Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
Mississippi County
Copiah County, Mississippi
Hazlehurst - the birthplace of Robert Johnson, King of the Delta Blues - from Robert Johnson's Hazlehurst birthplace (Robert Johnson - the Delta blues guitarist whose recordings of "Cross Road Blues," "Love in Vain," and "Hellhound on My Trail" influenced every rock musician from Eric Clapton to the Rolling Stones - was born in Hazlehurst in 1911, and the legend of his selling his soul to the devil at the crossroads in exchange for his supernatural guitar ability is one of the most enduring myths in American music) to Copiah County's agricultural heritage in the southwest Mississippi piney woods and farmland.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Copiah County Emergency Management Agency – Director Randle Drane (also County Fire Coordinator and Homeland Security Director); Deputy Director/E-911 Director/Floodplain Manager Rick Stevens; confirm current phone via copiahcountyms.gov.
Sheriff: Copiah County Sheriff’s Office – 20030 Highway 51, Gallman, MS 39077 | Mailing: PO Box 547, Hazlehurst, MS 39083 | (601) 892-2023 | Fax: (601) 892-2133; Sheriff Byron Swilley; serves roughly 28,000 residents countywide.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-51 and I-55 serve Hazlehurst, the county seat, roughly 30 miles south of Jackson; Crystal Springs is the county’s largest city; Amtrak’s City of New Orleans train serves Hazlehurst with connections to Brookhaven, McComb, and New Orleans.
Notes: Copiah County was organized in 1823 as Mississippi’s 18th county – the name derives from a Choctaw word meaning “calling panther.” Roughly 27,500-28,370 residents across 777-779 square miles; the Pearl River forms the county’s eastern border, and Copiah is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area. Confederate President Jefferson Davis once delivered a speech from a Hazlehurst front yard. Hazlehurst’s earliest settlement was known as Gallatin, named for the Tennessee hometown of two lawyer brothers-in-law who arrived in 1819.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Copiah County Courthouse – 100 South Extension Street, Hazlehurst, MS 39083.
Notes: Copiah County is genuinely, remarkably the birthplace of legendary blues musician Robert Johnson, born on the outskirts of Hazlehurst (likely in the Damascus community) on May 8, 1911 – described by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as perhaps “the first ever rock star,” his body of 29 recordings from 1936-37 remains one of the most influential in American music. Johnson’s original birth home has been relocated to downtown Hazlehurst, adjacent to the Copiah County Courthouse and behind the Robert Johnson Heritage House cultural center, with authenticity confirmed via a letter from one of Johnson’s half-sisters; a Mississippi Blues Trail marker (No. 29, dedicated 2008) commemorates the site. Copiah County, alongside neighboring Crystal Springs, is historically known as the “Tomato Capital of the World,” with agriculture still centered on tomatoes and cabbage.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Copiah County Veterans Service Office – 100 Caldwell Drive, Hazlehurst, MS 39083 | (601) 894-2721 | Fax: (601) 894-3034.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via a Jackson, MS VA medical center; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Copiah-Jefferson Regional Library – Hazlehurst, MS 39083; confirm current address/phone via copiahcountyms.gov.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Robert Johnson Heritage House and relocated birth home, the annual Crystal Springs Tomato Festival, and the Mississippi Music Museum are the county’s premier and most nationally significant attractions.
Notes: The genuine Robert Johnson birthplace connection is one of the most historically significant local facts in American music history covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Copiah County Tax Assessor – confirm current contact via copiahcountyms.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Copiah Animal Shelter (Copiah County Animal Shelter, Inc.) – 27084 Highway 51, Crystal Springs, MS 39059 | (601) 954-6447 | Email: [email protected]; founded 2011, a volunteer-led, limited-intake 501(c)(3) nonprofit receiving no city or county funding; Hours: Mon-Fri 9 AM-5 PM (appointments recommended), closed weekends/holidays.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Copiah County – confirm current contact via copiahcountyms.gov.
NOTES: Copiah County is the first county in the third batch of the Mississippi v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine Robert Johnson birthplace connection is one of the most historically significant local facts in American music history covered anywhere in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Copiah County
Copiah County is the birthplace of Robert Johnson – the King of the Delta Blues was born in Hazlehurst in 1911, and his 29 recordings have influenced virtually every rock and blues musician who came after him, making this southwest Mississippi county one of the most musically significant birthplaces in American history.
Hazlehurst (the county seat, population ~3,700) celebrates its Robert Johnson heritage and serves as the hub for Copiah County’s agricultural communities between Jackson and Natchez.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Copiah County Tax Assessor at 100 Courthouse Square, Hazlehurst, MS 39083, phone 601-894-3021. MS residential assessed at 10% of true value.
Courts & Legal
Copiah County Chancery Court at 100 Courthouse Square, Hazlehurst, MS 39083, phone 601-894-3021, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CHANCERY CLERK
100 Caldwell Dr., Hazlehurst, MS 39083
(601) 894-3021
CIRCUIT CLERK
100 Caldwell Dr., Hazlehurst, MS 39083
(601) 894-3021
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Copiah County Chancery Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Copiah County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Copiah County Chancery Court 122 S. Lowe Street (mail: P.O. Box 507), Hazlehurst, MS 39083 (601) 894-4101 Copiah County is in southwestern Mississippi, seated in Hazlehurst.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Mississippi has not adopted the Uniform Probate Code and instead follows its own statutory framework under Miss. Code Ann. Title 91, Chapter 7. Mississippi’s small-estate threshold, at $75,000, is one of the lowest in the country, so most estates end up needing at least some court involvement.
Small Estate Affidavit (Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-322) – personal property only, up to $75,000 (excluding liens and encumbrances). A 30-day waiting period after death applies. The affidavit is presented directly to whoever holds the property (a bank, for instance); that party is not required to investigate the truth of the affidavit and is protected from liability once it complies.
Muniment of Title (Miss. Code Ann. § 91-5-35) – a limited proceeding to transfer real property named in a will, without full administration, when the estate’s non-real-estate assets are $75,000 or less and all debts (including taxes) have been paid. A petition is still filed with the Chancery Court to declare the will valid; the will and court order are then recorded in the land records.
Formal Administration – required for most estates with real property beyond the muniment-of-title threshold or significant liquid assets. The Chancery Judge reviews the petition, the will (if any), and supporting documents before issuing Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration appointing the personal representative.
Step 2: filing for probate
File a petition with the Chancery Court in the county where the decedent was domiciled.
The personal representative inventories assets and notifies creditors; Mississippi’s creditor claim period runs 90 days (Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-145).
Claims and disputes are adjudicated by the Chancery Court if contested.
Once debts are settled and the creditor period closes, the estate can be distributed and closed.
What it costs
Costs are the Chancery Clerk’s per-county filing fee (built on the statewide base under Miss. Code § 25-7-9), plus recording fees and publication costs.
Mississippi has no state estate tax or inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax could separately apply, and only to very large estates.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
100 Caldwell Dr., Hazlehurst, MS 39083
(601) 894-2141
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
100 Caldwell Dr., Hazlehurst, MS 39083
(601) 894-3021
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MS Dept of Health — Southwest Region
(601) 894-1386
Copiah County Medical Center
copiacountymc.com (Hazlehurst — quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Copiah County Health Department (Mississippi State Department of Health) – confirm current phone via copiahcountyms.gov.
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Hazlehurst
Population: 28,000
Area: 778 sq mi
Established: 1823
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Copiah County residents.
