About the Alcorn County Circuit Clerk's Office
Crystal Starling serves as the Alcorn County Circuit Clerk. As an elected officer, the Circuit Clerk runs the office that supports the Circuit Court and ties together court records, juries, and voter rolls for the county. The office sits in Corinth, the county seat, and serves the public Monday through Friday during normal business hours.
The Circuit Clerk is one of two clerks in Alcorn County. This office covers circuit court files, while a separate Chancery Clerk handles estates, land records, and equity cases. The contact details below are the fastest way to reach the Circuit Clerk for a records question or a court filing.
Alcorn County Circuit Clerk
Clerk: Crystal Starling
601 Foote Street
P.O. Box 430
Corinth, MS 38835-0430
662-286-7740
Fax: 662-286-7767
cstarling@alcorncountyms.gov
Mon to Fri, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
What the Circuit Clerk Does in Alcorn County
The Alcorn County Circuit Clerk wears many hats. The office is the records hub for the Circuit Court and the point of contact for several services that have nothing to do with a single case. Core duties include the following:
- Filing all criminal and civil cases and the papers that go with them.
- Issuing court process, including summons and subpoenas.
- Drawing and qualifying juries for Circuit Court terms.
- Receiving appeals from lower courts and administrative agencies.
- Registering voters and managing absentee voting.
- Issuing and recording marriage licenses.
- Recording judgments entered by the court.
- Collecting fines and restitution ordered in criminal cases.
Because the office handles so many tasks, staff are assigned to different functions. Email addresses for the Circuit Clerk team include cstarling@, hboyer@, lcantrell@, bcampbell@, and mburkeens@, each at alcorncountyms.gov. A short call to the main line can point you to the right person before you send a request.
Reaching the Right County Office
Alcorn County spreads its services across several offices, and a request sent to the wrong one only adds delay. The county keeps a routing guide that answers common how do I questions and points each task to the office that owns it. You can browse that guide on the Alcorn County how do I page.
The routing guide is a good first stop when you are not sure whether a record sits with the Circuit Clerk, the Chancery Clerk, the Sheriff, or another county office. Once you know the owner, the contact details on this page get you the rest of the way.
Online Marriage Records and License Applications
The Alcorn County Circuit Clerk offers an online portal for marriage records. The DuProcess system lets you search the marriage record index and start a marriage license application from a browser. The portal is a convenience tool, not the official record. The county notes that the official source is the Marriage Records Index kept at the courthouse, and the Circuit Clerk does not guarantee the online index.
Starting an application online does not finish it. Both applicants must appear in person with a valid government photo ID that shows date of birth, and pay the license fee. Applicants under 21 need parental consent and should call the Circuit Clerk at 662-286-7740 before they apply. Online card purchases of copies are final and carry a service fee.
Alcorn County Circuit Clerk Fees
Fees at the Circuit Clerk depend on what you need. The marriage license fee and the online card service fee are set and listed below, along with the statewide vital records copy fee for context. Copy fees for court documents are confirmed at the counter, since they vary by document and number of pages.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marriage license | $36.00 |
| Online card service fee | 3.5% ($2.00 minimum) |
| State Health Department marriage copy | $17.00 ($6.00 each extra of same record) |
| Court document copy fees | Confirm at the counter |
| Certified copy and certification | Confirm at the counter |
The state copy fee applies to the Mississippi State Department of Health, which holds marriage records from January 1, 1926 forward, except for a gap kept by the Circuit Clerks. For a courthouse copy, the Alcorn County Circuit Clerk quotes the exact charge when you make the request.
