Search Monroe County Court Records
Start with the Monroe County electronic docket search when the goal is to see cases set on a specific date. The county is fixed as location 58. Choose a setting date, then enter a last name or leave that field blank to view the full docket for the selected date. This free view is a schedule, not a full case-file download. Its own notice warns that some cases may not appear electronically.
Broader civil, domestic, criminal, and traffic case details are available through Alacourt Access and Just One Look. Name and case-number searches help locate a case, but full details and documents require a login and case purchase or subscription. When a record is absent, old, or not digitized, Circuit Clerk Wesley Hines and the Room 220 counter are the official fallback.
- Identify whether the file belongs to Circuit Court, District Court, Probate Court, or a municipal court.
- For a hearing schedule, open the county docket and select the correct setting date.
- Enter the last name when known, or leave it blank to see the entire date docket.
- Use Just One Look when docket entries are not enough and paid case details or document images are needed.
- Call the Circuit Clerk at (251) 743-2283 for missing trial-court material or the Probate Office at (251) 743-4107 for estate and land records.
The official Monroe County website provides another verified route to county offices and services.
That county source is useful for reaching probate and county contacts, while District and Circuit case files remain with the Circuit Clerk and Alabama trial-court systems.
Monroe County Court System
Monroe County belongs to Alabama's 35th Judicial Circuit. Circuit Court is the general trial tier, and Presiding Circuit Judge Jack B. Weaver is listed for the county. District Judge Donna L. Silcox serves the District Court, which handles district civil claims, small claims, county and state traffic cases, many misdemeanors, and preliminary criminal matters. Both trial levels share the Circuit Clerk as their record keeper.
Probate Court is separate. Judge of Probate Sonya Greene Stinson's office handles estates, guardianship and conservatorship matters, recording, and online probate and land searches. Municipal courts also matter. The local warrant instructions place misdemeanors inside Monroeville or Excel city limits with their municipal courts unless a related felony or an extraordinary circumstance brings the matter into the county system.
Case flow: Municipal or District Court › Circuit Court › Court of Civil Appeals or Court of Criminal Appeals › Supreme Court of Alabama
| Court | Jurisdiction | Case Types |
|---|---|---|
| Monroe County Circuit Court | General trial tier in the 35th Judicial Circuit | Larger civil cases, felony cases, domestic relations, and District Court appeals |
| Monroe County District Court | Countywide lower trial tier | District civil, small claims, traffic, misdemeanors, and preliminary matters |
| Monroe County Probate Court | Separate county probate jurisdiction | Estates, wills, guardianships, conservatorships, recording, and land records |
| Municipal Courts | Monroeville and Excel city matters | Municipal ordinances and city-limit misdemeanors |
Monroe County Court Offices
The active courthouse complex at North Alabama Avenue is the practical records hub. Room numbers matter because the Circuit Clerk, Probate Office, and Sheriff's Office handle different files. The well-known Old Monroe County Courthouse is a museum and historic landmark, not the counter for current filings or certified court copies.
Monroe County Circuit Clerk
Room 220, 65 North Alabama Avenue
Monroeville, AL 36460
(251) 743-2283
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Monroe County Probate Office
65 North Alabama Avenue
Monroeville, AL 36461
(251) 743-4107
PO Box 665, Monroeville, AL 36461
Monroe County Sheriff's Office
Room 136, 65 North Alabama Avenue
Monroeville, AL 36460-1809
(251) 575-2963
Fax: (251) 575-7661
Monroe County Court Record Types
Monroe County Court records reflect the office and division where a matter began. Circuit and District Court files may be electronically imaged and available through Just One Look, yet access can still depend on fees, account status, and confidentiality rules. Probate records use another portal. Sheriff and warrant material follows law-enforcement and magistrate channels.
Civil files may contain complaints, service returns, answers, motions, judgments, and collection papers. Criminal files track charges filed with the court, pleas, hearings, disposition, and sentence. Domestic files include divorce and related proceedings. Juvenile files exist in the clerk's divisions but are not ordinary public records.
