Grenada County Court Case Lookup

How to Search Grenada County Court Records

Most Grenada County Court records start in Mississippi Electronic Courts, known as MEC. The public side is called PAMEC. Both Circuit and Chancery cases route through this system. Chancery filings have been electronic since 2013. Circuit filings joined in late 2020. Older paper files may not appear online at all, so the clerk counter still matters.

Before a search, gather what you know. A full party name helps. A case number helps more. You also need to know the court type, because Mississippi divides cases by subject. The county does not run a separate free case portal, so the state system and the clerk are the main paths.

The lead-in step on the court overview comes from the MEC landing page, which links each court and login.

The MEC page is the entry point for remote viewing once a public account is set up. Without an account, a call or visit to the clerk is the practical fallback.

1. Identify the court first. Felonies and big civil suits go to Circuit Court. Divorce, custody, wills, and land go to Chancery Court. City tickets go to Municipal Court.
2. Open the MEC page and pick the matching court login if the case is Circuit or Chancery and likely modern.
3. Log in through PAMEC with a public-access account, or use a courthouse terminal if you do not subscribe.
4. Enter the party name or case number, then narrow by court and date range.
5. Review the docket entries, and request a certified copy from the clerk when a sealed or official copy is needed.

The public pages do not expose the full post-login search form. The fields visible before login are limited to court selection and the account credentials.

Note: Remote viewing through PAMEC is subscriber based and is not the same as a free anonymous statewide case search.

The Grenada County Judicial System

Mississippi trial courts are split by subject, not merged into one county court. Grenada County does not have its own separate County Court judge in the records located. Instead, four trial courts carry the load. Circuit Court is the law-side court for felonies, civil lawsuits, and appeals from lower courts. Chancery Court is the equity and family court for divorce, custody, probate, guardianship, and land title. Justice Court handles small claims and lower county matters. Municipal Court handles city tickets and ordinance cases.

Grenada County sits in Mississippi's Fifth Circuit Court District, which also covers Attala, Carroll, Choctaw, Montgomery, Webster, and Winston counties. For Chancery, the county falls in the Third Chancery District. The Mississippi Judiciary explains each court level on its state court site.

The state's own court overview is the best source for how these levels connect.

That homepage links the appellate courts, the trial courts, and the MEC system in one place, which mirrors the path a Grenada case can travel.

Case flow: Justice Court › Municipal Court › Circuit Court › Court of Appeals › Supreme Court of Mississippi

Grenada County Courthouses and Offices

Court functions cluster around Green Street in downtown Grenada. The county's physical address is 59 Green Street, and the Circuit Court and Circuit Clerk share that building in Suite 8. The Chancery Clerk works from the same county cluster, with a street suite and a mailing box. The City of Grenada Municipal Court sits a short walk north on Green Street. This split means one address does not cover every record.

The county directory that lists these offices comes from the Mississippi Association of Supervisors, which names the courthouse address and the elected officials.

That directory confirms Johnny Hayward as Chancery Clerk and Michele Redditt Garcia as Circuit Clerk, which tells a reader which counter to call.

Circuit Clerk and Chancery Clerk Records

Mississippi uses a split clerk structure, and Grenada County is no exception. The two record offices are the Circuit Clerk and the Chancery Clerk. They do not hold the same files. The Circuit Clerk keeps Circuit Court case files, criminal and civil filings, jury duties, and marriage-license processing. The Chancery Clerk keeps Chancery Court files, land records, estates, guardianships, and Board of Supervisors records. Calling the wrong office wastes a trip.

Circuit Clerk Michele Redditt Garcia works from 59 Green Street, Suite 8, phone 662-226-1941, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Circuit Court MEC go-live date was November 23, 2020. The Fifth Circuit court information page from Mississippi Electronic Courts lists that address, phone, and date.

That page is the cleanest official listing for the Circuit Court's hours and electronic go-live, which helps date what may be online.

