Records that are accessible to the public include:
- Case dockets and indexes
- Party names and case numbers
- Filed complaints, petitions, and answers
- Court orders and final judgments
- Sentencing entries and disposition records
- Probate filings and estate inventories
Records that may be confidential, sealed, redacted, or restricted include:
- Juvenile court records, which are protected under Miss. Code Ann. § 43-21-261
- Adoption records and related proceedings
- Mental health commitment records
- Expunged criminal records
- Sealed filings pursuant to court order
- Protected personal identifiers such as Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and minor children's names in certain family matters
A distinction exists between courthouse inspection and online access. While physical inspection at the clerk's office is broadly available for public records, electronic access through online portals may be limited by the court's technology infrastructure, case type, or administrative policy. As the Mississippi Supreme Court has noted, "the public's right of access to court records is fundamental to the transparency of the judicial process," though that right is balanced against privacy and safety considerations.
What Are Court Records in Union County?
Court records are the official documents, filings, and entries created and maintained by a court or its clerk in connection with a judicial proceeding. In Union County, court records are maintained by the Circuit Clerk for circuit and chancery court matters, and by the respective court clerks or administrative offices for justice court and municipal court proceedings.
A docket entry is a chronological log of actions taken in a case, while a full case file contains the actual documents filed by parties and issued by the court. These are distinct: a docket may be available when the underlying documents are not, particularly in older or partially digitized records.
Civil court records document disputes between private parties or between a party and a government entity, including contract claims, property disputes, and tort actions. Criminal court records document the prosecution of individuals charged with violations of state law, from initial charging instruments through final disposition.
Filed pleadings are the documents submitted by parties to initiate or respond to litigation. Final judgments are the court's conclusive rulings resolving the matter. Both are part of the official record, though their accessibility may differ based on case type and any applicable sealing orders.
Public filings are those available for inspection by any member of the public. Sealed or restricted filings are those the court has ordered withheld from public view, either by statute or judicial discretion.
Trial court records originate in the circuit, chancery, justice, or municipal courts. Appellate records are maintained by the Mississippi Court of Appeals or the Mississippi Supreme Court and consist of the trial court record transmitted on appeal, along with appellate briefs and orders.
Court records are created at the moment of filing and updated continuously as the case progresses through hearings, motions, orders, and final disposition. The Mississippi Administrative Office of Courts oversees statewide recordkeeping standards and judicial administration.
What's Included in a Union County Court Record?
A court record in Union County may contain a range of documents and data entries depending on the case type, court level, and applicable public-access rules. The following categories of information may appear within a court record:
- Case identification information: case number, court name and division, filing date, and case type
- Party information: names of plaintiffs, defendants, petitioners, respondents, and other named parties
- Case status: open, closed, pending appeal, or otherwise disposed
- Docket entries: a chronological log of all filings, hearings, and court actions
- Hearing dates and continuances: scheduled and rescheduled court appearances
- Filed documents: complaints, petitions, answers, motions, responses, notices, affidavits, and supporting exhibits where not restricted
- Court-issued documents: orders, judgments, decrees, minute entries, writs, and warrants
- Outcome information: dismissals, verdicts, guilty pleas, convictions, sentencing entries, custody rulings, probate orders, and appellate decisions
- Financial and administrative data: filing fees, assessed court costs, fines, restitution amounts, and bond information where publicly shown
The following categories are commonly excluded or restricted from public access:
- Sealed filings pursuant to court order
- Expunged criminal records
- Juvenile case files protected under state statute
- Adoption records
- Protected personal identifiers subject to redaction
- Certain exhibits containing sensitive personal or financial data
- Mental health and commitment records
Types of Courts in Union County
Union County is served by several courts operating within Mississippi's unified judicial system. The Mississippi judiciary organizes trial courts into courts of general and limited jurisdiction.
Circuit Court is the court of general jurisdiction for Union County, handling felony criminal prosecutions, major civil matters, and appeals from lower courts. The Union County Circuit Court is part of the Third Circuit Court District.
Chancery Court handles equity matters, including domestic relations, divorce, child custody, adoption, guardianship, wills, estates, and real property disputes. The Union County Chancery Court shares jurisdiction within the Third Chancery Court District.
Justice Court is a court of limited jurisdiction handling misdemeanor criminal matters, civil claims up to $3,500, and traffic violations. Justice court records are maintained by the justice court clerk.
Municipal Court operates within the City of New Albany and handles municipal ordinance violations and certain misdemeanor matters within city limits.