- Criminal records show the court case after charges are filed, including pleas, orders, dispositions, and sentences.
- Civil records cover Circuit Civil, District Civil, small claims, eviction, appeals, and post-judgment collection.
- Domestic records include divorce complaints, custody, child support, and modification or enforcement filings.
- Probate records include estates, wills, fiduciary appointments, guardianships, conservatorships, and settlement orders.
- Traffic records show a citation, plea, payment, trial date, court result, and related costs or compliance events.
What Monroe County Records Show
A trial-court record begins with a case number and court division. It can then show parties, filing and service dates, attorneys, pleadings, hearing settings, document entries, costs, and the present or final outcome. A docket is only the chronological event list. Paid access or a clerk request may be needed to view the document behind an entry.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | The court identifier assigned after filing and used when contacting the clerk. |
| Filing Date | When the action entered the court system; service dates may appear separately. |
| Parties | Plaintiff and defendant, petitioner and respondent, or State and defendant. |
| Charges / Cause | The filed offense or the civil, domestic, probate, or traffic basis for the case. |
| Disposition | The current or final outcome, such as dismissal, judgment, guilty plea, acquittal, or conviction. |
| Sentence / Judgment | The criminal penalty or civil ruling, along with costs, probation terms, or collection events when recorded. |
Monroe County Records Access Laws
Alabama law generally supports inspection and copying of public records, but the office that holds the file remains the best starting point. Court rules, sealing orders, juvenile law, and other confidentiality statutes can limit access. The official Alabama Code supplies the controlling text; an online search result does not override a restriction.
Key Statutes:
Alabama Code § 36-12-40 gives Alabama citizens a right to inspect and copy public records unless another law creates an exception.
Alabama Code § 36-12-41 addresses copies supplied by public officers after lawful fees are paid.
Alabama Code §§ 36-12-43 to 36-12-46 set procedures for requests, clarification, timing, and written responses.
Alabama Code § 12-15-133 makes juvenile court records confidential except where access is authorized.
Restricted Monroe County Records
Juvenile files, adoptions, mental-health proceedings, sealed cases, and expunged records are not open like ordinary adult case files. Social Security numbers, account data, minor names, victim safety addresses, and medical details may also be redacted. Monroe County's warrant instructions add a local limit: an arrest warrant is not public until it has been served.
Expungement is a court process under Alabama Code § 15-27-1 and following sections. A petitioner must identify the case, charge, arresting agency, disposition, and court, then file in the court that handled the matter with required supporting records and notices. Eligibility varies. A missing public result can reflect sealing, expungement, confidentiality, or a record that never reached the electronic system.
Monroe County Court Programs
Official Monroe County AOC pages identify Circuit, District, Domestic, Juvenile, Traffic, Warrants, and Protection from Abuse channels. They do not publish a local drug court, veterans court, mental-health court, or reentry court roster. Current eligibility for any specialty program should therefore be confirmed with the Circuit Clerk or District Attorney rather than inferred from a statewide program name.
Defensive driving is a documented local traffic resolution option, not a specialty court. Approved drivers may complete IDRIVE or the in-person course accepted by Monroe County after District Judge approval through the online traffic resolution system. Payment should not be made before requesting that option.
Monroe County Sheriff Records
Sheriff Thomas Boatwright's office is listed in Room 136 at the courthouse complex, with (251) 575-2963 as the official phone. No verified official Monroe County online jail roster was found. Current county custody questions should go directly to the Sheriff's Office, while current state-prison inmates are searched through the Alabama Department of Corrections and federal prisoners through the Bureau of Prisons.
The Monroe CSO mobile app supports crime reports, tips, public-safety news, and alerts through Google Play and the Apple App Store. Its descriptions do not confirm an inmate roster or warrant database, and the app is not for emergencies. Emergency reports should go to 911.
