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Pearl River County, MS Probate Information
Quick facts
| Topic | Pearl River County details |
|---|---|
| Court | Pearl River County Chancery Court, the Mississippi court for matters testamentary and of administration (Miss. Const. art. 6, § 159). |
| Probate filings go to | Pearl River County Chancery Clerk, 100 South Main Street, Poplarville, MS 39470. |
| Mailing address | Pearl River County Chancery Clerk, P.O. Box 431, Poplarville, MS 39470. |
| Phone | 601-403-2316. |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm. |
| Second office location | Picayune Chancery Clerk Office, 917 Goodyear Boulevard, Picayune, MS 39466. Call 601-403-2316 before relying on the Picayune office for an estate filing. |
| Filing fee | Pearl River County's schedule, effective January 1, 2020, lists $158.00 for an estate, testate or intestate, and $148.00 for muniment of title only. Miss. Code Ann. § 25-7-9, under the text effective until December 31, 2027, accounts for a $140.00 statutory floor: $85.00 clerk fee, $10.00 Comprehensive Electronic Court Systems Fund assessment, $40.00 Judicial System Operation Fund assessment, and $5.00 Civil Legal Assistance Fund assessment. Confirm the current total with the clerk before filing. |
| Attorney required | Yes for a full estate. Uniform Chancery Court Rule 6.02 requires an executor or administrator, unless licensed to practice law in Mississippi, to retain an attorney for the entire term of the fiduciary appointment. The $75,000 small estate affidavit, effective July 1, 2020, under Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-322 is presented to the property holder and can be handled without a court-appointed fiduciary or an attorney. |
| E-filing | Attorneys file through Mississippi Electronic Courts. A person without an attorney may have read-only PAMEC access, but the estate case is opened with a paper filing at the chancery clerk's counter. MEC information is at https://courts.ms.gov/mec/mec.php. |
| Case search | MEC and PAMEC are the Mississippi case access systems. Remote PAMEC access requires a registered account, and free viewing is available at the chancery clerk's office during business hours. Start at https://courts.ms.gov/mec/mec.php. |
| Local forms | Pearl River County publishes a fee table, but no local probate petition template, small estate affidavit form, or estate instruction packet. Use the Chancery Clerk Cover Sheet and the petition prepared by the attorney required under UCCR 6.02. |
| Remote appearance | Ask the Pearl River County Chancery Clerk how the chancellor handles phone or video attendance and where the 10th Chancery Court District term order is posted (Miss. Code Ann. § 9-5-3(2)). |
| Website | Chancery Clerk: https://pearlrivercounty.net/187/Chancery-Clerk. Court filing fees: https://pearlrivercounty.net/192/Court-Filing-Fees. |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything in Pearl River County, list the assets, debts, accounts, titled property, and any beneficiary designations. Estate settlement moves faster when you know whether the family needs full administration, muniment of title under Miss. Code Ann. § 91-5-35, or the $75,000 small estate affidavit, effective July 1, 2020, under Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-322.
Sunset's 2,300-institution asset discovery helps families find bank, investment, insurance, retirement, and other accounts before the Pearl River County filing decision is made. That asset picture also helps the Mississippi attorney required by UCCR 6.02 prepare the petition, fee deposit, and next estate settlement steps.
Which court handles jurisdiction
Probate for Pearl River County is filed with the Pearl River County Chancery Clerk at the Pearl River County Courthouse, 100 South Main Street, Poplarville, MS 39470. Poplarville is the county seat, and Picayune is the county's largest city near the Louisiana state line.
Pearl River County is in Mississippi's 10th Chancery Court District with Forrest, Lamar, Marion, and Perry counties. The district is how chancellors are assigned; the estate case is filed in Pearl River County, because Mississippi requires chancery court to be held in every county (Miss. Code Ann. § 9-5-3(1); Miss. Const. art. 6, § 159).
For a will, Mississippi venue is the chancery court of the county where the testator had a fixed place of residence, or where Mississippi land is located if there was no fixed place of residence (Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-1). For an intestate estate, the venue ladder differs: fixed place of residence, then land, then the county where the person died (Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-63).
The jurisdiction process
- Gather the death certificate, the original will if there is one, account information, deeds, vehicle titles, debts, and beneficiary paperwork before choosing a Pearl River County path.
- Decide whether the matter can stay out of court. The $75,000 small estate affidavit, effective July 1, 2020, applies to a probate estate of personal property that does not exceed $75,000 excluding liens and encumbrances, after 30 days, and is presented to the bank, employer, transfer agent, or other holder rather than filed with a court (Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-322).
- If there is Mississippi real property and a will, ask the attorney whether muniment of title fits. Muniment of title under Miss. Code Ann. § 91-5-35 can be used when the will devises Mississippi real property, the non-real and non-exempt Mississippi probate estate is within the Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-322 sum effective July 1, 2020, and all known debts have been paid.