Chancery Clerk Johnny L. Hayward works from the same county cluster, mailing P.O. Box 1208, Grenada, MS 38902-1208, phone 662-226-1821, fax 662-227-2860. Grenada Chancery e-filing became mandatory on March 18, 2013, so Chancery electronic records can reach farther back than Circuit ones. The table below compares the trial courts a reader is likely to face.

Note: The Circuit Clerk handles marriage-license issuance, while the Chancery Clerk handles the divorce case file, so vital-record requests can split between two offices.

Types of Court Records in Grenada County

Grenada County court records cover a wide span of case types. Each type lands with the court that hears it. Criminal felony files sit in Circuit Court. Family and probate files sit in Chancery Court. City tickets sit in Municipal Court. Knowing the category points a reader straight to the right clerk and the right access channel.

The Mississippi Judiciary's trial court overview describes which court produces which record, drawn from its trial courts page.

That summary lines up the Circuit, Chancery, Justice, and Municipal roles, which match how Grenada County sorts its files.

• Criminal records - Circuit Court felony files with indictments, pleas, verdicts, and sentencing.
• Civil records - complaints, answers, motions, judgments, and jury verdicts in Circuit Court.
• Family and divorce records - Chancery Court files for divorce, custody, support, and paternity.
• Probate records - Chancery Court wills, estates, guardianships, and conservatorships.
• Traffic records - city tickets and ordinance cases through Municipal Court.

What Grenada County Court Records Show

A court file is built from many fields. Some are plain, like the case number and filing date. Others carry the heart of the case, like the charge and the final disposition. The exact case-number format does not show without a PAMEC login, and older clerk files may use legacy numbers. Sensitive fields, such as Social Security numbers and minor names, are redacted.

Docket entries trace the case step by step. They list the complaint, the motions, the hearings, and the final order. Financial fields cover fines, bond, restitution, and any payment plan. For modern Circuit and Chancery cases, document PDFs may be viewable through PAMEC for subscribers, while a courthouse terminal stays the fallback.

City of Grenada Municipal Court Tickets

City tickets do not belong in Circuit MEC. The City of Grenada Municipal Court handles city traffic, ordinance, and misdemeanor matters at 26 North Green Street, phone 662-227-3430, fax 662-227-3401. The court sits every Tuesday at 8:00 a.m., except the fifth Tuesday of a month. The administrative office keeps weekday hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The city contact listed for the court is Marilyn McKinley.

The court's own page warns that not every ticket can simply be paid. Some traffic and misdemeanor violations require a mandatory court appearance, even when the ticket looks like a standard fine. Confirming this before the court date avoids a missed appearance and a possible bench warrant.

The Mississippi Access to Justice Commission lists the Grenada County Courthouse among its partner entries, shown on its courthouse partner page.

That entry points to the downtown courthouse where these city and county matters are heard.

Payment methods are listed plainly. The court accepts cash, money orders, cashier's checks, and personal checks from Mississippi residents only. It also mentions voluntary payroll deduction and garnishment as compliance options. Out-of-state personal checks are not accepted.

Public Access Laws for Grenada County Court Records

Mississippi treats most court records as public unless a law restricts them. The practical rule for Grenada County is to find the office that created the record, then use that office's channel. Court records flow through MEC or the clerk. Police and jail records are law-enforcement records and may need an agency request. The Mississippi Access to Justice Commission outlines the state and federal court types on its courts in Mississippi page.

That overview helps a reader see where a Grenada case fits before filing an access request.

Records That Are Restricted or Confidential

Not every file is open. Some Grenada County court records are sealed by statute or by court order. Youth-court records involving children are generally closed. Adoption files are confidential. Mental-health treatment records are protected. Expunged cases should be removed from public access in the way the order directs, though a sealed shell may still exist in the system.

The Mississippi Judiciary's broader court overview explains how these levels and protections work, shown on its about the courts page.

That page frames how state law balances open access against privacy for sensitive cases.

To clear an eligible record, a person usually files a written petition in the court that handled the case. The petition names the arrest, charge, case number, date, agency, and statutory basis. Nonconviction records, dismissals, and some first-offender convictions may qualify under section 99-19-71 and related law. Conviction expunction is limited, and traffic offenses are often treated apart. A judge may require notice to the prosecutor before granting an order. Eligibility should be confirmed with the clerk or an attorney, not assumed.

