About the Grenada County Chancery Clerk
Johnny L. Hayward serves as the Grenada County Chancery Clerk and Comptroller. The office works from the county courthouse cluster on Green Street in downtown Grenada. Mississippi chancery clerks are elected county officers. They keep the record of the Chancery Court, manage county land records, and handle county financial duties as comptroller.
Grenada County runs a split clerk model. The Chancery Clerk holds equity, family, land, and probate files. A separate Grenada County Circuit Clerk keeps felony and civil Circuit Court records and issues marriage licenses. Each office covers only its own records, so a deed, a will, or a divorce belongs here, while a felony file or a money-judgment lawsuit belongs with the Circuit Clerk.
Grenada County Chancery Clerk
Clerk: Johnny L. Hayward
Street: 59 Green Street, Suite 1
Mailing: P.O. Box 1208
Grenada, MS 38902-1208
662-226-1821
Fax: 662-227-2860
What the Grenada County Chancery Clerk Handles
The Chancery Clerk keeps the record for cases that belong to Chancery Court. That court hears equity and family matters. It also serves as the county's land-records office and the keeper of Board of Supervisors minutes. The clerk files documents, indexes land instruments, maintains the docket, and certifies copies.
- Chancery Court case files for equity and family matters.
- Land and title records, including deeds and mortgages.
- Probate and estate files, wills, and administrations.
- Guardianship and conservatorship records.
- Board of Supervisors minutes and county comptroller records.
Divorce and domestic files also sit with the Chancery Clerk because Mississippi assigns divorce, custody, and adoption to Chancery Court. Felony and civil Circuit Court cases, marriage licenses, and city traffic tickets do not belong here. Those route to the Circuit Clerk or the Grenada Municipal Court.
Note: the Chancery Clerk records and indexes documents, so the staff cannot give legal advice or interpret a deed or a will for you.
Land, Probate, and Family Records in Grenada County
Land records are a core Chancery Clerk function. The office indexes deeds, mortgages, liens, and releases so that title can be traced over time. Title examiners, lenders, and buyers rely on this index. The clerk certifies copies of recorded instruments on request.
Probate runs through Chancery Court as well. When a person dies, the estate opens here, and the file holds the will, the inventory, creditor claims, and the order closing the estate. Guardianship and conservatorship cases protect minors and adults who cannot manage their own affairs, and those files also live with this clerk.
Family files round out the office. Divorce, custody, and adoption matters are equity cases under Mississippi law. Some family records carry strong confidentiality protections, especially adoption and matters involving children, so the public may not see every document even when a case shell exists. The clerk explains what is open and what needs a court order.
Note: probate and family files often contain sealed or restricted material, so call the Chancery Clerk before assuming a document is open to the public.
Grenada County Chancery Clerk Records in MEC
Grenada County Chancery Court moved into electronic filing early. Mississippi Judiciary announced that e-filing became mandatory in Grenada County Chancery Court on March 18, 2013, and a later order made the court a paperless system that fall. That makes Chancery electronic records reach back farther than Circuit electronic records in this county.
Newer Chancery filings are indexed in Mississippi Electronic Courts, known as MEC. Public remote viewing runs through Public Access MEC, called PAMEC, which is subscriber based. Pre-2013 files, sealed family matters, probate exhibits, and older land or probate materials may still need direct clerk contact or a courthouse visit.
Statewide reporting described public document viewing at roughly twenty cents per page plus an annual registration fee of about ten dollars. Those figures come from news coverage, not an official Grenada fee sheet, so verify the current numbers via PAMEC registration before you rely on them. The Chancery Clerk can confirm whether a specific file is available online or counter-only.
How to Request a Chancery Record or Certified Copy
A certified copy is an official document the clerk stamps and signs to prove it matches the recorded file. People need certified deeds, wills, divorce decrees, and orders for closings, banks, courts, and personal records. The steps below outline a typical Chancery Clerk request.