- If full administration is needed, the executor or administrator must retain an attorney unless that fiduciary is licensed to practice law in Mississippi (UCCR 6.02).
- The attorney prepares the petition. A petition to probate a will attaches a copy of the will as an exhibit (UCCR 6.15), and pleadings, accounts, inventories, and reports filed by a fiduciary are personally signed and sworn by the fiduciary (UCCR 6.14).
- File the paper opening petition with the Pearl River County Chancery Clerk at 100 South Main Street in Poplarville, with the Chancery Clerk Cover Sheet and the court cost deposit required by UCCR 9.01 and Miss. Code Ann. § 25-7-9. Call 601-403-2316 before using the Picayune office for an estate filing. The original will stays with the clerk (UCCR 9.03).
- The chancery court, or the chancery clerk in vacation, meaning between terms of court, may admit the will in common form and grant letters testamentary or letters of administration, subject to approval or disapproval by the court, and the clerk's act is not final until approved by the court (Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-1; Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-63; Miss. Code Ann. § 9-5-141; Miss. Code Ann. § 9-5-147; Miss. Const. art. 6, § 159).
- If bond is required, the oath and bond are handled before authority is used (Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-41).
- The executor or administrator makes reasonably diligent efforts to identify creditors, mails notice to known creditors, files the diligent-search affidavit, and only then publishes the notice to creditors for three consecutive weeks (Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-145).
- Creditors probate and register claims with the clerk. Claims not registered within 90 days after the first publication are barred (Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-151).
- The personal representative administers assets, pays allowed claims and taxes, prepares accountings, asks for any needed orders from the chancellor, distributes what remains, and seeks a final decree of distribution and discharge as the Pearl River County estate settlement is closed.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Pearl River County
Pearl River County does not publish a local probate petition template, small estate affidavit form, or estate instruction packet on its Chancery Clerk page. The county does publish a court filing fee table, but the estate petition itself is drafted by the attorney that UCCR 6.02 requires for a full estate.
Use the Mississippi Chancery Clerk Cover Sheet with the paper filing, and confirm the current cover-sheet practice with the Pearl River County Chancery Clerk. The Uniform Chancery Court Rules supply filing requirements rather than a ready-made estate packet, including the will-copy exhibit rule (UCCR 6.15), sworn fiduciary filings (UCCR 6.14), cost deposits (UCCR 9.01), and the rule that the original will stays with the clerk (UCCR 9.03).
Fees
Pearl River County is one of the Mississippi counties that publishes an itemized chancery filing fee table. The table is effective January 1, 2020 and lists the local estate figures below.
| Filing type | Pearl River County posted total | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Estate, testate or intestate | $158.00, effective January 1, 2020 | Miss. Code Ann. § 25-7-9, under the text effective until December 31, 2027, accounts for a $140.00 statutory floor: $85.00, $10.00, $40.00, and $5.00. Pearl River County's posted $158.00 total is $18.00 above that floor. |
| Muniment of title only | $148.00, effective January 1, 2020 | Pearl River County prices this local filing $10.00 below its full estate filing, effective January 1, 2020. The muniment of title route itself comes from Miss. Code Ann. § 91-5-35, and the fee still sits against the Miss. Code Ann. § 25-7-9 floor. |
| Accounting, heirship, guardianship, conservatorship, contest of a will under Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-23, and all other chancery filings listed on the Pearl River County table | $158.00, effective January 1, 2020 | The county lists these items at the same posted total as an estate, while Miss. Code Ann. § 25-7-9 supplies the chancery filing fee floor. |
The $18.00 difference between Pearl River County's $158.00 estate total, effective January 1, 2020, and the $140.00 statutory floor under Miss. Code Ann. § 25-7-9, under the text effective until December 31, 2027, is not broken out in the county's estate row. Ask the clerk for the current total before filing, and remember that publication and service costs are separate actual charges that the clerk may demand at filing under Miss. Code Ann. § 25-7-9(4).
