Getting a Marriage License in Pike County
Marriage licenses in Pike County are issued by the Circuit Clerk, not the Chancery Clerk. The current Circuit Clerk is Brenda Denise Robinson, and her office handles the application, collects the fee, and issues the license. The same office keeps marriage license records along with court dockets, judgment rolls, and other Circuit Court filings. The counter is at 200 East Bay Street in Magnolia, the county seat.
Mississippi sets the rules the clerk follows. Both parties must be 21 years of age to marry in the state, and both must be present for the application. Each person brings a picture ID and proof of age. The fee is $37.00 and is due at the time of application. There is no waiting period and no blood test in Mississippi, so a couple who arrives prepared can finish in one visit.
Because both parties apply together, plan the trip around the office hours. The Circuit Clerk works Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. A short call ahead confirms the office is open and that both IDs will meet the proof-of-age standard.
How to Apply for a Pike County Marriage License
The process is short when both people come ready. The Circuit Clerk page also links an optional Marriage License Information Sheet that couples can print and fill out before the visit, which speeds the counter work. These steps follow the rules the Pike County Circuit Clerk publishes.
- Both applicants gather a picture ID and proof of age before going to the office.
- Both applicants complete the optional Pike County Marriage License Information Sheet, or prepare to answer the same questions at the counter.
- Both applicants appear in person together at the Pike County Circuit Clerk's office at 200 East Bay Street.
- Pay the $37.00 marriage license fee at the time of application.
- No Mississippi waiting period or blood test applies, so the license can issue the same day.
- After the ceremony, return or record the license following the clerk's instructions; the exact return deadline was not published in the official Pike County sources.
You can review the county's full set of downloadable documents, including the marriage sheet, on the Pike County forms page.
A look at that page shows where the marriage license sheet sits alongside the other clerk forms.
Downloading and completing the sheet ahead of time means the couple only signs and pays once they reach the counter.
Marriage License Application Fields
The Marriage License Information Sheet asks each party for the same set of details. One column of fields covers Party 1 and an identical column covers Party 2, so both people supply name, birth, family, and prior-marriage information. Knowing the fields in advance helps you bring the right documents, especially the parents' full names and any prior-marriage dates.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Whole Name | Yes | First, middle, last, and suffix for each party. |
| Maiden Name | Conditional | If applicable to that party. |
| Address, City, State, Zip | Yes | Current residence for each party. |
| County | Yes | County of residence. |
| Phone | Yes | Contact number. |
| Where Born | Yes | City and state of birth. |
| Sex, Age, Date of Birth, Race | Yes | No date format printed on the sheet. |
| Highest Level of Education | Yes | Circle one: 8th or less; 9th-12th; HS Grad or GED; some college; Associate; Bachelor's; Master's; Doctorate; Unknown. |
| # of Previous Marriages | Yes | Count for each party. |
| Date Last Marriage Ended / Reason | Conditional | Circle death or divorce/annulment if there was a prior marriage. |
| Occupation and Employer Name | Yes | For each party. |
| Father's FULL Name / Address | Yes | Address required if the father is not deceased. |
| Mother's FULL MAIDEN Name / Address | Yes | Address required if the mother is not deceased. |
Note: The same name, birth, education, prior-marriage, occupation, and parent fields repeat in full for Party 2 on the one-page sheet.
Looking Up Pike County Marriage Records
The Pike County homepage carries a "View Marriage License Index" link among its research tools, alongside the Circuit Court and Chancery Court case info links. That index is the official online starting point for marriage records. During research the index loaded inside an embedded frame, so the search fields could not be inspected, and the page may not always display cleanly in every browser.
When the online index does not load or does not show what you need, the Circuit Clerk is the reliable fallback. Call 601-783-2581, mail a request to P.O. Drawer 31, Magnolia, MS 39652, or visit the counter at 200 East Bay Street. Bring the full names of both spouses and an approximate marriage date so the staff can locate the entry. Certified marriage-license copies are requested from the Circuit Clerk, since that office issued and recorded the license.
If staff cannot pull a record quickly, the Pike County Information Request Form is the general public-records fallback. It asks for the requester's name, contact details, a detailed description of the record, the delivery method, and the date the information is needed.
