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Mississippi County
George County, Mississippi
The Pascagoula River - America's last unchannelized major river - from the Pascagoula River system (the Pascagoula River - the last major unchannelized river system in the lower 48 states - flows through George County's piney woods landscape, its undisturbed blackwater tributaries and bottomland hardwood swamps supporting extraordinary biodiversity - the river is famous for the mysterious "singing river" phenomenon, an unexplained humming sound heard from its waters that has been documented for centuries) to George County's position as one of Mississippi's fastest-growing counties driven by proximity to Mobile, Alabama and the Gulf Coast economy.
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Sheriff: George County Sheriff’s Office – 355 Cox Street, Suite B, Lucedale, MS 39452 | Administration (601) 947-4811 | Communications Center (24 hrs) (601) 947-9156 | Investigations (601) 947-2058; Sheriff Mitchell Mixon.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: MS-63 and MS-98 serve Lucedale, the county seat and largest city, part of the Pascagoula Metropolitan Statistical Area, adjacent to the Alabama state line.
Notes: George County was formed March 16, 1910 from parts of Jackson and Greene Counties, named for U.S. Senator James Z. George. Roughly 24,350-26,330 residents across 479-484 square miles. Lucedale, founded 1901, developed after the Mobile, Jackson and Kansas City Railroad reached the area in the late 1890s, and takes its name from Gregory Marston Luce, a lumber businessman; the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad also ran through town en route to Mobile, Alabama.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: George County Courthouse – Lucedale, MS 39452.
Notes: George County is genuinely home to Palestine Gardens, a beloved miniature replica of the Holy Land as it appeared during the time of Jesus, spanning roughly 2.5 wooded acres just north of Lucedale on (appropriately) Palestine Gardens Road. The project began in 1960 under Methodist minister Rev. Harvell Jackson and has been lovingly maintained and expanded for over 60 years, depicting biblical towns and cities using cut limestone, concrete, and repurposed ceramic tile and brick; the tranquil grounds, complete with ponds and a headwaters representation of the Jordan River, have hosted many weddings over the decades.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: George County Veterans Service Office – confirm current contact via georgecountyms.com.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via a Biloxi, MS VA medical center; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current Lucedale public library address/phone; part of the Jackson-George Regional Library System.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Palestine Gardens, a uniquely charming miniature Holy Land replica, is the county’s most distinctive attraction.
Notes: The genuine, six-decades-old Palestine Gardens miniature Holy Land is one of the most unusual and beloved local landmarks covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: George County Real Property Tax Information Search – confirm current contact via georgecountyms.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
City of Lucedale Animal Shelter – 243 Beaver Dam Rd, Lucedale, MS 39452; operated directly by the City of Lucedale Public Works Department (as of October 2023, after the prior nonprofit operator Dixie Adoptables did not renew its management contract).
Rise & Shine Animal Rescue – Lucedale, MS; a woman-led, community-supported rescue partnering with the city to care for homeless animals, providing medical care, fostering, and adoption support.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: George County – confirm current contact via georgecountyms.com.
NOTES: George County is the sixth county in the third batch of the Mississippi v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine, six-decades-old Palestine Gardens miniature Holy Land is one of the most unusual and beloved local landmarks 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 George County
George County is Mississippi’s Pascagoula River county – the last unchannelized major river in the lower 48 states flows through George County’s piney woods, its mysterious “singing river” phenomenon documented for centuries and its biodiversity extraordinary among Southern river systems.
Lucedale (the county seat, population ~3,000) serves the county’s growing population near the Alabama border.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
George County Tax Assessor at 355 Cox Street, Suite 5, Lucedale, MS 39452, phone 601-947-4821. MS residential assessed at 10% of true value.
Courts & Legal
George County Chancery Court at 355 Cox Street, Lucedale, MS 39452, phone 601-947-7506, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CHANCERY CLERK
355 Cox St., Lucedale, MS 39452
(601) 947-4801
CIRCUIT CLERK
355 Cox St., Lucedale, MS 39452
(601) 947-4801
Genealogy
County-level record sources
George County Chancery Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated George 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
George County Chancery Court 355 Cox Street, Suite A, Lucedale, MS 39452 (601) 947-4801
George County was founded 1910, named for U.S. Senator James Z. George, in southeastern Mississippi, seated in Lucedale.
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
355 Cox St., Lucedale, MS 39452
(601) 947-4811
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
355 Cox St., Lucedale, MS 39452
(601) 947-4801
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) 947-4382
George Regional Hospital
georgeregional.com (Lucedale — quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: George County Health Department (Mississippi State Department of Health) – confirm current phone via georgecountyms.com.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Lucedale
Population: 25,000
Area: 479 sq mi
Established: 1910
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for George County residents.
