Alabama court records
Who holds it: Unified state judicial system: Supreme Court, Court of Criminal Appeals, Court of Civil Appeals, circuit court (general jurisdiction), district court (limited), probate court, municipal courts1
On this page
Statewide case search
Statewide trial-court case access via Alacourt 'Just One Look' (pa.alacourt.com/default.aspx), linked from the AOC home page alacourt.gov; on-demand access one case at a time2
More details
- Jurisdiction
- Circuit court: civil over $20,000 (exclusive) and concurrent with district court over $6,000; all felonies3
- Clerk
- Circuit Clerk (state-paid) keeps circuit and district court records; clerk's office staff also serve the district court4
- Docket
- Circuit clerk keeps a consolidated docket of civil and criminal cases5
- County court info
- AOC county-by-county court information page6
Related records in Alabama
- Criminal history checks: state repository
- Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) is the state criminal history repository7
- Criminal history checks: who may order
- Restricted by statute to those with a 'need to know' or 'right to know'; not a public name search8
- Divorce records: who holds it
- Full case file: Circuit Clerk in the county of divorce. Divorce certificates: state Center for Health Statistics (from 1950); pre-1950 only at the circuit court9
How Alabama handles it
- Judge of Probate is the county recording office (deeds, mortgages, plats, liens) and also runs the probate court10
- Divided counties/courthouse annexes: real property instruments may be recorded at any courthouse in the county11
Court records in Alabama counties with a full guide
The local office, its official online search and its own fee, for each county with a full guide. Local fees can differ from the statewide figures above.
| County | Office | Search online | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baldwin County | — | Probate Court of Baldwin County12 | Circuit Clerk record search: computerized records $10.00; paper/archived/microfilmed $25.00; copies pages 1-20 $5.00, each additional page $.50; each certification $5.00; search fee non-refundable13 |
| Calhoun County | — | Calhoun County Circuit Court14 | Archived/microfilmed records search $25.00; copies up to 20 pages $5.00 (each additional $0.50); certification by Clerk $5.0014 |
| Cullman County | — | Circuit Court, 32nd Judicial Circuit15 District Court, 32nd Judicial Circuit15 Cullman County Probate Court16 | — |
| Elmore County | — | Elmore County Circuit Court17 Elmore County Probate Court18 | Copies $5.00 (1st 20 pages), 50 cents each additional page; certified copies $10.00; authentication of records $5.00 per document; search $10.00-$25.0019 |
| Etowah County | — | — | Archived/microfilmed records search $25.00; copies up to 20 pages $5.00 (each additional $0.50); certification $5.00; mail requests by money order only20 |
| Houston County | — | Houston County Circuit Court21 Houston County District Court22 Houston County Probate Court23 | Circuit Clerk copies $5.00 for 1-20 pages, $.50 per page thereafter; certification $5.0024 |
| Jefferson County | — | Circuit Court, Tenth Judicial Circuit25 District Court, Tenth Judicial Circuit25 | $351.00 over $50,000 or unspecified (page says current as of June 21, 2012)26 |
| Lauderdale County | — | Circuit Court27 District Court27 | — |
| Lee County | — | Circuit Court, 37th Judicial Circuit28 District Court of Lee County28 | Fees: copies: 1-20 pages $25.00; additional pages $0.50 per page; each certification $5.00; allow at least 7 working days29 |
| Limestone County | — | Limestone County Probate Court30 | — |
| Madison County | — | — | Fees: certified copy: Certificate of exemplification or certified fee $5.00, plus $.50 per page for paper copy31 |
| Marshall County | — | — | — |
| Mobile County | — | Circuit Court of Mobile County (13th Judicial Circuit) - Circuit Criminal32 Probate Court of Mobile County33 Mobile County Family Court32 | — |
| Shelby County | — | Circuit Court, 18th Judicial Circuit34 District Court34 | Circuit Clerk copies: pages 1-20 $5.00, each additional page $.50, each certification $5.00; record search: computerized records (1993 to present) no charge, paper or archived/microfilmed records $20.00; $10.00 deposit with mailed requests; cashier's check or money order only35 |
| St. Clair County | — | St. Clair County Circuit Court36 St. Clair County District Court36 | — |
| Tuscaloosa County | — | Circuit Court and District Court, 6th Judicial Circuit37 | — |
For any other county, see the county list on the Alabama guide.
