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Mississippi · Southeast Mississippi · #695
Jones County, Mississippi
In the longleaf pine country of southeast Mississippi, Jones County's Laurel is the city that HGTV's "Home Town" made famous - and before that, the "Free State of Jones" whose Unionist resistance to the Confederacy during the Civil War is one of the most remarkable acts of collective political defiance in Southern history.
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Office: Jones County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) – 22 Mason Street, Laurel, MS 39440 | (601) 425-0223 | Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-5 PM; Director Paul Sheffield; serves Jones County plus the cities of Laurel and Ellisville and neighboring counties/states on mutual aid. Established following the catastrophic January 25, 1969 Laurel train derailment and propane tanker explosion, which killed three people, hospitalized 39, and destroyed numerous homes and businesses.
Sheriff: Jones County Sheriff’s Department – 419 Yates Avenue, Laurel, MS 39440 (adjacent to the courthouse) | Sheriff Joe Berlin; operates an Adult Detention Facility, (601) 649-7502, and Juvenile Detention Facility, (601) 649-7500, both in Ellisville.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-11 and I-59 serve Laurel and Ellisville, Jones County’s dual centers of population; Jones County is part of the Laurel Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Notes: In 1860, enslaved people made up only 12 percent of Jones County’s population – the smallest percentage of any county in Mississippi – reflecting a yeoman-farmer economy with little investment in the plantation system.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Jones County Courthouse – 415 North 5th Avenue, Laurel, MS 39440.
Notes: Jones County is genuinely, famously the site of the “Free State of Jones” – Mississippi’s most enduring Civil War legend. Between late 1863 and mid-1864, Newton Knight, a poor farmer and Confederate Army deserter born near the Leaf River, led an armed band of fellow deserters known as the “Knight Company,” aided by local women, enslaved people, and children who provided food, shelter, and intelligence from a swamp hideout on the Leaf River. In spring 1864 the Knight Company overthrew Confederate authorities in Jones County and raised the U.S. flag over the courthouse in Ellisville; debate over whether the county formally “seceded” from the Confederacy has persisted for over a century. The Confederacy responded with brutal repression – an entire regiment under Colonel Robert Lowry was sent to hunt the group with bloodhounds, and ten men were hanged as a warning. Knight later married Rachel, a formerly enslaved woman, and fought during Reconstruction for their mixed-race children’s right to attend school. The story inspired multiple books and the 2016 film “Free State of Jones,” starring Matthew McConaughey.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Jones County Veterans Service Office – confirm current contact via jonesso.com or the county administration.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via a Hattiesburg, MS or Jackson, MS VA clinic; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current Laurel and Ellisville public library addresses/phone via county administration.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Historic sites connected to the Free State of Jones rebellion in Ellisville and Laurel are the county’s most historically significant attractions.
Notes: The genuine “Free State of Jones” Civil War rebellion – among Mississippi’s most enduring and widely known historical legends – is one of the most historically significant local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Jones County Tax Assessor – confirm current contact via county administration.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Laurel Jones County Animal Rescue League (ARL) – Laurel, MS | (601) 649-0821; founded 1981, Mississippi’s first no-kill animal shelter, with no time limit on adoptions; adoption fees $80 (dogs), $65 (cats).
Southern Cross Animal Rescue (SCAR) – 1712 Highway 184 E, Laurel, MS | (601) 433-5807; dedicated to animals other shelters cannot or will not accept.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Jones County – confirm current contact via county administration.
NOTES: Jones County is the sixth county in the fifth batch of the Mississippi v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine “Free State of Jones” Civil War rebellion is one of the most historically significant 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 Jones County
Jones County carries two historical identities that sit at opposite ends of the American narrative spectrum. The “Free State of Jones” – the name given to the county’s wartime resistance, when Jones County farmers who owned no slaves refused Confederate conscription, formed armed resistance bands under Newton Knight, and effectively created a Union-aligned enclave deep in Confederate Mississippi – is one of the most extraordinary stories of ordinary people resisting an unjust war in American history, documented extensively by historians and dramatized in a 2016 film.
Laurel’s second identity is considerably more cheerful: Ben and Erin Napier’s HGTV series “Home Town,” set in Laurel’s historic neighborhoods, has drawn tourism, renovation investment, and national attention to a small Mississippi city whose craftsman bungalow housing stock and small-scale urban fabric have been genuinely revitalized. The show’s authentic love for the community it depicts has made it one of HGTV’s most successful productions. South Central Regional Medical Center provides healthcare.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Mississippi assesses residential property at 10% of true value. Property owners may appeal to the Board of Equalization. Mississippi offers a $300 homestead tax credit. Mississippi has no estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
Jones County Chancery Court: 415 North Fifth Avenue, Laurel, MS 39440 | (601) 428-0527. The Chancery Court handles estate administration, guardianship, and property records.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CHANCERY CLERK
415 N. 5th Ave., Laurel, MS 39440
(601) 428-0527
CIRCUIT CLERK
415 N. 5th Ave., Laurel, MS 39440
(601) 428-0527
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Jones County Chancery Court, 1st District (Ellisville) and 2nd District (Laurel) – probate case files split by district; see Probate section above.
Local societies
No dedicated Jones 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
Jones County Chancery Court – TWO JUDICIAL DISTRICTS
Jones 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 (Ellisville): P.O. Box 248, Ellisville, MS 39437, (601) 477-3307
2nd District (Laurel): P.O. Box 1468, Laurel, MS 39441, (601) 428-0527
Jones County is in southeastern Mississippi, with dual county seats – Ellisville and Laurel.
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
415 N. 5th Ave., Laurel, MS 39440
(601) 425-3147
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
415 N. 5th Ave., Laurel, MS 39440
(601) 428-0527
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) 649-3383
South Central Regional Medical Center
scrmc.com (Laurel — quality regional hospital; major south-central Mississippi anchor)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Jones County Health Department (Mississippi State Department of Health) – confirm current phone via county administration.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Laurel
Population: 68,000
Area: 694 sq mi
Established: 1826
Tier: 4
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Jones County facilities via Amazon.
