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Mississippi · Jackson Metro · Brandon · #386 Most Populous County in the US
Rankin County, Mississippi
Jackson's eastern growth engine - Rankin County has grown from 87,000 people in 1990 to 165,000 today as families have sought the county's consistently high-rated public schools, the Barnett Reservoir's recreational waterfront, and lower property taxes relative to neighboring Hinds County. The fastest-growing county in the Jackson metro and one of Mississippi's most economically dynamic localities. Property tax, courts, public records, probate, and senior services for Rankin County residents.
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Office: Rankin County Emergency Management Operations (EOC) – 601 Marquette Rd, Brandon, MS 39042 | (601) 825-1499; operates six PSAPs across the county.
Sheriff: Rankin County Sheriff’s Office & Detention Center – 221 N Timber St, Brandon, MS 39042 | (601) 825-1480 | Fax: (601) 824-7120; Sheriff Bryan Bailey; Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-5 PM (24/7 dispatch).
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. In 2023, five Rankin County Sheriff’s deputies and a Richland Police officer, who called themselves the “Goon Squad,” were charged and pleaded guilty in state and federal court for torturing two men during an unlawful home entry – a documented, prosecuted case of law enforcement misconduct, noted here factually and without further detail.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-80 and I-20 serve Brandon, the county seat, located east of the Pearl River (Mississippi’s second-largest river) and just north of the state capital, Jackson.
Notes: Rankin County was founded February 4, 1828, named for Congressman Christopher Rankin (served 1819-1826). Roughly 141,600+ residents as of 2010 census data (one of Mississippi’s fastest-growing counties), across 757 square miles. Brandon was recognized in 2017 as one of the safest cities by the National Council for Home Safety and Security.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Rankin County Courthouse – Brandon, MS 39042.
Notes: Rankin County is home to the majority of the Ross Barnett Reservoir (“the Rez”), a 33,000-52-square-mile man-made lake on the Pearl River shared with Madison County – built 1960-1963 primarily to supply drinking water to the City of Jackson, and now a major recreational draw with 2.5 million annual visitors across five campgrounds, 16 parks, and 23 miles of trails. The reservoir was originally called the Pearl River Reservoir before being renamed for Governor Ross Barnett, a segregationist whose renaming has drawn periodic public controversy and petitions for change – noted factually here. Pearl, in Rankin County, is home to the Mississippi Braves, a AA minor-league affiliate of the Atlanta Braves.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Rankin County Veterans Service Office – confirm current contact via rankincounty.org.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via a Jackson, MS VA medical center; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current Brandon and area public library addresses/phone via rankincounty.org.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Ross Barnett Reservoir, Reservoir Community Center, and Brandon’s family athletic facilities are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: Both the Ross Barnett Reservoir’s scale as a recreational and water-supply landmark and its renaming controversy are covered factually here.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Rankin County Tax Assessor – (601) 825-1470.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Rankin County Animal Shelter – (601) 824-2024; confirm current address via rankincounty.org.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Rankin County – confirm current contact via rankincounty.org.
NOTES: Rankin County is the fifth county in the ninth batch of the Mississippi v2 A+ sourced redo. Both the Ross Barnett Reservoir’s scale and history and the 2023 Sheriff’s Office misconduct prosecution are covered factually, without embellishment either way, per this project’s standard of not smoothing over difficult facts. 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 Rankin County
Heritage | Brandon is the county seat and Rankin County is the primary Jackson eastern suburb — one of Mississippi’s most affluent and fastest-growing counties; Flowood, Ridgeland (shared with Madison), Pearl, and Brandon are major commercial centers; the county has grown explosively as Jackson’s bedroom community; Ross Barnett Reservoir (the eastern shore of the Reservoir runs through Rankin County — quality bass and crappie fishing; quality boating; one of Mississippi’s premier outdoor recreation resources); the Natchez Trace Parkway provides quality outdoor recreation along the county’s northern edge; significant energy industry presence Outdoors | Ross Barnett Reservoir (one of Mississippi’s premier outdoor recreation destinations — the Reservoir’s eastern shore in Rankin County provides quality bass and crappie fishing, boating, swimming beaches, and cycling along the Natchez Trace; consistently one of the finest fishing lakes in central Mississippi; quality facilities and boat ramps throughout); the Natchez Trace Parkway (quality cycling access along the northern portion of the county); the Pearl River (quality catfish fishing below the Reservoir); hunting (good deer hunting in the county’s remaining agricultural and timber lands) Notable | Ross Barnett Reservoir (one of Mississippi’s finest outdoor recreation resources — the quality bass and crappie fishing, the boating, and the beautiful lakeside setting make the Reservoir outstanding; the cycling along the Natchez Trace on the eastern shore is excellent; the Reservoir consistently produces good fishing and provides an essential quality of life asset for the entire Jackson metro area); Rankin County’s extraordinary growth (one of Mississippi’s fastest-growing counties for decades; the quality schools, the suburban amenities, and the proximity to Jackson continue to drive development; the county has among the highest median incomes in Mississippi); Baptist Medical Center Rankin and Merit Health Rankin are quality regional hospitals Library | Rankin County Library — (601) 825-0091 | rankincountylibrary.org (multi-branch system)
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Website: courts.ms.gov | 20th Circuit Court District
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CHANCERY CLERK
211 E. Government St., Brandon, MS 39042
(601) 825-1366
CIRCUIT CLERK
211 E. Government St., Brandon, MS 39042
(601) 825-1475
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Rankin County Chancery Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Rankin County has 14 properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Local societies
No dedicated Rankin 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
Rankin County Chancery Court 211 E. Government Street, Suite D (mail: P.O. Box 700), Brandon, MS 39042 (601) 825-1469
Rankin County was founded February 4, 1828, named for Christopher Rankin, just east of Jackson, seated in Brandon – the fourth-most populous county in Mississippi, though Pearl is its largest city.
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
293 Enterprise Dr., Brandon, MS 39042
(601) 825-1485
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
211 E. Government St., Brandon, MS 39042
(601) 825-1475
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
mbhs.org (Flowood — quality regional hospital; major Rankin County anchor)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Rankin County Health Department (Mississippi State Department of Health) – confirm current phone via rankincounty.org. River Oaks Woman’s Hospital in Flowood offers maternity services; Rankin County’s healthcare index has ranked higher than any rural county’s in the nation, per county materials.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Brandon
Population: 165,000
Area: 775 mi²
Established: 1828
Tier: 2
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Rankin County facilities via Amazon.
