Mississippi Public Records Information

As per the state laws in the Mississippi State the official resources of the government make sure that the general public can access the appropriate information as well as the records that are in the possession of the state archives. At the same time there are federal as well as state laws in place which restrict the right of the public to access the Mississippi public records. This is to protect the privacy of the individuals as well as prevent cases of identity thefts or frauds.

Public Disclosure

In accordance with the Mississippi Public Records Act each government agency at the state as well as the county levels require to make the information contained in the Mississippi public records available to the public for the purpose of making copies,  suggesting corrects (where applicable) and for inspection provided that such information does not fall under the exemptions. If there is a conflict between the Mississippi Public Records Act and any other privacy notice regarding the public disclosure of the records, the provisions of the former will override such notices.

Mississippi Public Records Act (Miss. Code Ann. § 25-61-1)

The Mississippi Public Records Act makes it possible for the general public in the state of Mississippi to have access to the non-exempt public records that are available in the archives and depositories of all the government agencies in the Mississippi State. The Ethics Commission for the state of Mississippi has devised a model for the rules regarding the public records to be adopted by the state as well as the local government agencies. The Mississippi Ethics Commission also has the right to mediate and resolve the disputes arising from the Mississippi Public Records Act.

Before filing a lawsuit to make any public body in the State of Mississippi to provide information about any Mississippi public record, the individual who has been denied the right to access, inspect or making copies of the Mississippi public records needs to check with the Mississippi Ethics Commission. This will assist the individual to learn whether the agency is obligated to provide these records requested by the individual in the first place.

To request for the opinion of the Ethics Commission regarding the denial to access the public records, the individual needs to request for the commission’s opinion. The individual should include the copy of the written record of the denial along with the request for the records. The Commission will forward the request to the appropriate official of the concerned public body. The public body has two weeks time to respond to the Commission’s request.

To learn about the Mississippi Public Records Act please visit:
http://www.ethics.state.ms.us/ethics/ethics.nsf/webpage/A_records?OpenDocument.

Exemptions from the Mississippi Public Records Law

The exempt public records under the Mississippi Public Records Law of 1983 include:

• The personal details of the victims, their statements and supporting letters which are available with the State Parole Board and the Department of Corrections
• Records under Section 25-61-3 of the Mississippi Public Records law are not available to the public. These include functions involving the enforcement of the criminal laws, information on the apprehension of the offenders and criminal investigations, reports of the investigators and informants and such.

For more information please visit: http://www.mscode.com/free/statutes/45/029/0003.htm  and http://www.pers.state.ms.us/pdf/regulations/Reg38.pdf.

Accessing the Mississippi Public Records

The types of  Mississippi public records includes birth records, death records, court records( civil and criminal) from the supreme court, appellate courts and the superior courts including civil and criminal appeals on matters such as marriage license, criminal as well as civil divorce records, drivers licenses, incorporation records, records of US naturalization, records of the motor vehicles registration,  records of the real estate ownership, probate records, water right records and school records.

A lot of the Mississippi public records are not available over the Internet. The state laws in the Mississippi State require that the individual directly contact the government agency during the business hours. There are charges applicable for making copies of the Mississippi public records. In addition commercial use of the public records is restricted by the Mississippi State statutes and involves a higher cost for each copy of the records.

For a list of the resources for the public records in Mississippi please visit: http://www.mississippi.gov/index.jsp.