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Mississippi · Northeast Mississippi · #741
Oktibbeha County, Mississippi
In the hills of northeast Mississippi, Starkville is Mississippi State University - and the Cowbell Capital of the country, where MSU's unconventional game-day tradition of ringing metal cowbells in Davis Wade Stadium has been both legislated against and fiercely defended as the defining expression of Bulldog identity.
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Office: Oktibbeha County Emergency Management Agency/E911 – 106 W Main Street, Suite 2, Starkville, MS 39759 | (662) 338-1084 | Fax: (662) 338-1077; damage reports (662) 320-7250 / (662) 320-7251; free Hyper-Reach emergency notification service (text “Alert” to 662-498-6604 to enroll).
Sheriff: Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office – 111 Dr. Douglas L. Conner Drive, Starkville, MS 39759 | (662) 323-2421 | Email: [email protected]; Sheriff Shank Phelps.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-82 and MS-25 serve Starkville, the county seat, conterminous with the Starkville Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Notes: Oktibbeha County was founded in 1833; its name derives from the Choctaw okti abeha bok, meaning “ice, there in the creek.” Roughly 51,790-51,900 residents across 458-462 square miles.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Oktibbeha County Courthouse – Starkville, MS 39759.
Notes: Oktibbeha County is genuinely home to Mississippi State University, a public research university and land-grant institution carrying the Carnegie Foundation’s R1 designation for highest research activity, generating an estimated $3.9 billion in annual economic impact statewide. MSU houses the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library and a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest honor society. Athletically, MSU won the 2021 College World Series national baseball championship (its third consecutive CWS trip after 2018 and 2019), playing at Dudy Noble Field, nicknamed the “Carnegie Hall of College Baseball,” which holds the NCAA on-campus baseball attendance record (16,423 spectators, set April 2023). MSU’s most distinctive tradition is genuinely the cowbell – legend holds it began mid-20th century when a wandering Jersey cow became a lucky charm after strolling onto the field during a victory over Ole Miss; the SEC banned artificial noisemakers in 1974, but reversed the ban for Mississippi State alone in 2010, making MSU the only school among 134 Division I programs permitted to ring cowbells at home games.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Oktibbeha County Veterans Service Office – confirm current contact via oktibbeha.ms.gov.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via a Columbus, MS VA clinic; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Starkville-Oktibbeha County Public Library System – established 1967, three branches, headquartered at the Starkville Public Library; confirm current phone via starkville.lib.ms.us.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Mississippi State University’s campus, Dudy Noble Field, and the surrounding Starkville arts and culture scene are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine, beloved cowbell tradition – unique among all 134 Division I schools – is one of the most distinctive local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Oktibbeha County Tax Assessor – confirm current contact via oktibbeha.ms.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Oktibbeha County Humane Society (OCHS) – PO Box 297, 510 Industrial Park Drive, Starkville, MS 39760 | (662) 338-9093 | Email: [email protected]; offers pet adoption, education, and community outreach.
Starkville Police Department Animal Control – (662) 323-4134.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Oktibbeha County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via oktibbeha.ms.gov.
NOTES: Oktibbeha County is the fourth county in the eighth batch of the Mississippi v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine, beloved cowbell tradition – unique among all 134 Division I schools – 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 Oktibbeha County
Oktibbeha County’s Mississippi State University, with about 22,000 students and particular strength in agriculture, engineering, and veterinary medicine, defines Starkville’s economy and culture in the thoroughgoing way that land-grant universities shape their communities. The Mississippi State Extension Service – one of the most active agricultural extension programs in the South – connects the university to the farming communities of the Mississippi Delta and northeast Mississippi in practical, applied ways.
The cowbell tradition – ringing metal cowbells during games, banned by the SEC and repeatedly reinstated through fan persistence – is the most visible expression of Bulldog identity and has generated a cultural distinctiveness that the rivalry with Ole Miss amplifies. Starkville’s downtown has invested in an independent business district that serves the university community. OCH 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
Oktibbeha County Chancery Court: 101 East Main Street, Starkville, MS 39759 | (662) 323-5834. 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
101 N. Washington St., Starkville, MS 39759
(662) 323-5834
CIRCUIT CLERK
101 N. Washington St., Starkville, MS 39759
(662) 323-5834
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Oktibbeha County Chancery Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Oktibbeha County has 25 properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including several tied to Mississippi State University.
Local societies
No dedicated Oktibbeha County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories, though the Starkville-Oktibbeha County Public Library System supports local research.
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
Oktibbeha County Chancery Court 101 East Main Street, Starkville, MS 39759 (662) 323-5834
Oktibbeha County was founded 1833, its name from the Choctaw “okti abeha bok” meaning “ice, there in the creek,” in east-central Mississippi, seated in Starkville – home to Mississippi State University.
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
202 W. Lampkin St., Starkville, MS 39759
(662) 323-2421
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
101 N. Washington St., Starkville, MS 39759
(662) 323-5834
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MS Dept of Health — Northeast Region
(662) 323-4271
OCH Regional Medical Center
och.org (Starkville — quality regional hospital; major northeast Mississippi anchor)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: OCH Regional Medical Center – Starkville, MS; confirm current contact via oktibbeha.ms.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Starkville
Population: 50,000
Area: 458 sq mi
Established: 1833
Tier: 4
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Oktibbeha County facilities via Amazon.
