County Elected Officials - Coroner

Summary of Office

The coroner is responsible for assuring readily available death investigators for the county 24 hours a day for the investigation of all deaths “affecting the public interest.”

Number to Be Elected

One per county.

Term of Office

Nominations for election to the office of the corner are made via primary elections conducted by the political parties or via a petition of qualified electors. The general election for the office of the corner is held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of general election years. County coroners are elected at-large for a 4-year term. The term of office of coroner starts on the first Monday of January after the election.

Criteria to Run

A candidate for the office of coroner must, at a minimum, possess a high school diploma or its equivalent, be 21 years of age or older, be a qualified elector of the county in which elected, and reside in the county.

Duties of Office

Recognized as a county medical examiner or county medical examiner investigator. The coroner is responsible for assuring readily available death investigators for the county 24 hours a day for the investigation of all deaths “affecting the public interest.” The coroner is also responsible for maintaining copies of all county medical examiner death investigations for the previous 5 years, and for coordinating and cooperating with the state medical examiner.

Additional information about this office can be found in the County Government in Mississippi book published by the Mississippi State University Extension Service Center for Government and Community Development..

Publication 3222 (POD-05-24)

By Jason Camp, PhD, Extension Specialist II, Center for Government and Community Development.