Pike County Divorce Records in Chancery Court
Divorces in Pike County are Chancery Court matters, not Circuit Court cases. The Chancery Clerk, Becky Buie, is clerk for the court that hears land and domestic matters, and the office page names divorces and child custody among its examples. The Chancery Clerk counter is at 200 E. Bay St., Magnolia, MS 39652, phone 601-783-3362, open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Because Chancery Court also handles estates and guardianships, the same office connects to the county's Chancery Court probate records.
You can read the office's own description of its divorce and domestic-matter role on the Pike County Chancery Clerk page.
That page confirms the Chancery Clerk is the office to contact for a Pike County divorce file rather than the marriage-license office.
Online, the county homepage links "Chancery Court Case Info," and the Chancery official-records portal sits at chancery.pikecountyms.gov. The statewide Mississippi Electronic Courts system at courts.ms.gov/mec may also hold case information, though it was captcha-gated during research. A divorce file can include the complaint, answer, temporary orders, hearing notices, property and support orders, and the final decree. Some filings carry sealed minor, financial, or protected-address details, so portions may be redacted.
Filing for Divorce in Pike County
Filing a divorce runs through the Chancery Clerk because Pike County domestic and equity matters belong in Chancery Court. The county did not publish a full divorce self-help packet, so confirm residency and venue rules under Mississippi law or with an attorney before you file. These steps outline the path the official sources describe.
- Confirm venue and residency under Mississippi law or with counsel; Pike County did not publish a complete divorce packet.
- File the divorce pleadings in Chancery Court through the Chancery Clerk at 200 E. Bay St., Magnolia.
- Pay the filing fees; the exact divorce filing fee was not located in official Pike County sources, so confirm it with the clerk.
- Serve the other party unless the case is filed jointly or service is waived under the court rules.
- The court may enter temporary orders, set hearings, and address custody, support, and property before a final decree.
- Request certified copies of the divorce decree from the Chancery Clerk, not the Circuit Clerk.
Note: A joint or uncontested filing still goes through the Chancery Clerk, and the chancellor must sign the final decree before it takes effect.
Pike County Marriage and Divorce Fees
Only a few marriage and divorce costs appear in the official Pike County sources. The marriage license fee is fixed and confirmed on the Circuit Clerk page. The copy and certified-copy figures below come from the Mississippi recording fee sheet that the Chancery Clerk posts for land records. Those recording amounts are listed so you can estimate copy costs, but they are land-record fees, not divorce or probate filing fees, and the clerk should confirm them before you order a court file.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marriage license (Circuit Clerk) | $37.00 |
| Copy furnished by clerk or employee | $0.50 per page |
| Copy furnished by another person | $0.25 per page |
| Certified copy (recording fee schedule) | $1.00 per complete document |
| Public information request research fee | $5.00 plus $0.50 per copy |
| Divorce case filing fee | [fee not located in official Pike sources] |
| Certified divorce decree copy | [fee not located; confirm with Chancery Clerk] |
The copy and certified-copy lines above are drawn from the recording fee schedule and are the figures published for documents the clerk holds. Court-file certification can differ, so confirm the exact charge before paying.
Getting Certified Copies
Banks, name-change agencies, immigration offices, and courts often want a certified copy rather than a printout. For Pike County marriage and divorce records, the source of the certified copy depends on the record. A certified marriage license comes from the Circuit Clerk, the office that issued it. A certified divorce decree comes from the Chancery Clerk, the office that holds the case file.
To order, contact the right clerk by phone, mail, or in person and give the names of both parties and the date of the marriage or divorce. The more detail you provide, the faster staff can find the file. Confirm the certification charge before paying, since court-file certification can differ from the per-document figure on the land-record fee sheet.
Restricted Family and Adoption Records
Not every Pike County family file is open to the public. Adoption records are Chancery Court matters in Pike County and should be treated as confidential, not as ordinary divorce or custody files. Youth Court records are sealed under Mississippi practice and are generally available only to parties, attorneys, agencies, or people with court authorization. Mental-health and commitment proceedings, which can also reach Chancery Court, often contain medical details that are withheld.
Even in an open divorce file, personal identifiers such as Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and minor-identifying details may be redacted. A criminal record tied to a family case can sometimes be sealed or expunged, which removes it from public view. Mississippi expunction is governed by state statute, and lawmakers continue to revisit those rules.
The state legislature posts the text of its expunction and records bills online for the public to read.
That bill text shows how sealing and expunction can affect whether a Pike County record stays publicly searchable. When a record is restricted, the clerk of the court that handled the case is the office that can explain access and any sealing order.