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
Jasper County, Mississippi
The Leaf River and Bay Springs Lake - from Bay Springs Lake (the reservoir on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway system in Jasper County - the lake's clear water, fishing, and camping facilities serve the surrounding south-central Mississippi communities and provide access to the broader Tenn-Tom recreational system) to the Leaf River's Jasper County corridor (the Leaf River flowing through Jasper County provides fishing, canoeing, and wildlife habitat in the longleaf pine landscape of the south-central Mississippi interior).
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: Jasper County Emergency Management/E-911 – PO Box 1106, 37D W Eighth Ave, Bay Springs, MS 39422 | (601) 764-3800 | E-911 Addressing/Fax (601) 764-2035 | Email: [email protected]; Director Hudson Jenkins.
Sheriff: Jasper County Sheriff’s Office – PO Box 464, 27th West 8th Ave, Bay Springs, MS 39422 | (601) 764-2588 / (601) 764-3050; Sheriff Randy Johnson; Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-5 PM.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: MS-15 and MS-500 serve Bay Springs, the county’s larger and more developed seat, part of the Laurel Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Notes: Jasper County was founded in 1833, named for Revolutionary War hero William Jasper. Roughly 15,800-16,370 residents across 676-677 square miles. The county genuinely has TWO county seats – Bay Springs (in the west) and Paulding (in the east) – a division established by the state legislature in 1906; no road connected the two halves of the county until one was built in 1935-1936. Paulding, settled in 1833 and named for Revolutionary War figure John Paulding (who helped capture British spy Major André), is the ONLY unincorporated county seat in the entire state of Mississippi – once nicknamed the “Queen City of the East” as a thriving plantation trading center, it was bypassed by the railroad after residents refused to help fund the new line, and Bay Springs (designated to the west) subsequently overtook it in size and importance. Jasper County remains a major Mississippi producer of natural gas, oil, timber, cattle, and poultry.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Jasper County Chancery Clerk / Administration – 27 W 8th Ave, PO Box 1047, Bay Springs, MS 39422 | (601) 764-3368 / Paulding office (601) 727-4940.
Notes: The historic Montrose Presbyterian Church is a notable local landmark. Major timber companies including Georgia-Pacific historically operated in Bay Springs following its 1906 designation as the second county seat.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via a Jackson, MS or Hattiesburg, MS VA clinic; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current Bay Springs and Paulding public library addresses/phone via co.jasper.ms.us.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The historic Montrose Presbyterian Church and the unique dual-seat structure with unincorporated Paulding are the county’s most historically distinctive features.
Notes: The genuine status of Paulding as Mississippi’s only unincorporated county seat is one of the most distinctive local governmental facts covered anywhere in this project.
Happy Healthy Pet Adoption, Inc. (HHPA) – 2568-A Hwy 15 South, PO Box 825, Bay Springs, MS 39422 | (601) 764-3535 | Email: [email protected]; founded 2003, a no-kill, all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit; no regular office hours – call or email to schedule an appointment.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Jasper County Solid Waste – (601) 764-2111.
NOTES: Jasper County is the third county in the fifth batch of the Mississippi v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine status of Paulding as Mississippi’s only unincorporated county seat is one of the most distinctive local governmental facts 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 Jasper County
Jasper County is south-central Mississippi’s Leaf River and Bay Springs Lake county – the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway reservoir and the Leaf River’s piney woods corridor define an outdoor recreation community in the Mississippi interior.
Bay Springs (the county seat, population ~1,700) serves the county’s timber, poultry, and lake recreation communities in the south-central Mississippi piney woods.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Jasper County Tax Assessor at 3 Court Square, Suite 1, Bay Springs, MS 39422, phone 601-764-3368. MS residential assessed at 10% of true value.
Courts & Legal
Jasper County Chancery Court at 3 Court Square, Bay Springs, MS 39422, phone 601-764-3368, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CHANCERY CLERK
5 S. Main St., Bay Springs, MS 39422
(601) 764-3368
CIRCUIT CLERK
5 S. Main St., Bay Springs, MS 39422
(601) 764-3368
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Jasper County Chancery Court, 1st District (Paulding) and 2nd District (Bay Springs) – probate case files split by district; see Probate section above.
Local societies
No dedicated Jasper 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
Jasper County Chancery Court – TWO JUDICIAL DISTRICTS
Jasper County is one of several Mississippi counties split into two judicial districts, each with its own courthouse and Chancery Clerk’s office. File in whichever district covers the area where the decedent lived.
1st District (Paulding): P.O. Box 38, Paulding, MS 39348, (601) 727-4971
2nd District (Bay Springs): P.O. Box 1047, Bay Springs, MS 39422, (601) 764-3368
Jasper County is in east-central Mississippi, with dual county seats – Paulding and Bay Springs.
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 district covering the area 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
5 S. Main St., Bay Springs, MS 39422
(601) 764-2716
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
5 S. Main St., Bay Springs, MS 39422
(601) 764-3368
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Jasper County Health Department (Mississippi State Department of Health) – confirm current phone via co.jasper.ms.us.
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: Bay Springs
Population: 16,000
Area: 676 sq mi
Established: 1833
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Jasper County residents.
