The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Page provides a comprehensive list of answers to frequently asked questions organized by department.
Yes, County Property may be reserved for use by citizens or groups. If you are interested, please complete a Facility Use Permit form and submitted to the County Administrators Office for approval.
Generally, the Board Attorney represents the County government as a whole and therefore can not represent individual officials to the extent their interests may diverge from that of the county. The Board Attorney is ethically bound to provide advice and counsel to the Board of Supervisors "as a whole" and act in the interests of the county in all official matters.
Property taxes are due by the 1st of February each year.
The state of MS requires that you buy your tag within 7 working days of the purchase date to avoid penalties.
Cash, Check, MasterCard, Visa, and Debit Cards
You can only file homestead between January 1st and April 1st each year. If the 1st of April falls on the weekend, the deadline for filing would be the preceding Friday.
If you are filing a new homestead, you must have the following information:
No, you do not need to file each year. The following are reasons that would cause you to re-file:
Information for filing over 65 exemption:
Information for filing disability exemption: Letter from Social Security stating the date you were declared 100% disabled OR two detailed letters from two different doctors stating that you are 100% disabled.
See List of Fees.
Not at this time.
Call 234-2131 for specific information.
Yes, you can write your own documents but we never recommend it. It is to your benefit to have an attorney prepare the documents for you so that they are prepared legally and properly.
Call his Court Administrator, Penny Pynkala, at 236-0232.
Call his Court Administrator, Marsha Kisner, at 236-0233.
If the ticket was received in the county, you pay it at Justice Court which is the building directly behind the Lafayette County Detention Center on Jackson Avenue. If the ticket was received in the city, you pay it at City Hall which is on the Square.
You must come to the Chancery Clerk's office to complete paperwork. The person you are committing cannot have any outstanding tickets, warrants, or fines. The charge for a mental commitment is $142.50 and the charge for an alcohol or drug commitment is $92.50 to the Chancery Clerk and $35.00 to the Sheriff. You must be able to provide the party's name, address, phone number, social security number, date of birth, medications currently taking, and medical history. The person who is committed will be held in the Lafayette County Detention Center until a bed becomes available at a treatment facility.
The grantor and grantee's name, address, and phone number are required, along with the legal description of the property to be transferred. A notary must notarize the document and affix his/her seal.
The Chancellors are not allowed to talk to individuals about their cases. The purpose of this is so there is no bias towards either party when the case is heard. Only in the courtroom after parties have been sworn in does the judge ever hear from a litigant.
It is always in the best interest of any litigant to have an attorney representing their interest. The judge or court personnel cannot give anyone legal advice. The judge must hold pro se litigants to the same standards as an attorney. And in most cases, it is to the detriment of the individual without legal representation.
If the case has been assigned to Judge Alderson, you must call his court administrator, Penny Pynkala (662) 236-0232 to get a date to present your decree.
If the case has been assigned to Judge Roberts, you must call his court administrator, Marsha Kisner (662) 236-0233 to get a date to present your decree.
See the Lafayette County Polling Locations map for a list of the available polling locations.
A citizen may register to vote by mail or by visiting the Circuit Clerk's office or the municipal clerk's office. You can also register to vote when applying or renewing your driver's license. In the event you register in a manner other than visiting the Circuit Clerk's office you should contact the Circuit Clerk's office to verify their receipt of your registration. You must be register 30 days before an election in order to be eligible to vote in that election. Once registered, a voter will receive a voter registration card identifying your voting precinct location and address, legislative district, supervisor district, chancery and circuit court districts, justice court districts, Supreme Court district, school board district, and congressional districts.
If you need to update your address for the voter registration database, you must notify the Circuit Clerk's office in writing.
Circuit Court jurors are called for criminal and civil cases. The civil cases are generally between two or more parties in dispute over money, damages due to injuries, or property. Criminal cases are brought forth in the name of the State of Mississippi on an indictment returned by the Grand Jury charging a defendant for committing an alleged crime.
When a juror is called upon to serve, they MUST CALL 662.234.4951 or 866.653.9426 after 5:00 p.m. the night before you are to report to court and each night thereafter.
Juror Qualifications
Juror Selection
Juror names are drawn at random from jury pool. This process may allow for an individual to be called more than once or not at all.
Excuses from Jury Duty
It is a citizens' obligation or duty to serve in making sure justice is done and that government "by the people" is served. For that reason, only legal excuses should be presented to the Court. An example of a legal excuse is as follows:
Compensation for Jury Duty
A juror is paid the nominal fee of $40 per day plus mileage at .30 cents per mile.