- Identify the record. Have the names, the case or instrument type, and an approximate date or book and page if you know it.
- Name the office. State that you want a Chancery Court file, a land record, or a probate document from the Chancery Clerk.
- Ask about the fee. Local copy and certification charges were not posted online for Grenada, so call the Chancery Clerk to confirm the amount before you pay.
- Submit the request. Provide it in person or by mail to P.O. Box 1208 with the correct payment and a return address.
- Collect the copy. Pick it up at the counter or wait for it to arrive by mail once the clerk processes the order.
Grenada County Chancery Clerk Request Form Fields
No standard online public-records form was located for the Grenada County Chancery Clerk. Under the Mississippi Public Records Act, a written request should identify the record, the office that holds it, the names or case number, a date range, and the copy format you want. The table lists the fields a clear written request should carry.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Record or office named | Yes | State that you want a Chancery, land, or probate record from the Chancery Clerk. |
| Party names | Yes | List the people, estate, or businesses tied to the file. |
| Case number or instrument | If known | A case number, or a deed book and page, speeds the search. |
| Date range | Helpful | Recording year or approximate dates narrow older land files. |
| Copy or certification format | Yes | Say whether you need a plain copy or a certified copy. |
Grenada County Chancery Record Terms
Chancery files use words that confuse first-time searchers. A short glossary helps a reader name the record correctly when calling the clerk. The terms below appear often in Grenada County Chancery Court and land records.
- Deed
- A recorded instrument that transfers ownership of land, indexed by grantor and grantee names.
- Probate
- The court process that proves a will and settles a deceased person's estate and debts.
- Letters of administration
- The order that names a person to manage an estate when there is no will.
- Conservatorship
- A case that appoints someone to manage the affairs of an adult who cannot do so.
- Lis pendens
- A recorded notice that a lawsuit may affect the title to a parcel of land.
Knowing the right term lets the Chancery Clerk find a file faster. A request for a deed by book and page moves quicker than a vague question about old property papers.
Board of Supervisors and County Records
The Chancery Clerk does more than court files. The office serves as county comptroller and keeps the minutes of the Grenada County Board of Supervisors. Those minutes record county budget actions, contracts, road decisions, and other board business. The clerk also manages county financial records tied to the comptroller role.
For a resident, that means the same office holds both legal records and county-government records. A person researching a county contract, a board decision, or a payment may request board minutes here. The clerk can explain which records are open and how to ask for a copy under the Mississippi Public Records Act.
Grenada County Chancery Clerk Fees
Grenada did not publish an official Chancery Clerk copy, recording, or certification fee sheet in research. Rather than guess, the table flags the items to confirm directly with the office. The MEC viewing figures come from statewide news reporting and should be checked on PAMEC.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Plain copy per page | Call the Chancery Clerk to confirm |
| Certified copy | Call the Chancery Clerk to confirm |
| Recording fee | Call the Chancery Clerk to confirm |
| Probate filing fee | Call the Chancery Clerk to confirm |
| MEC document viewing | Verify via PAMEC |
Note: a quick call to the Chancery Clerk before you visit confirms the current fee, accepted payment methods, and whether mail requests need prepayment.
When to Use Each Grenada County Clerk
The two-clerk split trips up many first-time searchers. The rule is short. Equity, family, land, and probate cases go to the Chancery Clerk. Law-side cases go to the Circuit Clerk. A deed, an estate, a guardianship, or a divorce belongs here at 662-226-1821. A felony, a civil lawsuit, or a marriage license belongs with the Circuit Clerk.
Each clerk covers only its own records. The Chancery Clerk cannot pull a felony file, and the Circuit Clerk cannot certify a deed. If a case could fall either way, call the Chancery Clerk and ask for routing. For felony, civil, and marriage matters, the Grenada County Circuit Clerk office handles the request. A short call before you travel saves a trip to the wrong counter.