Official copies vs look-alike sites
A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any Alabama office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.
Rules in other states: court records in every state. Everything else in Alabama: Alabama public records guide.
Sources
Every fact above links to the official page it comes from. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.
- Code of Alabama 1975 § 12-1-2: Unified judicial systemAlabama Legislature (ALISON)checked November 4, 2026
- Alabama Administrative Office of Courts home pageAlabama Administrative Office of Courtschecked November 4, 2026
- Code of Alabama 1975 § 12-11-30: Circuit court jurisdictionAlabama Legislature (ALISON)checked November 4, 2026
- Code of Alabama 1975 § 12-17-80: Circuit clerks paid by stateAlabama Legislature (ALISON)checked November 4, 2026
- Code of Alabama 1975 § 12-17-94: Circuit clerk dutiesAlabama Legislature (ALISON)checked November 4, 2026
- Alabama's Judicial Circuits (county-specific court information)Alabama Administrative Office of Courtschecked November 4, 2026
- Alabama Background Check (ABC) SystemAlabama Law Enforcement Agency (portal run by Alabama Interactive, linked from alea.gov)checked November 4, 2026
- Code of Alabama 1975 § 41-9-642: Disclosure of criminal historiesAlabama Legislature (ALISON)checked November 4, 2026
- Divorce CertificatesAlabama Department of Public Health, Center for Health Statisticschecked November 4, 2026
- Code of Alabama 1975 § 35-4-50: Conveyances required to be recorded in office of probate judgeAlabama Legislature (ALISON)checked November 4, 2026
- Code of Alabama 1975 § 35-4-62: Locations for recording conveyancesAlabama Legislature (ALISON)checked November 4, 2026
- Probate CourtBaldwin County Commissionarchived copychecked November 4, 2026
- Request for Record Search and/or Copies of Court Records (PDF)Baldwin County Circuit Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
- Record Request and CopiesCalhoun County Circuit Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
- Alabama Administrative Office of Courts home pageAlabama Administrative Office of Courtschecked November 4, 2026
- Recording Department InformationCullman County Courtschecked November 4, 2026
- Alacourt ACCESS 'Just One Look' home page with pricingAlacourt.com, the on-demand court records service linked from www.alacourt.gov (Alabama Unified Judicial System)checked November 7, 2026
- Probate OfficeElmore County Commissionchecked November 7, 2026
- Court CostsAlabama Administrative Office of Courts (elmore.alacourt.gov)checked November 7, 2026
- Record Request and CopiesEtowah County Circuit Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
- Circuit Clerk, Carla WoodallHouston County Circuit Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
- Houston County Circuit Clerk home (20th Judicial Circuit)Alabama Administrative Office of Courts / Houston County Circuit Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
- Probate CourtHouston County Probate Officechecked November 4, 2026
- Civil Fee SheetHouston County Circuit Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
- Tenth Judicial Circuit of Jefferson CountyAlabama Administrative Office of Courtschecked November 4, 2026
- Circuit Clerk Filing FeesAlabama Administrative Office of Courtschecked November 4, 2026
- Circuit Clerk dutiesAlabama Administrative Office of Courtschecked November 7, 2026
- Alabama Administrative Office of Courts home pageAlabama Administrative Office of Courtschecked November 4, 2026
- REQUEST FOR COPIES AND/OR SEARCHES OF COURTLee County, Alabamachecked November 4, 2026
- Limestone County Online Services (land and probate record lookup)Ingenuity, Inc. for Limestone County Judge of Probatechecked November 7, 2026
- Filing FeesAlabama Administrative Office of Courts (Madison County, 23rd Judicial Circuit)checked November 4, 2026
- Mobile County - Thirteenth Judicial Circuit (Circuit Clerk)Alabama Unified Judicial System / Mobile County Circuit Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
- RecordsProbate Court of Mobile Countychecked November 4, 2026
- Shelby County Circuit Clerk's Office (home)Alabama Administrative Office of Courts / Shelby County Circuit Clerkchecked November 4, 2026
- Request for Record Search and/or Copies of Court Records (PDF, rev 6-08)Shelby County Circuit Clerk (form hosted on eforms.alacourt.gov)checked November 4, 2026
- Alabama Administrative Office of Courts home pageAlabama Administrative Office of Courtschecked November 7, 2026
- Circuit Clerk, Magaria BoboAlabama Administrative Office of Courtschecked November 4, 2026