Monroe County Circuit Clerk Office
Wesley Hines serves as Monroe County Circuit Clerk. The local Alabama court page calls the Circuit Clerk the official record keeper and business manager for proceedings in District Court and Circuit Court. The office maintains court records, manages court funds, receives pleadings, collects fines and fees, prepares subpoenas, issues notices for hearings and trials, and works with the public. It also manages juries and serves the county elections process through the clerk's role as Absentee Election Manager.
The clerk's records are divided among ten areas, including Civil, Criminal, Domestic, Child Support, Traffic, Juvenile, and Warrants. Court records are electronically imaged, which makes many details more available to judges, staff, and the public. Imaging does not mean that every file is free online. Some case details and images require paid Just One Look access or a subscription, while confidential and sealed material remains restricted.
Monroe County Circuit Clerk
Clerk: Wesley Hines
Monroe County Courthouse, Room 220
65 North Alabama Avenue
Monroeville, AL 36460
(251) 743-2283
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Monroe County Circuit Clerk Duties
The Circuit Clerk supports the full life of a Monroe County trial-court case. Staff accept pleadings, assign and track case records, issue process, collect lawful costs, and send court notices. In a district civil claim, the filer must provide a correct defendant address or place of work so service can be attempted. Once a case number is assigned, parties should use it in every contact with the court. The clerk can describe filing steps and provide official forms, but cannot decide which claim to bring or advise a party on legal strategy.
- Maintains Monroe County District and Circuit Court records and electronic images.
- Receives civil, criminal, domestic, child-support, traffic, juvenile, and warrant filings.
- Collects and disburses court funds, fines, filing fees, and other lawful costs.
- Prepares subpoenas and issues notices for scheduled hearings and trials.
- Manages jury functions and serves as Absentee Election Manager.
The Probate Judge is a separate record owner. Probate cases, land records, recording services, and related online searches do not belong to the Circuit Clerk. Likewise, a municipal misdemeanor within Monroeville or Excel may be held by the relevant municipal court. Identifying the court before making a request avoids delay.
Request Monroe County Circuit Clerk Copies
A certified copy bears the court clerk's certification that it is a true copy of the record held by the office. A plain online image may be enough for review, but an agency, appeal, title matter, or another legal use may call for certification. The research does not publish a complete Monroe County copy and certification fee schedule, so confirm the charge, payment method, and delivery option with the Circuit Clerk before sending money. A case number will make the request more precise.
- Identify the District or Circuit case, case number, party names, division, and approximate filing date.
- Call (251) 743-2283 or visit Room 220 to confirm that the record is available and may be released.
- Describe the exact item needed, such as a complaint, judgment, disposition, order, or full docket, and state that certification is required.
- Confirm the lawful fee, accepted payment method, and whether pickup or mail delivery is available.
- Submit the request as directed and check the certification and case number when the copy is received.
Confidential juvenile, adoption, mental-health, sealed, and expunged records are not released like ordinary public files. The clerk follows the law and any court order governing access. A request for a restricted record may require proof of authority or an order from the court.
Monroe County Circuit Clerk Request Details
No dedicated local certified-copy request form was documented in the research. The safest course is to ask the Circuit Clerk how to submit the request and have the verified case details ready. The inventory below describes information that identifies the desired file; it is not presented as an official Monroe County form. Do not send a broad request when a case number and named document can narrow the search.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case Number | When known | The clearest court identifier and the key used in clerk contact. |
| Party Names | Yes | Use the full names shown in the case. |
| Court and Division | Yes | District or Circuit, plus civil, criminal, domestic, traffic, or another division. |
| Document Type | Yes | Name the complaint, judgment, order, disposition, docket, or other item. |
| Approximate Date | When known | Helps narrow older or similar-name records. |
| Copy and Delivery Need | Yes | State plain or certified copy and ask about pickup or mail. |
Monroe County Circuit Clerk Fees
The local court pages publish filing fees for civil work, but they do not provide a complete plain-copy and certified-copy schedule in the research. Do not infer a copy charge from filing costs. Confirm copy, search, certification, postage, and payment terms directly with Room 220. The selected filing fees below show the verified local amounts and the case tiers the clerk administers.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Small Claims up to $1,500 | $52.00 |
| Small Claims $1,500.01-$3,000 | $126.00 |
| Small Claims $3,000.01-$6,000 | $265.00 |
| District Civil $6,000.01-$20,000 | $267.00 |
| Circuit Civil $20,000.01-$50,000 | $266.00 |
| Circuit Civil over $50,000 or unspecified | $366.00 |
| Domestic Relations original filing | $214.00 |
| Domestic modification or enforcement | $317.00 |
| Civil subpoena | $12.00 |
| Sheriff service surcharge | $20.00 |
A jury demand is $100. Garnishment, execution, or attachment is $30. District civil appeals cost at least $220.50 without a jury or $320.50 with a jury, plus a bond for unpaid court costs. These are filing and process charges from the local pages, not a quote for a records request.
Monroe County Circuit Clerk Forms
The Alabama AOC e-Forms library supplies official statewide court PDFs. The do-it-yourself forms list also groups divorce, custody, guardianship, name-change, mental-health, and hardship forms. Forms may be saved for offline work, but selecting and completing one remains the filer's responsibility. The Circuit Clerk can explain the filing process without giving legal advice.
- Statement of Claim or Complaint: begins a district civil claim and requires a correct defendant address or place of work.
- Affidavit of Substantial Hardship: asks a judge to delay prepayment when a filer cannot afford the fee.
- Default Judgment application: may be used after a defendant fails to answer and must be notarized.
- Defendant's Answer or Counterclaim: responds to the claim; the ordinary district civil answer period is 14 calendar days after service.
- Subpoena request: seeks a witness's appearance or evidence and should allow time for service.
- Notice of Appeal: starts an appeal from District Civil to Circuit Court, generally within 14 calendar days after judgment.
Monroe County Online Clerk Access
The free Monroe County docket search finds settings by date and optional last name. It warns that some cases may not appear. Just One Look allows case-by-case access to Alabama trial-court details and documents after account sign-up and payment. Alacourt.com provides read-only subscription access to trial-court details and images, with subscription information available through the AlaFile and court-access page.
The systems answer different questions. The public docket is useful for a scheduled setting. A name or case-number search in statewide access can help determine whether a trial-court case exists. Paid selected-case access or a subscription may expose case details and electronic images. None of those routes guarantees release of a confidential file or proves that an older paper record never existed. The clerk's electronic imaging work improves access, but the Circuit Clerk remains the record owner for Monroe County District and Circuit proceedings.
Online access does not replace the clerk for a certified copy, a file missing from the electronic docket, or a non-digitized record. Traffic guilty pleas and payment may be mailed to District Clerk, 65 North Alabama Avenue, Room 220, Monroeville, AL 36460 when the local traffic instructions allow that route. Traffic users should follow the ticket and court instructions because a nonlisted offense or required appearance cannot be resolved by assuming mail is available.
For in-person work, allow time to reach downtown Monroeville and locate Room 220. Official sources do not publish a parking rate, transit route, security wait, or named public garage, so those details should be confirmed before travel when they matter. A caller from a rural Monroe County community can reduce an unneeded trip by asking whether the file is at the counter, whether certification is available, and what payment method the office accepts.