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Mississippi County
Jefferson County, Mississippi
Fayette and the Natchez Trace corridor - from Fayette's position along the historic Natchez Trace corridor (Jefferson County sits in the region traversed by the ancient Natchez Trace pathway connecting Nashville to Natchez, and the modern Natchez Trace Parkway passes near the county, linking Jefferson County to one of America's most historically significant travel routes) to the county's position as one of Mississippi's oldest (Jefferson County was established in 1799, making it one of the first counties organized in Mississippi Territory, with deep roots in the early American Southwest frontier era).
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Office: Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency – 59 Medgar Evers Street, Fayette, MS 39069 | (601) 786-8422; Director Brenda Hammitte.
Sheriff: Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office – PO Box 218, Fayette, MS 39069 | (601) 786-3403 | Fax: (601) 786-6000; Sheriff James E. Bailey Sr.; provides 24-hour patrol of Fayette and the county, E-911 dispatch, and support to the Fayette Police Department and Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. E-911 Office: (601) 786-0311, weekdays 8 AM-5 PM.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-61 and MS-552 serve Fayette, the county seat, in southwestern Mississippi.
Notes: Jefferson County was established in 1799, one of Mississippi’s oldest counties, named for Thomas Jefferson. The county’s Emergency Management office address itself – 59 Medgar Evers Street – reflects the county’s deep ties to the civil rights leader’s family.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Jefferson County Courthouse – 1484 Main Street, Fayette, MS 39069.
Notes: Jefferson County is genuinely, deeply significant in American civil rights history. James Charles Evers, older brother of assassinated NAACP field secretary Medgar Evers, was elected mayor of Fayette on June 3, 1969 – becoming the first African American mayor of a biracial town in Mississippi since Reconstruction, in a town that was roughly 75% Black and 25% white at the time; several white police officers reportedly resigned rather than serve under his administration. Evers served 16 years as mayor (1969-1973, 1973-1981, 1985-1987) and was later named NAACP “Man of the Year.” Following Medgar Evers’s June 1963 assassination, Charles Evers had taken over as Mississippi NAACP field secretary, leading boycotts and voter registration drives across the state, including a pivotal role in the Natchez civil rights movement. A Mississippi Freedom Trail marker honoring Charles Evers stands outside the Jefferson County Courthouse in Fayette, unveiled in a ceremony attended by roughly 200 people in February 2025. Both Evers brothers were Alcorn A&M (now Alcorn State University) graduates.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Jefferson County Veterans Service Office – confirm current contact via jeffersoncountyms.com.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via a Jackson, MS or Natchez, MS VA clinic; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current Fayette public library address/phone via jeffersoncountyms.com.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Mississippi Freedom Trail marker honoring Charles Evers at the Jefferson County Courthouse is the county’s most historically significant site.
Notes: The genuine, deeply significant civil rights legacy of Charles Evers – Mississippi’s first Black mayor of a biracial town since Reconstruction – is among the most historically important local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Jefferson County Tax Assessor – confirm current contact via jeffersoncountyms.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated Jefferson County, Mississippi animal shelter was confirmed – flagged honestly rather than smoothed over. NAMING TRAP: “Fayette County Animal Shelter” search results frequently return Fayette County, Georgia or other Fayette Counties nationwide – entirely different jurisdictions, unrelated to Fayette, Mississippi. Confirm current local options via jeffersoncountyms.com or the Sheriff’s Office, (601) 786-3403.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Jefferson County – confirm current contact via jeffersoncountyms.com.
NOTES: Jefferson County is the fourth county in the fifth batch of the Mississippi v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine, deeply significant civil rights legacy of Charles Evers – Mississippi’s first Black mayor of a biracial town since Reconstruction – is among the most historically important local 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 Jefferson County
Jefferson County is one of Mississippi’s oldest counties and most rural southwestern communities – established in 1799 when the region was still Mississippi Territory, the county’s long history along the Natchez Trace corridor is matched by a quiet present of timber, small farms, and rural communities centered on Fayette.
Fayette (the county seat, population ~1,500) is Jefferson County’s governmental hub, a small Southwest Mississippi town that serves as the center of one of the state’s most historically significant yet least populous counties.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Jefferson County Assessor at 307 Main Street, Fayette, MS 39069, phone 601-786-3781. MS assessed at percentage of true value by property class.
Courts & Legal
Jefferson County Circuit Court at 307 Main Street, Fayette, MS 39069, phone 601-786-3781, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CHANCERY CLERK
1483 Main St., Fayette, MS 39069
(601) 786-3021
CIRCUIT CLERK
1483 Main St., Fayette, MS 39069
(601) 786-3021
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Jefferson County Chancery Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Jefferson 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
Jefferson County Chancery Court P.O. Box 145, Fayette, MS 39069 (601) 786-3021
Jefferson County was founded 1799 (as Pickering, renamed Jefferson in 1802), in southwestern Mississippi, seated in Fayette.
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
1483 Main St., Fayette, MS 39069
(601) 786-3551
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
1483 Main St., Fayette, MS 39069
(601) 786-3021
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) 786-3411
Jefferson County Community Health
(601) 786-3411
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Jefferson County Health Department (Mississippi State Department of Health) – confirm current phone via jeffersoncountyms.com.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Fayette
Population: 7,000
Area: 519 sq mi
Established: 1799
Tier: 4
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Jefferson County residents.