Records Request Form Fields
Whether you ask in writing, by mail, or at the counter, a clear request helps staff find the file fast. The table lists the details the Circuit Clerk needs to locate and copy a court record.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case Number | If known | Speeds the search; not always available to the requester. |
| Party Names | Yes | Full legal names of the parties in the case. |
| Document Type | Yes | State the exact paper, such as a judgment or order. |
| Approximate Date | Helpful | A year or term narrows older records. |
| Number of Copies | Yes | Note whether you need certified copies. |
| Requester Contact | Yes | Name, phone, and return mailing address. |
How to Request a Certified Copy
A certified copy carries the clerk's stamp and signature to prove it matches the record on file. Other courts, agencies, and lenders often require one. Follow these steps to get a certified copy from the Alcorn County Circuit Clerk.
- Identify the case by party names and, if you have it, the case number.
- Contact the Circuit Clerk by phone, email, mail, or at the counter to confirm the copy and certification fee.
- Submit your request with the document type, the number of certified copies, and your contact details.
- Pay the quoted fee, then pick up the copy in person or wait for it to arrive by mail.
For records the Circuit Clerk does not keep, such as a divorce decree or an estate file, the request goes to the Chancery Clerk instead. The split between the two offices is explained on the Alcorn County Chancery Clerk page.
Appeals From Lower Courts
The Alcorn County Circuit Clerk receives appeals that move up from the lower courts and from administrative agencies. When a case is decided in Justice Court or in the Corinth Municipal Court, a party who wants a new hearing can appeal to Circuit Court, and the paperwork lands at the Circuit Clerk's office. The clerk dockets the appeal, builds the record, and tracks it through the Circuit Court term.
This role makes the Circuit Clerk a key link between the county's trial levels. A traffic or misdemeanor matter that started in a lower court can end up in the Circuit Court file, and the Circuit Clerk holds the record of that step. If you are not sure where a lower court case now stands, the Circuit Clerk can tell you whether an appeal was filed and where the file sits.
Mail, Phone, Email, and Counter Access
The Alcorn County Circuit Clerk gives the public four steady ways to reach the office. Each one fits a different need, and choosing the right channel keeps your request moving.
- Counter: Visit 601 Foote Street in Corinth on a weekday to view records, file papers, or pick up a certified copy in person.
- Phone: Call 662-286-7740 to check hours, confirm a fee, or ask which office holds a record.
- Mail: Send written requests and filings to P.O. Box 430, Corinth, MS 38835-0430, with your return address.
- Email: Reach staff at their alcorncountyms.gov addresses, and aim your message at the function you need, such as a court filing question.
- Fax: Send documents to 662-286-7767 when a paper copy needs to arrive fast.
For any in person task, plan around the Monday through Friday hours of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Mailed requests take longer because they depend on the post in both directions, so include everything the office needs the first time to avoid a second round of letters.
Related County Legal Offices
The Circuit Clerk works alongside other county legal offices that touch court cases in different ways. The County Attorney advises the county and handles certain civil and legal matters on its behalf, separate from the District Attorney who prosecutes felonies. You can read about that role on the Alcorn County Attorney page.
Knowing which legal office does what helps when a case crosses more than one desk. The Circuit Clerk files and keeps the court record, while offices like the County Attorney handle the legal side of county business.
The Alcorn County Justice Center Cluster
Several public safety and court services share a campus on South Harper Road, often called the Justice Center cluster, which sits apart from the Circuit Clerk's downtown office. The county E-911 system, which routes emergency calls and supports addressing, is part of that wider public safety setup. Details appear on the Alcorn County E-911 page.
The Justice Center cluster holds the Justice Court, the jail, and related offices, while the Circuit Clerk stays at 601 Foote Street. Sorting out which building you need is worth a quick check before you drive across town.
County Context and Service Area
The Circuit Clerk serves the whole of Alcorn County, a community of roughly 34,500 people centered on Corinth. The size and makeup of the county shape the volume of cases, juries, and voter records the office manages each year. Population and related figures are summarized on the Alcorn County demographics page.
That county context is a reminder that the Circuit Clerk is a busy local office, not a remote agency. Whether you call, write, email, or visit the counter, plan your request around the regular Monday through Friday business hours.