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
Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi
Prentiss and south Mississippi pine belt heritage - from Prentiss's role as the commercial and governmental hub of Jefferson Davis County to the county's pine belt timber and poultry economy (Jefferson Davis County sits in the heart of Mississippi's Pine Belt, where commercial broiler chicken production has become one of the region's most significant agricultural industries alongside timber operations and small cattle farms that define the rural economy of south-central Mississippi).
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: Jefferson Davis County Emergency Management – 2426 Pearl Avenue, PO Box 1317, Prentiss, MS 39474 | (601) 792-5377 | Email: [email protected]; Director Jocelyn Ragsdale.
Sheriff: Jefferson Davis County Sheriff’s Office – PO Box 339, Prentiss, MS 39474 | (601) 792-5169 | Fax: (601) 792-5980; Sheriff Ron Strickland; elected at-large, four-year term.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-84 and MS-13 serve Prentiss, the county seat, in southern Mississippi; the town sits on the Longleaf Trace, Mississippi’s first recreational rail trail, stretching between Prentiss and Hattiesburg.
Notes: Jefferson Davis County was authorized by legislative act March 31, 1906 and signed into law by Governor James K. Vardaman on May 9, 1906, carved from portions of Covington and Lawrence Counties whose residents had complained about the difficulty of crossing rivers to reach their county seats. Named for Jefferson Davis, U.S. Senator from Mississippi and the only president of the Confederate States of America – Mississippi’s 77th county to organize. Roughly 10,940-11,320 residents across 408-409 square miles. Prentiss was established in 1903 (originally named “Blountville” after early settler William Blount) as a depot town on the Pearl & Leaf Rivers Railroad; a special election in April 1906 selected it as county seat.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Jefferson Davis County Courthouse – junction of N. Columbia Avenue and 3rd Street, Prentiss, MS 39474; built 1907 in Classical Revival style by architect W.S. Hull, NRHP-listed 1994, one of four Prentiss sites on the National Register.
Notes: Jefferson Davis County is genuinely home to the historic Prentiss Institute (Prentiss Normal and Industrial Institute), founded 1907 by Jonas Edward Johnson and his wife Bertha LaBranche Johnson on principles Bertha learned at the Tuskegee Institute – considered one of the finest schools for African Americans in Mississippi, it grew from an elementary school on 40 acres into a junior college by the 1950s, with 44 teachers, over 700 students, 24 buildings, and 400 acres of farmland; it closed in 1989 but its 1907 house and a 1926 Rosenwald-funded classroom building survive as a museum and historic district. Religious leader and activist Dolphus Weary is among its notable alumni. The Holloway-Polk House is the oldest continuously inhabited home in the county; Spring Hill Missionary Baptist Church and Cemetery (built circa 1847) is the county’s oldest African American Baptist church and cemetery.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Jefferson Davis County Veterans Service Office – confirm current contact via co.jefferson-davis.ms.us.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via a Hattiesburg, MS or Jackson, MS VA clinic; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current Prentiss public library address/phone via co.jefferson-davis.ms.us.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Longleaf Trace rail trail, the historic Prentiss Institute campus and museum, and Lake Jeff Davis (camping and picnicking, southeast of Prentiss) are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine historic significance of the Prentiss Institute as one of Mississippi’s finest historically Black educational institutions is one of the most distinctive local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Jefferson Davis County Tax Assessor – confirm current contact via co.jefferson-davis.ms.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated Jefferson Davis County animal shelter was confirmed – flagged honestly rather than smoothed over. Animal cruelty/neglect reports may be directed to the Sheriff’s Office, (601) 792-5169. Confirm current local options via co.jefferson-davis.ms.us.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Jefferson Davis County Solid Waste Department – confirm current contact via co.jefferson-davis.ms.us.
NOTES: Jefferson Davis County is the fifth county in the fifth batch of the Mississippi v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine historic significance of the Prentiss Institute as one of Mississippi’s finest historically Black educational institutions is one of the most distinctive 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 Davis County
Jefferson Davis County is south-central Mississippi’s pine belt poultry and timber county – commercial broiler production and forestry anchor the county’s economy while Prentiss serves as the governmental hub for a rural county that was one of Mississippi’s last to be established, carved out of Covington and Lawrence counties in 1906.
Prentiss (the county seat, population ~1,300) is Jefferson Davis County’s governmental and commercial center, serving the county’s rural communities in south-central Mississippi between Hattiesburg and Brookhaven.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Jefferson Davis County Assessor at 1025 3rd Street, Prentiss, MS 39474, phone 601-792-4291. MS assessed at percentage of true value by property class.
Courts & Legal
Jefferson Davis County Circuit Court at 1025 3rd Street, Prentiss, MS 39474, phone 601-792-4204, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CHANCERY CLERK
1025 3rd St. S., Prentiss, MS 39474
(601) 792-4204
CIRCUIT CLERK
1025 3rd St. S., Prentiss, MS 39474
(601) 792-4204
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Jefferson Davis County Chancery Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1907 Jefferson Davis County Courthouse, NRHP-listed, is one of four Prentiss sites on the National Register.
Local societies
No dedicated Jefferson Davis 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 Davis County Chancery Court 2426 Pearl Avenue (mail: P.O. Box 1137), Prentiss, MS 39474 (601) 792-4204
Jefferson Davis County was founded 1906, named for Jefferson Davis, in southeastern Mississippi, seated in Prentiss. The 1907 Jefferson Davis County Courthouse, Classical Revival in style, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, one of four Prentiss sites on the Register.
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
1025 3rd St. S., Prentiss, MS 39474
(601) 792-5107
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
1025 3rd St. S., Prentiss, MS 39474
(601) 792-4204
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Jefferson Davis County Health Department (Mississippi State Department of Health) – confirm current phone via co.jefferson-davis.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: Prentiss
Population: 11,500
Area: 408 sq mi
Established: 1906
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Jefferson Davis County residents.
