Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 24, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Hancock County, Mississippi, has about 46,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Hancock County Circuit Court and the Justice Court and County Court, and the file of each case, kept by the Circuit Clerk for criminal and civil cases and the Chancery Clerk for divorces, estates and land records, is the public record of it. This guide says which court hears what, where to look a case up and who keeps the files.
This guide covers the courts, the records page, criminal cases, kinds of files, directory links, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Hancock County public records, Hancock County arrest records, Hancock County warrants, Hancock County inmate search, Hancock County criminal records, Mississippi arrest records and Mississippi inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Hancock County
Court cases from Hancock County are filed in the Hancock County Circuit Court, which hears felonies and the larger civil cases.
Below it, the Justice Court and County Court take misdemeanors, traffic cases and small claims in the Justice Court; the County Court, where the county has one, takes eminent domain, juvenile and mid-sized civil cases.
A city with a municipal court of its own tries the tickets written under its ordinances.
Divorces go to the Chancery Court, and the file stays with the Chancery Clerk.
The Circuit Clerk for criminal and civil cases and the Chancery Clerk for divorces, estates and land records keep the files, and a copy of anything in a file comes from that office, under the court's own rules rather than the Mississippi Public Records Act.
Looking Up a Case from Hancock County
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at hancockcounty.ms.gov/214/Circuit-Clerk (page title: Circuit Clerk | Hancock County, MS), phone 228-467-5265, 152 Main Street Suite B Bay Saint Louis, MS 39520, Monday through Friday 8 am to 5 pm, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 2, 2026.
Mississippi has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
The Mississippi court page SearchSystems verified is at courts.ms.gov.
What Reaches the Court from Hancock County
Together, the three agencies in Hancock County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,593 arrests to the FBI that year; the District Attorney decides which of those arrests become cases in the Hancock County Circuit Court or the Justice Court and County Court.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at hancockcounty.ms.gov/m/directory/department?did=40 (page title: Staff Directory, District Attorney), phone 228-467-6631, 152 Main Street Suite D Saint Louis, MS 39520, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 2, 2026.
The Kinds of Court Files
The court file is one record with several readers: a criminal case from the arrest to the sentence, a divorce from the petition to the judgment, a traffic ticket from the citation to the conviction the court reports to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety Driver Service Bureau, and an eviction or a lien on land.
The other Hancock County guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Hancock County criminal records, Hancock County divorce records, Hancock County traffic tickets, Hancock County DUI and Hancock County property records.
More Official Court Pages for Hancock County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Hancock County and Mississippi. These court pages from its Hancock County listing were opened again on October 2, 2026 and each one still answers:
- Chancery Courts (courts.ms.gov)
Cities in Hancock County
Wherever in the county a case arises, it is filed in the Hancock County Circuit Court or the Justice Court and County Court; tickets under a city's own ordinances go to its municipal court where it has one.
SearchSystems has a guide to the offices of these cities in Hancock County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population; a city with its own court records guide opens there:
- Diamondhead (9,391)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Hancock County?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at hancockcounty.ms.gov/214/Circuit-Clerk, phone 228-467-5265.
Which court hears felonies in Hancock County?
The Hancock County Circuit Court, which hears felonies and the larger civil cases. The Justice Court and County Court take misdemeanors, traffic cases and small claims in the Justice Court; the County Court, where the county has one, takes eminent domain, juvenile and mid-sized civil cases.
Who keeps the court records in Hancock County?
The Circuit Clerk for criminal and civil cases and the Chancery Clerk for divorces, estates and land records. Copies come from that office under the court's own rules.
Is there a statewide court case search in Mississippi?
No. Each court's records are looked up through that court.
Is this the official Hancock County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.