To obtain a marriage license both parties must appear in the Circuit Clerk's office and apply. Blood test results are required (on a medical certificate) from any authorized laboratory to do pre-marital syphilis testing and that is registered with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The information must be provided to the applicant in duplicate from the Mississippi Department of Health. Additionally, the application for marriage must be made within 30 days of having the blood test done.
Marriage Application Information Required:
NOTICE: In the event a female applicant is under the age of TWENTY-ONE (21) years, and is a resident of the State of Mississippi, the application for marriage must be made in the Circuit Clerk Office of the county of residence of the parent or legal guardian of the female applicant.
Additionally, if either applicant is under the age of TWENTY-ONE (21) years, parental consent is needed. In the event the parent does not accompany the applicant to the Circuit Clerk office when applying, the Clerk must send a notice of filing of the application via certified mail to the parents or legal guardian.
As a matter of Mississippi Law, NO marriage license may be issued unless the Male applicant is at least SEVENTEEN (17) years of age, and the Female applicant is at least FIFTEEN (15) years of age.
The waiting period for issuing the marriage license is SEVENTY-TWO (72) hours from the time and date of application to the time and date of issuance by the Circuit Clerk.
A Marriage License issued by the Circuit Clerk of Lafayette County is ONLY valid in the State of Mississippi.
Marriage License fee is $21.
The time varies based on the availability of the medical examiner and/or crime lab if toxicology reports, etc. are necessary.
Determinations on cause of death are generally based on evidence found at the scene of the death or toxicology reports
All deaths must be investigated by the Coroner
Deaths believed to be accidental or suspicious in nature, homicide, or suicide must be viewed at the scene of the death. Deaths believed to be of natural causes can be viewed by the Coroner after the body has been moved.
Yes, the body can only be moved with the permission of the Coroner.
Enhanced 911 allows E-911 operators to see the caller's name, address, and phone number.
Yes, but the request must accompany a subpoena with the exact date and time of the call that you are requesting the information on.
All structures needs a 911 address.
You should call 911 when you have any type of MEDICAL, POLICE, OR FIRE EMERGENCY, or if you see a crime in progress and can help in catching the suspect.
Stay on the line and let the operator know that you are alright. An officer will be dispatched anyway but at least they will know that it was a mistake.
If the department you reach has Phase II, they should be able to locate you.
No, but the dispatcher has to create a call for service and it will help in doing so, but the call can still be handled if you don't.
All non-emergency calls should go through the admin. lines. If you do not know the numbers 1411 can get it for you.
When a call to 911 is received from a resident the name, address and phone number will be displayed. With a cell phone call, the call back number and the cell tower address is all that shows up on the screen. If the dept. is Phase II the dispatcher should be able to get a GPS location.
The person in charge of the addressing in the area has a starting point usually the center of the area that the department serves and they go from there.
It is easier for you to be located by emergency responders.
Requests should be made to the Board of Supervisors for approval.
Any road that is not maintained by the County.
$2500
$62.50 for first defendant and $10.00 for each additional defendant
Behind the Lafayette County Detention Center
$150
Yes and they are administered by the Planning Commission
The Planning Commission meets on the fourth Monday of each month at 5:30 PM in the Lafayette County Chancery building.
Yes
Yes
Yes
The County Planner/Engineer is the Flood Insurance Administrator.
Complete Appendix 8 of the Subdivision Regulations and bring it and the $150 fee to the County Administrator's office in the Chancery building.
The right of way varies from road to road. In general, the right of way is from center line to back slopes of the ditches.
Drainage problems are addressed on a case by case basis and take into account the right of way.
Culverts are maintained & replaced as needed on the right of way.
Yes, trees are cut and removed for safety reasons.
Maintenance is done as needed while repaving is conducted in accordance with the 4 year road plan.
The Road Department begins cutting grass on the right of ways in the spring and continues through the grass growing season.
Road signs are maintained on a daily basis.
As a general rule the answer is No. In the event a drive way is approved by the Lafayette County School Board and Board of Supervisors as a school bus turnaround, the County can assist in maintaining the drive way for the benefit of the school bus.
No. You should purchase your own waste containers.
Call the Solid Waste department at 662-236-2535.
Monday Thru Friday 7:30 to 3:30
Call the Solid Waste department at 662-236-2535.
Call Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) at 601.359.7001.
Call the Solid Waste department at 662-236-2535.
Call Central Maintenance at 662-234-4197.