Monroe County Probate Records
Marriage certificates and divorce certificates can be issued through Alabama Vital Records and the statewide county-health-department network. A divorce decree and its pleadings are different: those are Domestic Relations court records held by the Circuit Clerk. Monroe County Probate Court handles estate and related probate files, with probate-case and land-record lookup through its online services portal.
- Testator
- A person who made a will.
- Executor
- A person named to administer an estate under a will, subject to court authority.
- Conservator
- A court-authorized person who manages another person's property or financial affairs.
Monroe County Court Filing Fees
Official local pages publish filing costs rather than a complete copy-price schedule. Confirm certified-copy charges with the Circuit Clerk before ordering. The figures below show how the court and claim level changes the filing amount and why a user should identify the case type first.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Small claim up to $1,500 | $52.00 |
| 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 |
| Civil subpoena | $12.00 |
Read Monroe County Court Records
A filing is not the same as an outcome. A criminal charge states what the prosecution alleged, while a conviction follows a guilty plea or finding of guilt. In civil cases, a complaint is a claim and a judgment is the court's ruling. A disposition reports the current or final result. Docket entries such as service issued, continuance, default, or notice of appeal describe steps in the case rather than the full substance of each filed document.
The official Secretary of State county lookup confirms the Monroe County Circuit Clerk, Probate Judge, and Sheriff contacts used to verify which office owns a record.
This office directory helps prevent a court-record request from being sent to the Probate Office or Sheriff's Office when it belongs with the Circuit Clerk.
Monroe County Record Limitations
The free docket is date-based and warns that some cases may not appear. Full details can require paid access, and old records may not be digitized. Traffic tickets may take up to ten business days to enter the statewide system. ADOC searches show current state inmates only, not historical county bookings. Corrections should go to the office that created the record, since a private search result cannot amend a court, jail, or state file.
Note: Confirm court dates, balances, custody, and case outcomes with the originating Monroe County or Alabama office before relying on an online result.
Monroe County Court History
Monroeville has both an active courthouse and the Old Monroe County Courthouse. The National Park Service history says the old building was constructed in 1903 and received courts and offices in 1904.
County offices moved to a new building on the square in 1963, so present-day filings do not go to the historic courtroom associated with Harper Lee and Truman Capote.
The Old Courthouse Museum traces the preservation effort and the museum's opening in 1968.
The museum source explains why a general courthouse search may return historic and literary material instead of the active court-record counter.
The Alabama Historical Commission reported the old courthouse's National Historic Landmark designation in 2021.
That honor recognizes the old building's history but does not change where current Monroe County records are filed or copied.
Federal cases are separate from Monroe County Court. The Eleventh Circuit reviews federal appeals from Alabama.
Federal district and bankruptcy files use PACER and Southern District of Alabama channels, not the Monroe County docket.
CourtListener can help locate some federal opinions and docket material, though it is not the official court record.
Any federal result found there should be checked against PACER or the issuing federal court before formal use.
Monroe County Court Questions
Can I search every case for free?
No. The free county docket shows scheduled matters for a selected setting date, but it warns that some cases may be missing. Just One Look and subscription Alacourt access can provide broader trial-court details and images for a fee. Direct Circuit Clerk contact remains necessary for old, absent, certified, or non-digitized material.
Where are probate records searched?
Use the Monroe County Probate Office and its ING Probate online service. The portal provides separate choices for probate case records and land records. Those files are not maintained by the Circuit Clerk, even though both offices are in the same courthouse complex.
Does Monroe County publish an inmate roster?
No verified official county roster was located in the supplied research. Call the Sheriff's Office at (251) 575-2963 for current county custody. Use the ADOC search for current state-prison inmates and the federal Bureau of Prisons locator for federal custody.
Can I check an active warrant online?
No official Monroe County active-warrant list was verified. The local court states that an arrest warrant is not public until served. A person who suspects a warrant must appear in person at the Sheriff's Department, while Monroeville and Excel city-limit misdemeanors may require the relevant municipal court.