Local nuance
Pearl River County-specific considerations
| Local point | What it means for a Pearl River County estate |
|---|---|
| Poplarville address | Use 100 South Main Street, Poplarville, MS 39470 for the Pearl River County Chancery Clerk. The mailing address is P.O. Box 431, Poplarville, MS 39470. |
| Picayune office | The Chancery Clerk also lists a Picayune Chancery Clerk Office at 917 Goodyear Boulevard, Picayune, MS 39466. Treat it as a second office location of the same Pearl River County Chancery Clerk, and call 601-403-2316 before taking an estate filing there. |
| Itemized fee table | Pearl River County's schedule, effective January 1, 2020, lists $158.00 for an estate and $148.00 for muniment of title only. Miss. Code Ann. § 25-7-9, under the text effective until December 31, 2027, accounts for a $140.00 statutory floor, so confirm the current local total at filing. |
Recent updates
| Date | Update |
|---|---|
| January 1, 2026 | Mississippi Center for Legal Services and North Mississippi Rural Legal Services use separate intake hotlines. Pearl River County is served by Mississippi Center for Legal Services, Gulfport office, with intake at 1-800-519-2915. North Mississippi Rural Legal Services intake is 1-800-898-8731. Families can also use the directory at mslegalservices.org. |
| June 30, 2025 | Mississippi Electronic Courts completed statewide implementation across Mississippi courts. All chancery courts had already been implemented as of June 19, 2023. MEC and PAMEC information is at https://courts.ms.gov/mec/mec.php. |
| April 18, 2024 | The Uniform Chancery Court Rules were revised and amended. UCCR 6.02 remains the key rule requiring a full-estate fiduciary to retain an attorney. |
| July 1, 2020 | The small estate affidavit amount rose to $75,000, effective July 1, 2020, under Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-322, and the muniment of title procedure under Miss. Code Ann. § 91-5-35 was rewritten to cross-reference that Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-322 amount. |
| January 1, 2020 | Pearl River County's chancery fee table took effect, listing $158.00 for an estate and $148.00 for muniment of title only, while Miss. Code Ann. § 25-7-9, under the text effective until December 31, 2027, accounts for a $140.00 statutory floor. |
Page last reviewed: August 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely Pearl River County path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse with a co-owned home | Start by checking the deed and beneficiary designations. If the home passes outside the estate and the remaining probate personal property is within the $75,000 amount effective July 1, 2020, the small estate affidavit under Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-322 may let the spouse handle the remaining personal property without opening a court estate. If a will devises Mississippi real property and debts are paid, ask the attorney about muniment of title under Miss. Code Ann. § 91-5-35. | Sunset helps identify accounts, insurance, debts, and title issues so the spouse and attorney can choose the right estate settlement route before paying a filing fee under Miss. Code Ann. § 25-7-9. |
| Out-of-state adult child with a small estate | If 30 days have passed and the entire probate estate is personal property within the $75,000 amount effective July 1, 2020, excluding liens and encumbrances, the child may use the Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-322 affidavit by presenting it to the holder. If letters testamentary or letters of administration are needed, the child must retain a Mississippi attorney under UCCR 6.02, and the filing is made with the Pearl River County Chancery Clerk. | Sunset finds likely institutions, prepares an organized estate settlement packet, and helps the child avoid an unnecessary trip if the affidavit route fits. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | The small estate affidavit under Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-322 does not transfer the home. If there is a will, all known debts are paid, and the non-real and non-exempt Mississippi probate estate is within the Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-322 amount effective July 1, 2020, the attorney may consider muniment of title under Miss. Code Ann. § 91-5-35. Otherwise, full administration is filed in Pearl River County, and the fiduciary must retain an attorney under UCCR 6.02. The chancellor fixes fiduciary compensation and attorney fees (Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-299), and fees may not be based on the value of real property (UCCR 6.12(B); Miss. Const. art. 6, § 159). | Sunset organizes asset and debt information, generates documents for attorney review, and connects the parent with a local probate attorney for the required Mississippi court process. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | How it helps in Pearl River County |
|---|---|
| Pearl River County Chancery Clerk | Call 601-403-2316 for filing logistics, current fees, the Poplarville counter, and whether the Picayune office can accept an estate filing. The office page is https://pearlrivercounty.net/187/Chancery-Clerk. |
| Pearl River County court filing fees | The county fee table lists $158.00 for an estate and $148.00 for muniment of title only, effective January 1, 2020. Compare those local totals with Miss. Code Ann. § 25-7-9, under the text effective until December 31, 2027. |
| Mississippi Center for Legal Services, Gulfport office | Pearl River County is served by the Gulfport office. Intake is 1-800-519-2915. Check eligibility through mslegalservices.org, and understand that the program may not take estate-administration matters. |
| mslegalservices.org | The public legal-information site maintained by Mississippi's civil legal services providers includes topic information, online legal forms, and a directory by service area. |
| Mississippi Judiciary Chancery Court page | Use the Judiciary's Chancery Court page for the chancery court structure, district information, and the Chancery Clerk Cover Sheet link. Pearl River County's chancery court role comes from Miss. Const. art. 6, § 159. |
| Uniform Chancery Court Rules | The rules explain Mississippi fiduciary practice, including the attorney requirement in UCCR 6.02, sworn fiduciary filings in UCCR 6.14, and will petition exhibit requirements in UCCR 6.15. |
| MEC and PAMEC | MEC is the attorney e-filing system, and PAMEC is the read-only public access system. Remote access requires a registered account, while free viewing is available at the chancery clerk's office during business hours. Start at https://courts.ms.gov/mec/mec.php. |
When to hire an attorney
For a full estate in Pearl River County, Uniform Chancery Court Rule 6.02(A) requires every fiduciary, unless licensed to practice law in Mississippi, to retain an attorney or firm of attorneys for the entire term of the appointment, and the chancellor fixes the attorney's fee (Miss. Const. art. 6, § 159). The practical exception is not a court workaround: the $75,000 small estate affidavit, effective July 1, 2020, under Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-322 is presented to the holder and does not create a court-appointed fiduciary. If cost is a barrier, check Mississippi Center for Legal Services through mslegalservices.org or 1-800-519-2915, while understanding it may not take an estate matter. Sunset connects families to a vetted local probate attorney.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches across 2,300 institutions to help identify bank, investment, insurance, retirement, and other accounts before the Pearl River County estate settlement path is chosen.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset organizes the family information, asset list, debts, heirs, and documents so the Mississippi attorney required under UCCR 6.02 can prepare the Pearl River County chancery filing more efficiently.
