Alabama Court Records Search | AlaCourt Case Lookup

Key Resources for Alabama Court Records

Before relying on any Alabama court docket, opinion, or case file you find online, double-check key details against the official Alabama Judicial System portals or the appropriate clerk’s office, because web data is not guaranteed complete or current.

Finding court records in Alabama requires understanding how the Alabama Judicial System splits responsibility between statewide tools and local county courts. Statewide court dockets and other judicial records sit alongside broader public data covered on Alabama Public Records, but official files are still controlled by the courts themselves, not by this independent guide.

Before you search, gather as much as you can about the case: full names of parties, approximate filing year, and any case or ticket number shown on court papers or payment notices. State portals focus on Alabama trial and appellate courts only, so federal cases must be searched through separate federal court systems, and you will often need to move from statewide indexes to county-level tools when you need older case files, document images, or certified copies.

Overview of Court Records in Alabama: Structure and Search Tools

Alabama court dockets, case files, and other judicial records are created and maintained within Alabama’s Unified Judicial System. Trial courts generate most of the day-to-day records, while the Supreme Court, Court of Civil Appeals, and Court of Criminal Appeals issue written opinions and handle appeals. Statewide online tools primarily provide index and docket access to these state courts, but they do not replace the official case file maintained by the clerk.

For trial-level information, the Alabama Administrative Office of Courts supports online tools that offer on-demand access to state trial court records one case at a time. For appellate materials, the Alabama Appellate Courts Public Portal and the broader Alabama Judicial System website provide searchable indexes and links to opinions. These systems are designed for convenience: they explicitly state that online information is not certified, that no warranties are provided, and that users remain responsible for how they interpret any data they retrieve.

This guide focuses on Alabama state courts only. Federal district, bankruptcy, and other federal court records use separate federal systems and are not included in Alacourt, the appellate public portal, or other state-run case lookup tools. If you are unsure which system you need, start with the state portals described here for Alabama judicial records, then confirm any results with the appropriate court.

Nothing here is legal or tax advice, and this site is not part of any Alabama court or agency. For legal strategy, deadlines, or how the law applies to your situation, you should consult a licensed Alabama attorney or work directly with official court staff within the limits of what they are allowed to explain.

Understanding the Court System in Alabama: Alabama Judicial System Overview

The Alabama Judicial System is built in tiers. At the top, the Supreme Court of Alabama is the state’s highest court. It has authority to review decisions from other courts, handles certain matters that no other court can hear, and has exclusive jurisdiction over appeals where the amount in controversy exceeds $50,000 or where appeals come from the Alabama Public Service Commission. Below the Supreme Court are the intermediate appellate courts: the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals and the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals.

The Court of Civil Appeals hears civil appeals under a monetary threshold, as well as appeals from most administrative agencies, workers’ compensation cases, and a wide range of domestic-relations matters such as divorce, child custody, alimony, adoption, and child support. The Court of Criminal Appeals hears appeals in felony and misdemeanor cases, including violations of city ordinances and post-conviction criminal writs. Under these appellate courts sit the trial courts, including circuit and district courts referenced in Alabama’s local county information, where most cases begin and where the core case files are created.

In general terms, a case starts in a trial court, where facts are presented and witnesses testify. If a party believes the trial court made a legal or procedural error, they may file an appeal to the appropriate appellate court. Appellate courts do not hold new trials; instead, they review the written record from the trial court and issue opinions addressing alleged errors. In limited circumstances, the Supreme Court may then review decisions from the intermediate appellate courts. Understanding which level of court handled a matter will determine which statewide system, if any, will have a docket entry or opinion for the case.

Alongside these courts, Alabama also has a Court of the Judiciary and other specialized bodies that handle judicial discipline and related issues. These proceedings are documented on the Alabama Judicial System site, often with detailed chronological filings, but they follow their own rules and are separate from routine criminal, civil, and family cases that most members of the public need to look up.

Using the Official Alabama Case Lookup Tool and Alabama Appellate Courts Public Portal

Alabama trial court records are available online through the Alacourt ACCESS V2.0 system, which provides on-demand access to state trial court records one case at a time. After setting up an account, you can typically search by party name or case number and then view a case detail report showing basic case information, court actions, case status, scheduled dates, party details, financial history, and a case action summary. Name and case number searches are fee-based, and the system also offers paid document images and optional case monitoring services for ongoing email updates.

To view the underlying trial-level docket, you can start a trial court case search once you have registered with the system. Each search generally covers one case detail at a time, so it is helpful to narrow your search with a specific case number when possible. The portal also notes that even a search returning no matches still counts as a completed paid search, which makes careful spelling and accurate identifiers especially important.

For appeals, the Alabama Appellate Courts Public Portal provides a public index and docket information for cases in the Supreme Court of Alabama, the Court of Civil Appeals, and the Court of Criminal Appeals. Anyone can search for appellate case numbers, parties, or other basic information, but only registered users—primarily Alabama attorneys or those admitted pro hac vice—may view or purchase documents through the portal. The system’s documentation explains that it only provides access to documents filed in or issued by the appellate courts on or after March 20, 2022, and that confidential cases will not be visible to the general public.

When you need written opinions rather than day-to-day docket entries, you will typically use opinion pages linked from each appellate court’s section of the Alabama Judicial System website. Those pages organize decisions by date and sometimes by court, and they cover opinions only from certain years forward. Older opinions are not fully available through the online lists and may require assistance from the State Law Library or the courts themselves to locate in official reporters.

