The Public Lands Division of the MSOS has the constitutional and statutory authority for enforcement of the Sixteenth Section Public School Trust Lands and Lieu Lands laws, development and implementation of the Public Trust Tidelands Management Programs, sale of lands forfeited to the State for non-payment of ad valorem taxes, inventory of State agency lands and services to the public and governmental subdivisions relating to sales, acquisitions, leasing, and title of the State’s real property assets.

**Effective October 31, 2015 all applications to purchase tax-forfeited land must be submitted using the Tax-Forfeited Online Property Application site. To access this site, please click on the following link Tax-Forfeited Land Search

Contacts:

Bill Cheney
Assistant Secretary of State
Public Lands Division
16thSection.CustomerService@sos.ms.gov

125 S.Congress Street
Jackson, MS 39201

P.O. Box 136
Jackson, MS 39205-0136

Phone: 601-359-5156

Fax: 601-359-1461

Gulf Coast Office
1141 Bayview Avenue, Suite 120
Biloxi, MS 39530

Phone: 228-432-0541

Fax: 228-432-0550

​​​​​Raymond D. Carter
Assistant Secretary of State for the Gulf Coast
Tidelands.CustomerService@sos.ms.gov

Tyrone Hickman
Bureau Director
Public Lands Division
Phone: 601-359-6381
TaxForfeited.CustomerService@sos.ms.gov