Specialty Courts in Grenada County

Grenada County takes part in the Fifth Circuit intervention court program. Mississippi defines an intervention court as a problem-solving court for drug-using offenders, built on supervision and treatment rather than punishment alone. The Fifth Circuit Drug Court helped complete statewide drug-court coverage in 2013. Its district covers seven counties, including Grenada.

The 2025 intervention court contact list names the Fifth Judicial Circuit program, with coordinator Joseph Loper at 22 E. Quinn Street, P.O. Box 250, Ackerman, MS 39735. The Mississippi Judiciary describes the supervision model on its intervention courts page. Eligibility is set by the charge, the prosecutor, the judge, and a risk assessment.

Research also pointed to a Third Chancery youth or family intervention reporting structure with Grenada as a lead county. Details were not confirmed in accessible text, so the program is best described as district-level. Participation can appear in a criminal docket as a referral, a status hearing, or a graduation, while treatment details may stay private.

Grenada County Sheriff and Jail

The Grenada County Sheriff is David Garrett Hartley. No official county jail roster page was located during research, so custody questions route through dispatch. The Grenada E911 Communications Center is the sole Public Safety Answering Point for the area. Sheriff dispatch is 662-226-2721, and Grenada Police dispatch is 662-226-1211. The center handles six 911 lines and five non-emergency lines, dispatching the sheriff, city police, fire, and ambulance services. It reports about 6,000 calls a month and more than 2,200 calls for service.

A county arrest does not create a court record on its own. The court file follows only after charges are filed in Municipal, Justice, or Circuit Court. For sentenced state inmates, the Mississippi Department of Corrections runs a separate statewide search, which is not a county jail roster. A recent arrest in Grenada may not appear there.

For custody status and charges, the Grenada County inmate records page lists the fallback channels, and the warrant records page covers active warrant routing. Booking sheets and incident reports can be sought through a public-records request to the agency that created them.

Marriage, Divorce, and Probate Records

Vital and probate matters split across offices in Grenada County. Marriage licenses issue through the Circuit Clerk. Statewide marriage copies come from the Mississippi State Department of Health. Divorce and probate files are Chancery Court records held by the Chancery Clerk. The marriage and divorce records page and the probate records page walk through each request. Probate covers wills, estates, guardianships, and conservatorships, all heard in Chancery Court.

Testator

A person who makes a valid will directing how their estate passes after death.

Executor

The person named in a will to manage and settle the estate under court oversight.

Conservator

A person the Chancery Court appoints to manage the affairs of an adult who cannot manage their own.

Guardianship

A court arrangement giving one person legal care over a minor or an incapacitated person.

Intestate

Dying without a valid will, so state law decides how the estate is divided.

Grenada County Court Records Fees

Fees vary by office and by record. Several local copy fees were not published in official Grenada sources, so those should be confirmed by phone before any payment is sent. The state-level fees below come from the agencies that publish them. MEC viewing fees reported in recent news should be verified on the PAMEC registration page before being relied on.

Note: The MSDH marriage fee covers a search plus one certified copy, and the search fee applies even when no record is found.

Federal Court for Grenada County

Federal cases do not file at the county courthouse. Grenada County falls in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, Greenville Division. The split follows 28 U.S.C. 104 and the district's official county map. Federal matters include federal crimes, civil rights suits, federal-question civil cases, and Social Security appeals. These are searched through PACER and CM/ECF, not through MEC or PAMEC.

The Northern District keeps courthouses in Aberdeen, Greenville, and Oxford. Appeals from the district go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Bankruptcy is also federal and filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District, not at Grenada County Chancery Court, even though both can involve debts and property.

History of Grenada County Courts

Grenada County was founded in 1870, with Grenada as the county seat. The name traces to Granada, Spain. The county bridges north-central Mississippi and the edge of the Delta, and downtown Grenada grew into the legal and administrative center. County government still sits at 59 Green Street, which keeps the courthouse area downtown.

