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Mississippi · Pine Belt · Hattiesburg · #390
Forrest County, Mississippi
Hattiesburg - the Hub City of South Mississippi and home of the University of Southern Mississippi. A Pine Belt city that serves as the commercial, educational, and medical center for a broad region of south Mississippi, with Camp Shelby providing significant military training activity and the Southern Miss Golden Eagles anchoring the community's cultural life. Property tax, courts, public records, probate, and senior services for Forrest County residents.
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Office: Forrest County Emergency Management Agency – 4080 US-11, Hattiesburg, MS 39401 | (601) 544-5911 | Email: [email protected].
Sheriff: Forrest County Sheriff’s Office – 55 Arena Drive, Hattiesburg, MS 39401 | Dispatch (601) 544-7800 | Email: [email protected]; Sheriff Charlie Sims; operates an Adult Correctional Facility, (601) 545-6148, and Juvenile Detention Center, (601) 545-6183.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-49, US-11, and I-59 serve Hattiesburg, the county seat and largest city (also extending into neighboring Lamar County), nicknamed “The Hub City” for its historic lumber and railroad importance, and principal city of the Hattiesburg Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Notes: Forrest County was created from Perry County in 1908, named for Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate general and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Roughly 78,160-79,030 residents across 466-470 square miles. Hattiesburg, founded 1882 and incorporated 1884, is named for Hattie Hardy, wife of the city’s founder; its population first expanded around the lumber and railroad industries, and the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad gave the area access to a deep-water harbor at Gulfport and made Hattiesburg a rail center.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Forrest County Courthouse – Hattiesburg, MS 39401.
Notes: Hattiesburg is a prominent university town, home to the University of Southern Mississippi (founded as Mississippi Normal College for teacher training) and William Carey University. The Mississippi Armed Forces Museum, the Hattiesburg Zoo, and the historic downtown are among the city’s notable institutions and attractions.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Forrest County Veterans Service Office – confirm current contact via forrestcountyms.us.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via a Biloxi, MS VA medical center; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current Hattiesburg public library address/phone via forrestcountyms.us.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Mississippi Armed Forces Museum, the Hattiesburg Zoo, Turtle Creek Mall, and the University of Southern Mississippi campus are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The “Hub City” nickname and lumber/railroad heritage are distinctive local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Forrest County Tax Assessor – confirm current contact via forrestcountyms.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Southern Pines Animal Shelter – 1901 N. 31st Avenue, Hattiesburg, MS 39401 | (601) 544-6632 | Website: southernpinesanimalshelter.org.
Hub City Humane Society – 95 Jackson Rd, Hattiesburg, MS; a no-kill, limited-admission shelter (roughly 90% adoption/placement rate) serving Hattiesburg and surrounding areas, with cross-state transport services; note the organization also operates an open-admission shelter serving the City of Petal (in neighboring Lamar County).
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Forrest County – confirm current contact via forrestcountyms.us.
NOTES: Forrest County is the fourth county in the third batch of the Mississippi v2 A+ sourced redo. Hattiesburg’s “Hub City” lumber and railroad heritage, and its status as home to the University of Southern Mississippi, are distinctive local facts. 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 Forrest County
Heritage | Hattiesburg is the county seat and the “Hub City” of south Mississippi — the dominant regional center for a vast area; the University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg — a quality comprehensive research university; about 14,000 students; the Eagles; strong programs in business, education, nursing, and polymer science; the USM Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage is nationally significant; an important regional university); William Carey University (Hattiesburg — a quality Baptist liberal arts university; about 4,500 students); the African American Military History Museum (Hattiesburg — one of the finest museums in Mississippi documenting the service of Black military personnel across American wars; the Camp Shelby connection; outstanding); Camp Shelby (the largest National Guard training facility in the United States; a significant military presence); the Hattiesburg Historic District and the Presbyterian Christian Heritage Center Outdoors | de Soto National Forest (the national forest surrounds Hattiesburg — extensive outdoor recreation including the Longleaf Trail Scenic Byway; quality hiking and wildlife in the longleaf pine ecosystem); Paul B. Johnson State Park (quality lake recreation and camping near Hattiesburg; good fishing on Paul B. Johnson Lake); the Leaf River (quality bass and catfish fishing; canoeing and kayaking); Hub City Farmers Market (quality local agricultural market) Notable | African American Military History Museum (Hattiesburg — one of the finest museums in Mississippi documenting the extraordinary service of Black military personnel across American wars; the museum’s connection to Camp Shelby and the broader history of Black military service is outstanding; an essential Hattiesburg heritage destination); University of Southern Mississippi (a quality and growing research university — the Center for Oral History, the polymer science program, and the education programs are all significant; the university drives the Hattiesburg economy and cultural life); Forrest General Hospital is a Level II Trauma Center and the major regional hospital for south Mississippi; the county has a strong university, healthcare, military, and retail economy Library | Hattiesburg Public Library — (601) 582-4461 | hattiesburglibrary.org (quality urban system)
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Website: courts.ms.gov | 12th Circuit Court District
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CHANCERY CLERK
641 Main St., Hattiesburg, MS 39401
(601) 545-6014
CIRCUIT CLERK
641 Main St., Hattiesburg, MS 39401
(601) 545-6018
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Forrest County Chancery Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Forrest 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
Forrest County Chancery Court P.O. Box 951, Hattiesburg, MS 39401 (601) 545-6014
Forrest County is in southeastern Mississippi, seated in Hattiesburg – home to the University of Southern Mississippi.
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
416 N. Main St., Hattiesburg, MS 39401
(601) 544-7900
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
641 Main St., Hattiesburg, MS 39401
(601) 545-6018
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MS Dept of Health — South Region
(601) 545-6000
Forrest General Hospital
forrestgeneral.com (Hattiesburg — major regional hospital; Level II Trauma; major south Mississippi anchor)
Office: Forrest County Health Department (Mississippi State Department of Health) – confirm current phone via forrestcountyms.us.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Hattiesburg
Population: 75,000
Area: 467 mi²
Established: 1908
Tier: 3
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Forrest County facilities via Amazon.
