The numbers we have verified
The lowest figure we verified is $75 (Rankin County Justice Court, Rankin County) and the highest is $85 (Pearl River County Justice Court, Pearl River County).
Counts and ranges are generated from our verified data when this page is built. A county without a verified fee says so on its own page and never gets an estimated number.
The state base fee is small
Justice courts hear actions to recover a debt, damages or personal property where the amount "shall not exceed Three Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($3,500.00)" (Miss. Code 9-11-9). Several bills to raise that limit were filed in 2025 and 2026, and none passed.
The fee statute sets "a uniform total fee in all civil cases" of $25, plus $5 "for service of process on each defendant" when there is more than one defendant (Miss. Code 25-7-25(1)(a) and (b)). Bills to raise that fee also died in the 2025 and 2026 sessions.
Why county totals are higher than the base fee
The totals counties publish are well above $25 because they include service on the defendant and other charges. Lamar County's justice court shows the split: its one-defendant figure is a $29 filing charge plus $55 for constable service. Most counties publish only the total.
The tables below are generated from the totals we verified on each county's own page.
| Hinds County court | Filing fee |
|---|---|
| Hinds County Justice Court | $85 |
| DeSoto County court | Filing fee |
|---|---|
| DeSoto County Justice Court | $85 |
| Rankin County court | Filing fee |
|---|---|
| Rankin County Justice Court | $75 |
| Lamar County court | Filing fee |
|---|---|
| Lamar County Justice Court | $84 |
Extra defendants and service method
What changes most from county to county is the charge for a second defendant and how service is done. Some counties quote a "double suit" price for two defendants, others charge a set amount per additional defendant, and DeSoto County offers a lower figure if you use a private process server instead of the constable. Each county page shows what the court publishes.
What this means if you are filing in Mississippi
Call or check the justice court clerk in the county where you will file and ask for the total with the number of defendants you have. Most Mississippi counties do not publish a small claims total; for those, our calculator shows the range of the totals we verified and tells you to confirm with the clerk.
If the fee is a hardship, see our Mississippi fee waiver guide for how to ask the court to let you file without paying in advance.
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Sources
- Miss. Code 9-11-9 and 25-7-25, current text as reprinted in 2026 House Bill 876 (As Introduced; the bill died in committee) (read October 2026)
- Mississippi Legislature, bill status for Code Section 9-11-9 (2026 Regular Session) (read October 2026)
- Mississippi Legislature, bill status for Code Section 25-7-25 (2026 Regular Session) (read October 2026)
- Lamar County Justice Court (read October 2026)
Mississippi's official code is published through a commercial site we could not read, so the current text of both sections is taken from the Legislature's own reprint of them in a 2026 bill, where existing law is shown with proposed changes marked. That bill did not pass, so the existing text is the law in force.
This is general information, not legal advice. Fees change; confirm the current amount with the court before you file. How we check our data: methodology.