The court technology history is strong for a small county. Grenada Chancery Court became a mandatory e-filing court in March 2013 and moved to a paperless system of court records later that year. Grenada Circuit Court came later, with a MEC go-live date of November 23, 2020. This creates a clear before-and-after line for record users. Chancery electronic records can reach farther back than Circuit ones, and older paper files may still need clerk help.

Census figures place Grenada County among the smaller Mississippi counties by population. The Census Bureau publishes those details in its QuickFacts profile for the county.

That profile gives the local context behind a court system that now runs Circuit and Chancery filings through statewide electronic access.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I search Grenada County Court records online?

Start with Mississippi Electronic Courts, known as MEC, for Circuit and Chancery cases. The public side is PAMEC, which requires a registered account. Pick the right court first, since felonies go to Circuit Court and family or estate matters go to Chancery Court. Without an account, call or visit the clerk. The Circuit Clerk is at 662-226-1941, and the Chancery Clerk is at 662-226-1821. Courthouse terminals remain a free option for those who do not want paid remote access or who need older paper files.

Which court handles a divorce in Grenada County?

Divorce is a Chancery Court matter, not a Circuit Court one. The Chancery Court hears divorce, custody, support, and paternity. The case file is kept by the Chancery Clerk, Johnny L. Hayward, at P.O. Box 1208, Grenada, MS 38902-1208, phone 662-226-1821. Modern Chancery filings may show in PAMEC, but family files can hold restricted personal and child details. Certified copies of a final decree are requested from the Chancery Clerk. The Circuit Clerk handles the marriage license, so the two stages split between offices.

Where do I pay a Grenada city traffic ticket?

City tickets go to the City of Grenada Municipal Court at 26 North Green Street, phone 662-227-3430. The court meets every Tuesday at 8:00 a.m., except the fifth Tuesday of a month. Some tickets can be paid as a set fine, but several traffic and misdemeanor violations require a court appearance. The court accepts cash, money orders, cashier's checks, and personal checks from Mississippi residents only. Confirm whether the ticket requires an appearance before the court date to avoid a bench warrant.

Is there a free Grenada County jail roster online?

No official county jail roster page was found in this research. For custody questions, call Sheriff dispatch at 662-226-2721 through the Grenada E911 center. The Mississippi Department of Corrections runs a separate statewide search for sentenced state inmates, which is not a county jail roster. A recent county arrest may not appear there. Booking sheets and arrest reports can be sought through a public-records request to the sheriff or police. Court dates and charges appear in the court file only after charges are filed.

What is the difference between the Circuit Clerk and the Chancery Clerk?

Mississippi uses two clerks, and they hold different records. The Circuit Clerk keeps Circuit Court case files, felony and civil filings, jury duties, and marriage licenses. The Chancery Clerk keeps Chancery Court files, land and deed records, estates, guardianships, and Board of Supervisors records. In Grenada County, Michele Redditt Garcia is the Circuit Clerk and Johnny L. Hayward is the Chancery Clerk. Both work from the Green Street county cluster, but calling the right office first saves a wasted trip.

Are Grenada County court records public?

Most are public under the Mississippi Public Records Act, found in Title 25, Chapter 61. Records are open for inspection unless a specific law exempts them. Youth-court files, adoption files, mental-health records, and sealed or expunged cases are restricted. The safest rule is that a file is available unless it is sealed, confidential by statute, restricted by court order, or redacted for privacy. To view a sealed record, a person usually needs a court order showing good cause from the court that handled the case.

How far back do Grenada County electronic court records go?

It depends on the court. Chancery Court e-filing became mandatory in March 2013, so Chancery electronic records can reach back further. Circuit Court joined MEC on November 23, 2020, so Circuit electronic coverage is more recent. Older paper files in either court may not appear online and may require a clerk-counter search. Mississippi completed its statewide move to electronic court filing by 2025, which makes MEC and PAMEC the central modern channel for both courts in the county.