Alabama Court Records (Search Cases)

Alabama public court records and statistics

Learn how to access Alabama court records directly online.  Almost anyone can access public court records from Alabama if they know where to look.

This in-depth guide will show where to find court records in Alabama, Alabama court statistics and caseloads.   The Alabama court system consists of 4 court systems.  Municipal courts, Probate courts, District courts, and Circuit courts.  Also, the Supreme Court of Alabama which is the court of last resort.  Which is composed of 1 Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices.

---

Search for Alabama Court Records

Use a search service below to start a court records search in Alabama. All that is needed is a first and last name to start and the system will run that name against all types of public records data from police stations, to federal, and other state resources. Courthouses included.

Public Records Search

Powered by

First Name

Last Name

Search

Powered by

BeenVerified background check service searches through billions of records and dozens of databases.

---

Alabama Court Statistics

The below statistics are from the Alabama Administrative Office of Courts.

Alabama Court Details

There are 41 Circuit courts in Alabama that have 148 Circuit Court judges that are divided up into the 41 circuit courts.  Alabama has 3 levels of jurisdiction and we will explain each one in greater detail in this guide.   The following jurisdiction will be explained and covered

• Courts of limited jurisdiction
• Courts of general jurisdiction
• Courts of appellate jurisdictions

Courts of Limited Jurisdiction

When talking about limited jurisdiction in Alabama will include probate courts, small claims courts, probate courts, district courts, and Juvenile courts.  Alabama has 67 counties and because of this, the judicial courts are broken up into 41 separate judicial circuits.  Keep in mind that Alabama’s judicial circuits could have more than one county.  But courts of limited jurisdiction are found in each county.  Same goes for most of the cities in Alabama they have only one municipal court.

Types of Courts

Municipal

What jurisdiction do Municipal courts have:  Violations of municipal ordinances and criminal misdemeanor offenses.  Courts are located in Alabama’s cities.

Probate

Jurisdiction over matters that will deal with estates, wills, real property, adoption, mental illness.  Each county in Alabama has a probate court.

Small claims

Small claims will jurisdiction over civil matters where the amount does not exceed $3,000.  The public may also represent themselves in this type of court.  Each county in Alabama has its own small claims court.

District courts

The district courts have jurisdiction in civil matters that the amount exceeds $3,000 but do not exceed $10,000.  Also, each county has its own district court.  District courts have jurisdiction over criminal misdemeanor offenses and are the primary place to hear preliminary hearings in felony prosecutions.

Juvenile courts

The juvenile court system will have both jurisdictions of civil and criminal matters that are among those under the age of 18.  Or someone that is dependent or of the need of supervisions.  These legal proceedings, because they deal with Juveniles, are confidential.  Each county in Alabama has its own juvenile court.

---

Courts of General Jurisdiction

Circuit courts in Alabama have general jurisdiction over the majority of legal matters that take place in Alabama.  But when talking about criminal matters the Circuit courts have jurisdiction over all those that involve felony prosecutions.

In Alabama’s district and the juvenile court system, it is possible that the circuit courts can exercise their jurisdiction in terms of legal matters in Alabama’s juvenile and district courts.  It also has jurisdiction over Circuit courts will have jurisdiction when matters exceed $10,000.

Along with the above, the Circuit courts can have appellate jurisdiction over different types of legal matters that have been appealed directly to circuit courts from courts with limited jurisdictions.  Alabama, as we said above, has 67 counties and all have their own circuit court.

---

Courts of Appellate Jurisdiction

Courts of Appellate Jurisdiction in Alabama are broken up into 3 separate courts.  They are the court of Civil Appeals, the court of Criminal Appeals, and the Supreme court of Alabama

Court of Civil Appeals

Court of Civil Appeals has five judges and in civil appeals has jurisdiction where the amount that is in controversy does not exceed $50,000.  Court of Civil Appeals also handles appeals that are related to works compensation, alimony, child support, child custody, adoption, and domestic relations.

Court of Criminal Appeals

This court has five judges and will consider all appeals from felony trials, misdemeanors, or convictions.  The court of criminal appeals can even include appeals from decisions that have been reached by Alabama’s municipal courts.

Supreme Court of Alabama

The supreme court is the highest court in Alabama and consists of the chief justice and eight associate justices. This court has the authority to review any decision by the lower court systems in Alabama.  When a legal matter reaches $50,000 or more and no other courts in Alabama have jurisdiction the supreme court will have the authority to review legal matters pertaining to that case.  The supreme court also can make rules that govern the practice, procedures, and administration for the Alabama courts.

Alabama Court Statistics & Workload

The below data comes from the Alabama Administrative Office of Courts. You can read more about there courts along with total facts and figures by accessing their PDF page here.  You can see that there are a lot of Alabama court records to search.

Alabama Courthouses