Youth Court handles matters involving juveniles, including delinquency, abuse, neglect, and dependency cases. Youth court records are confidential under Miss. Code Ann. § 43-21-261.
What Types of Cases Do Union County Courts Hear
- Circuit Court: felony criminal cases, civil matters exceeding justice court jurisdiction, and appeals
- Chancery Court: divorce, custody, adoption, guardianship, probate, and equity matters
- Justice Court: misdemeanors, traffic offenses, and small civil claims
- Municipal Court: city ordinance violations and minor criminal matters
- Youth Court: juvenile delinquency, abuse, neglect, and dependency
Union County Chancery Clerk
109 Main Street
New Albany, MS 38652
Phone: (662) 534-1900
Union County Chancery Clerk
How to Search Union County Court Records for Free?
Members of the public may search Union County court records at no cost through several methods. In-person inspection at the Circuit Clerk's or Chancery Clerk's office is available during regular business hours without charge. Public access terminals located within the courthouse allow case index searches at no cost.
The Mississippi Administrative Office of Courts provides online access to certain case information through the state's judicial portal. Basic case index searches through this system are available without a fee, though document retrieval or certified copies carry associated costs.
Typical fee structure for court record services:
| Service | Typical Cost |
|---|---|
| In-person record inspection | No charge |
| Public terminal case search | No charge |
| Photocopies of court documents | $0.50–$1.00 per page |
| Certified copies of court records | $1.00–$2.00 per page plus certification fee |
| Electronic document access (MEC) | Varies by registration type |
Fees for copies and certified documents are governed by Miss. Code Ann. § 25-7-9, which establishes the schedule of fees applicable to clerks of court in Mississippi. Requesters seeking certified copies for legal purposes should confirm current fee amounts directly with the clerk's office, as fee schedules are subject to legislative revision.
How Long Does Union County Keep Court Records?
Court record retention in Union County is governed by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History's records retention schedules and applicable judicial administrative orders. Retention periods vary by case type, court level, and the nature of the record.
Under the Mississippi Department of Archives and History records management program, the following retention principles apply to court records:
- Felony criminal case files are retained permanently or for extended periods given the severity of the underlying matters.
- Civil case files are retained for varying periods depending on the nature of the judgment, with records involving real property or significant monetary judgments often retained permanently.
- Misdemeanor and traffic records may be retained for shorter periods, subject to applicable schedules.
- Probate records including wills, estate inventories, and guardianship files are retained permanently due to their ongoing legal significance.
- Docket books and minute records are retained permanently as the official record of court proceedings.
- Judgment records are retained permanently to preserve the enforceability of court-ordered obligations.
Paper files may be destroyed after imaging, microfilming, or transfer to archival storage, provided the retention schedule authorizes destruction and the record has been preserved in an approved alternative format. Destruction of a record is distinct from sealing or expungement: a sealed record continues to exist but is withheld from public access, while an expunged record is removed from public availability pursuant to court order. Older records may exist in paper files, microfilm, county archives, or the Mississippi Department of Archives and History's holdings.
How To Find a Court Docket in Union County
A court docket is the official chronological log of all actions taken in a case, maintained by the clerk of court. It differs from a full case file in that it records what happened and when, rather than containing the actual documents filed. A docket entry may note that a motion was filed without including the motion's text, while the full case file contains the motion itself.
In Union County, court dockets may be accessed through the following channels:
- Clerk's office in person: The Circuit Clerk and Chancery Clerk maintain docket books and case indexes accessible to the public during business hours. Staff can retrieve docket information by case number or party name.
- Courthouse public terminals: Terminals within the courthouse provide docket search capability for indexed cases without charge.
- Mississippi Electronic Courts (MEC): The Mississippi Electronic Courts system provides electronic docket access for cases filed in participating courts. Registered users may search docket entries, view hearing dates, and track case status.
- Mississippi Supreme Court and Court of Appeals: Appellate dockets are available through the Mississippi Supreme Court's online portal for cases on appeal.
To locate a docket through an online portal, a requester should have the case number, the full name of a party, or the approximate filing date. Searches by party name may return multiple results requiring further filtering by case type or filing year.
A court docket entry may contain hearing dates, continuances, motion filings, minute entries, order entries, and status updates. A docket does not include full document images unless the system provides document-level access, and sealed entries, confidential attachments, and restricted filings do not appear in public docket views. Motion calendars and daily hearing rosters may be separately available through the clerk's office or posted at the courthouse. As the Mississippi Administrative Office of Courts notes in its judicial administration guidance, electronic docket access is subject to the same confidentiality rules that govern physical record inspection.