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
Lawrence County, Mississippi
Monticello and Pearl River pine belt - from Monticello's position along the Pearl River in the heart of south-central Mississippi's pine belt to Lawrence County's timber and agricultural economy (the county's gently rolling terrain of loblolly pine forests and creek bottom farmland supports commercial timber operations, poultry production, and small cattle farms that define the rural economy of this quiet south-central Mississippi county between Jackson and the Gulf Coast).
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: Lawrence County Emergency Management Agency – confirm current phone via lawrencecountyms.gov.
Sheriff: Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office – 1565 F E Sellers Hwy, PO Box 816, Monticello, MS 39654 | (601) 587-2961 | Fax: (601) 587-4740; Sheriff Ryan Everett; Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-5 PM.
City Police: Monticello Police Department – (601) 587-7732; Assistant Chief Sterling Allen.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-84 serves Monticello, the county seat, on the west bank of the Pearl River; leads east 15 miles to Prentiss and west 22 miles to I-55 in Brookhaven.
Notes: Lawrence County was named in memory of U.S. Naval Captain James Lawrence, famed for his dying words “Don’t give up the ship.” Monticello, named for Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia home (locally pronounced with a soft “c”), was settled on land purchased by Harmon Runnels in 1811, became the county seat and center of commerce in 1815, and was incorporated in 1818. Ferry service across the Pearl River began around 1810, and St. Stephens Road, a major east-west corridor between Natchez and Alabama, once ran through town.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Lawrence County Courthouse – Broad Street between Jefferson and Washington Streets, Monticello, MS 39654; built 1913, Classical Revival style, architect Reuben Hunt, NRHP-listed 1993, designated Mississippi Landmark.
Notes: Monticello genuinely, briefly served as the seat of Mississippi state government – in 1821, the state legislature actually selected Monticello to be the permanent state capital, only to reconsider and choose Jackson instead the very next day. Governor Charles Lynch, elected in 1835, was a Lawrence County farmer before entering politics. The county produced Rod Paige, born in Monticello in 1933, who later served as U.S. Secretary of Education under President George H.W. Bush’s administration successor (George W. Bush). Religious leader and activist John Perkins, founder of Voice of Calvary Ministry, was born in the community of New Hebron in 1930. Earl W. Bascom, known as the “Father of Modern Rodeo,” worked on a ranch in the county. A devastating tornado nearly leveled Monticello in April 1882, and the town was rebuilt over the following years.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Lawrence County Veterans Service Office – confirm current contact via lawrencecountyms.gov.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via a Jackson, MS VA medical center; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current Monticello public library address/phone via lawrencecountyms.gov.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Coopers Ferry Park (the original site of Monticello’s founding), Atwood Water Park (camping, cabins, boat ramp on the Pearl River), and the Lawrence County Regional Historical Museum are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine, little-known fact that Monticello was Mississippi’s chosen state capital for a single day in 1821 before the legislature reversed course and picked Jackson is one of the most distinctive local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Lawrence County Tax Assessor – confirm current contact via lawrencecountyms.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Lawrence County Animal Rescue League – Monticello, MS; mission to shelter homeless, abused, or unwanted animals and place them in humane environments; confirm current address/phone via lawrencecountyms.gov.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Lawrence County – confirm current contact via lawrencecountyms.gov.
NOTES: Lawrence County is the fourth county in the sixth batch of the Mississippi v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine, little-known fact that Monticello was Mississippi’s chosen state capital for a single day in 1821 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 Lawrence County
Lawrence County is south-central Mississippi’s Pearl River pine belt county – Monticello anchors a rural county whose timber, poultry, and cattle operations sustain small communities spread across the forested hills between Jackson and Hattiesburg along the Pearl River corridor.
Monticello (the county seat, population ~1,600) is Lawrence County’s governmental and commercial hub, a small river town providing county services to the surrounding south-central Mississippi communities.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Lawrence County Assessor at 517 W. Jefferson Street, Monticello, MS 39654, phone 601-587-2221. MS assessed at percentage of true value by property class.
Courts & Legal
Lawrence County Circuit Court at 517 W. Jefferson Street, Monticello, MS 39654, phone 601-587-7162, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CHANCERY CLERK
517 N. Broad St., Monticello, MS 39654
(601) 587-7162
CIRCUIT CLERK
517 N. Broad St., Monticello, MS 39654
(601) 587-7162
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Lawrence County Chancery Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Lawrence 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
Lawrence County Chancery Court P.O. Box 821 (also cited P.O. Box 1160), Monticello, MS 39654 (601) 587-7162 Lawrence County is in southwestern Mississippi, seated in Monticello.
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
517 N. Broad St., Monticello, MS 39654
(601) 587-2961
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
517 N. Broad St., Monticello, MS 39654
(601) 587-7162
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Lawrence County Health Department (Mississippi State Department of Health) – confirm current phone via lawrencecountyms.gov.
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: Monticello
Population: 12,500
Area: 430 sq mi
Established: 1814
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Lawrence County residents.