Find a local probate attorney. Mississippi requires a full-estate fiduciary to retain an attorney unless the fiduciary is a Mississippi-licensed lawyer. Sunset connects families with a vetted local probate attorney for Pearl River County filings.
Sunset is free for families. Families can use Sunset's estate settlement tools at no cost, including asset discovery, document organization, and attorney matching for Mississippi probate.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file probate in Pearl River County?
File with the Pearl River County Chancery Clerk at 100 South Main Street, Poplarville, MS 39470. Mississippi chancery courts handle matters testamentary and of administration (Miss. Const. art. 6, § 159), and Pearl River County venue follows Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-1 for a will and Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-63 for an intestate estate.
Can I file a Pearl River County estate at the Picayune office?
Pearl River County lists a Picayune Chancery Clerk Office at 917 Goodyear Boulevard, Picayune, MS 39466. Call 601-403-2316 before taking an estate filing there, because the county page does not state which estate filings the Picayune location accepts.
How much is the Pearl River County filing fee for an estate?
Pearl River County's fee table, effective January 1, 2020, lists $158.00 for an estate and $148.00 for muniment of title only. Miss. Code Ann. § 25-7-9, under the text effective until December 31, 2027, accounts for a $140.00 statutory floor made up of $85.00, $10.00, $40.00, and $5.00 components, so confirm the current total with the clerk.
Does Pearl River County have local probate forms?
Pearl River County publishes a fee table but no local estate petition packet or small estate affidavit form. Use the Chancery Clerk Cover Sheet and the petition prepared by the attorney required for a full estate under UCCR 6.02.
Do I need an attorney for probate in Pearl River County?
For a full estate, yes. UCCR 6.02 requires the executor or administrator, as fiduciary, to retain an attorney unless that person is licensed to practice law in Mississippi. The $75,000 small estate affidavit, effective July 1, 2020, under Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-322 is different because it is presented to the holder and does not create a court-appointed fiduciary.
Can an attorney e-file a Pearl River County estate?
Attorneys file through MEC after the estate is opened, but MEC procedures require the case to begin with a conventional paper filing at the chancery clerk's counter. PAMEC is read-only public access for registered users. Start at https://courts.ms.gov/mec/mec.php.
Can I look up a Pearl River County estate case online?
MEC and PAMEC provide Mississippi case access through https://courts.ms.gov/mec/mec.php. Remote PAMEC access requires registration and fees may apply. Free viewing is available at the Pearl River County Chancery Clerk's office during regular business hours.
Can I attend a Pearl River County probate hearing by phone or video?
Ask the Pearl River County Chancery Clerk how the assigned chancellor handles phone or video attendance. Mississippi law requires term orders for multi-county chancery districts to be posted in the chancery clerk's office (Miss. Code Ann. § 9-5-3(2); Miss. Const. art. 6, § 159).
What happens after letters are granted in Pearl River County?
The executor or administrator administers the estate under court supervision. The chancery court or the chancery clerk in vacation may grant letters testamentary or letters of administration, but the clerk's act is subject to court approval and is not final until approved by the court (Miss. Code Ann. § 9-5-141; Miss. Code Ann. § 9-5-147). The fiduciary then gives creditor notice under Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-145, and claims not registered within 90 days after first publication are barred under Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-151.
Shaped by the families we've helped
Thank you to the thousands of families who have trusted Sunset to help settle their loved ones' estates. This page is shaped by the questions they actually asked and the obstacles they actually hit — and that hard-won experience is what keeps it accurate, current, and genuinely useful to the families who come next.