Online trial and appellate options are for information only. Both the trial portal and the appellate public portal include disclaimers explaining that they do not certify the authenticity or completeness of any record and that the courts assume no liability for actions taken in reliance on online data. For any purpose that requires a legally effective record—such as filing in another court, proving a conviction, or meeting an employer background-check requirement—you should plan to request certified records directly from the appropriate clerk’s office.

There is no separate attorney search portal linked in these judicial resources, but the appellate FAQs note that the Alabama State Bar provides a Lawyer Referral Service for people who need legal help. If you are unsure how to interpret an online docket or opinion, contacting an attorney through that referral service or another trusted source is often the safest way to understand your options.

Which Court Handles What in Alabama: Case Types and Filing Locations

Alabama courts handle a broad range of case types, and the right court depends on both the subject matter and the “amount in controversy.” Criminal cases, including felonies, misdemeanors, and violations of city ordinances, are heard at the trial level before their appeals move to the Court of Criminal Appeals. Civil cases such as contract disputes, personal injury actions, and property disagreements start in the trial courts and are then appealed either to the Court of Civil Appeals or directly to the Supreme Court, depending in part on the dollar amount and the type of dispute.

Domestic-relations matters—divorce, alimony, child custody, child support, and adoption—are tried at the local level and then typically appealed to the Court of Civil Appeals, which has express jurisdiction over these subjects. Workers’ compensation cases and appeals from most administrative agencies also go to that court. Probate-related issues, such as estates and some guardianship questions, are overseen by probate judges at the county level, while municipal judges handle certain local ordinance violations. Because jurisdictional rules can be complex and fact-specific, it is important not to rely on this guide as legal advice but instead to review the Alabama Judicial System’s resources or consult a lawyer when deciding where to file a new case.

Alabama’s trial-court portal lists the kinds of records it covers, including criminal records, civil records, small claims files, state traffic records, domestic-relations matters, and child-support cases. However, the portal does not determine where a case should be filed; it only reflects what has already been filed. If you already know a case exists, you can use the portal to see which court is handling it and then contact that clerk for more detailed guidance on next steps.

For people researching incarceration or supervision status as part of a criminal case, court records often work alongside correctional information. You can use the dedicated Alabama Inmate Search resource on this site to locate individuals in state custody, then pair that information with Alabama court dockets to understand how a conviction, probation, or appeal relates to the person’s current status.

Requesting Official Court Records and Certified Copies in Alabama

The Alabama appellate and trial portals repeatedly emphasize that online dockets, case summaries, and document images are for convenience only and are not certified as official records. For legal purposes—such as proving that a judgment exists, confirming the precise language of an order, or meeting an employer or licensing agency’s documentation requirements—you generally need certified copies issued by the clerk of the Supreme Court, the Court of Civil Appeals, the Court of Criminal Appeals, or the relevant trial court.

At the appellate level, each court’s page within the Alabama Judicial System site offers information about fees for copies of appellate records and provides access to opinions released from certain dates forward. When a document is not posted online, the public portal instructs non-parties to contact the appropriate clerk’s office for access. A typical process involves identifying the case number, confirming which court handled the matter, and then submitting a request by mail, in person, or through any official online form or e-filing system that court may use. Copy and certification fees are set by court rule or administrative order, and this guide does not attempt to list them or explain how those charges apply.

For trial-level and family-court records, you may need to work directly with the clerk of the circuit or district court where the case was filed. In some child-support matters, payment history information is handled through centralized disbursement systems described by the Administrative Office of Courts, while the underlying orders and judgments remain part of the case file. Always confirm with the clerk which office is responsible for the records you need and whether identification, written requests, or specific forms are required.

Because record-request procedures, fees, and processing times can change, the safest approach is to treat statewide portals as a starting point for locating case numbers and understanding which court is involved, then follow the current instructions published by that court or by the Alabama Judicial System before you submit any formal request for certified copies.

Restrictions and County-Level Records Access in Alabama Judicial System

  • Alabama Judicial System: 300 Dexter Avenue Montgomery, Alabama 36104 (View on Google Maps)
  • Phone: 334.229.0700

Not every Alabama court record is available online or open to the general public. The appellate public portal explains that confidential cases will not appear for non-attorneys, and many sensitive case types—such as juvenile matters, adoptions, mental-health commitments, and some family-law disputes—are frequently restricted by law. Even in ordinary civil or criminal cases, certain filings or exhibits may be sealed or omitted from public dockets.

Online tools typically provide high-level docket entries and, for some newer cases, downloadable documents. But for older cases, exhibits, and files that predate the coverage of the appellate and trial portals, you may find only a partial record or nothing at all. The appellate FAQs note that opinions are only posted from specific years forward and that people seeking earlier opinions should contact the State Law Library, underscoring that historical materials still live primarily in paper or archival systems rather than in the statewide web portals.

While Alabama’s statewide portals help you confirm basic case details and follow recent activity, the full case files, original pleadings, exhibits, and many locally recorded documents are maintained in county offices such as circuit, district, probate, and municipal court clerks. When you need in-depth records, older dockets, or certified copies beyond what the online systems show, you will need to select the appropriate county and work with that local custodian of records.

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Why are some Alabama appellate documents missing from the online portal?
The Alabama Appellate Courts Public Portal only displays public documents filed on or after March 20, 2022 and excludes confidential materials, so older filings or sealed items must be requested directly from the relevant clerk's office.

How can I find older Alabama Supreme Court opinions that are not listed online?
The Supreme Court and appellate websites only post opinions from certain years forward, so for earlier decisions you generally need to contact the State Law Library or work with the court clerk to locate the opinion in the official archives.