Access Mobile County Circuit Clerk Records

Mobile County Circuit Clerk Office

Ashleigh Long is the Mobile County Circuit Clerk. The office is the official record keeper for proceedings in Mobile County District and Circuit Courts. Its work includes court records, pleadings, notices, subpoenas, fines, fees, and the collection and disbursement of court funds. The clerk's stated record scope covers civil, criminal, domestic, child support, traffic, juvenile, and warrant matters. Ashleigh Long also serves as absentee election manager for county, state, and federal elections in Mobile County.

The main Thirteenth Judicial Circuit contact sits at Government Plaza in downtown Mobile. Visitors should identify the division before arriving because Circuit Civil, Circuit Criminal, District Civil and Small Claims, District Criminal, Domestic Relations, and the Youth Center have separate staff and direct lines. Sheriff Paul Burch and the Mobile County Sheriff's Office maintain jail and sheriff records, not the court file. Probate Court also remains separate. These boundaries prevent a records request from going to the wrong office.

Phones are not allowed in the Mobile County Courthouse under the rule effective June 10, 2024. Print or write down the case number, room, staff contact, and payment details before entry. Payment windows may close before the office itself.

What Mobile County Circuit Clerk Does

The Circuit Clerk accepts and manages pleadings, preserves court records, prepares subpoenas, sends notices for hearings and trials, and processes court-related money. The office does not decide a case or give legal advice. It maintains the official file that shows what parties filed and what the judge ordered. When a certified copy is required, the certification comes from the clerk division that holds that file.

• Circuit Civil: civil filings, motions, judgments, garnishments, executions, subpoenas, records, and copy requests.
• Circuit Criminal: felony files, Rule 32 petitions, writs, appeals, criminal records, payments, and copies.
• District Civil and Small Claims: lower-value civil suits, unlawful detainers, small claims, searches, copies, and certifications.
• District Criminal: district criminal cases, traffic matters, court dates, mailed payments, and payment records.
• Domestic Relations and Youth Center: family files and juvenile matters, subject to access restrictions.

The official office directory gives the fastest division route. Circuit Civil can be reached at 251-574-8420, Circuit Criminal at 251-574-8430, District Civil and Small Claims at 251-574-8525, District Criminal at 251-574-8511, Domestic Relations at 251-574-8441, and the Youth Center at 251-574-1450. Use the division tied to the case type rather than sending one request to every clerk.

The directory also names the supervisors who can route a records question: Marsha Guy for Circuit Civil, Terrie Geter for Circuit Criminal, Geraldine Williams for District Civil and Small Claims, Michelle Patronas for District Criminal, Valerie Young for Domestic Relations, and Amber Degerstrom for the Youth Center. Official division emails include 13jccircuitcriminal@alacourt.gov, 13jcdistrictcivil@alacourt.gov, and 13jcdistrictcriminal@alacourt.gov. A concise message should identify the division, public case details, desired document, and whether a certified copy is needed. It should not assume that the recipient can move a request between an unrelated city, probate, jail, or court system.

Request Mobile County Certified Copies

A certified copy carries the clerk's certification and is often needed when an agency, another court, or a legal process requires proof of an official filing or order. An online docket entry or screen print is not the same item. Mobile County Circuit Civil and Circuit Criminal pages link division record-request forms, although the research capture did not expose the form fields. Confirm the price, page count, delivery method, and acceptable payment with the holding division before submitting a request.

1. Identify the court and division. A District Criminal file is routed differently from Circuit Civil or Domestic Relations.
2. Find the case number through the public docket or Just One Look when possible. Keep full party names and an approximate filing date.
3. Open the division's official record-search or copy form, or contact the direct phone or email for current instructions.
4. State the exact document, whether certification is required, the number of copies, and the preferred delivery method.
5. Confirm the fee and accepted payment. Submit the form as directed, then retain the receipt and request details.

For a municipal misdemeanor or City of Mobile traffic file, use Municipal Court's own record request and payment channels. For wills, estates, marriage recording, or land instruments, use Mobile County Probate Court. The Circuit Clerk cannot certify a record held by either office.

Mobile County Copy Request Details

The exact fields on the linked copy-request PDF could not be verified in the research capture. The table therefore separates confirmed request needs from details that must be checked with the division. Do not invent a case number format or assume that one form serves every Mobile County Circuit Clerk counter.

Some electronic dockets may omit a case. The public Mobile County docket itself warns users to check with the clerk's office when in doubt. That local warning is especially important for older, confidential, or non-electronic records.

Mobile County Circuit Clerk Fees

Fees vary by filing type and division. The copy and search amounts below come from the official District Civil and Small Claims page. Filing examples show why users should verify current costs against the proper division before sending payment. Court costs are prepaid and nonrefundable in District Civil. Personal checks are not accepted there.

Circuit Criminal accepts cash, cashier's check, money order, and Visa, Mastercard, or Discover at its payment window. It takes no personal checks, and credit cards are accepted only at that window. District Criminal mailed payments must be cashier's checks or money orders. AlaPay adds a 4% service fee for online payments; cash or money-order courthouse payments can avoid that convenience fee.

Mobile County Clerk Forms

Each division publishes forms related to the work it handles. The Circuit Civil Division links its records request form, civil forms, and pro se AlaFile registration. The Circuit Criminal Division links a request for record search or copies and gives its direct email. Forms should be taken from the official division page so the version and submission instructions match the filing.

• Record search and copy request: obtain case documents or certified copies from the holding division.
• Circuit Civil forms: support civil filings, service, motions, and related clerk work.
• AlaFile pro se registration: establishes access for eligible electronic filing by a self-represented user.
• Criminal record or copy form: routes a request to Circuit Criminal for its case files.

Juvenile and protected family records may not be released through an ordinary public copy request. Contact the Youth Center or Domestic Relations division for authorization requirements without sending sensitive facts to unrelated offices.

Mobile County Online Access

AlaFile is Alabama's login-based e-filing system, and Mobile County division pages link registration for self-represented filers. It is not the same as a public record search. The free Alacourt docket for county 02 searches by setting date and optional last name. Just One Look provides on-demand access to Alabama State Trial Court records with required fees. AlaPay serves traffic tickets and disposed criminal cases with an outstanding balance. Each tool answers a different need.

Mail instructions also depend on division. District Criminal directs cashier's checks or money orders to District Court, 205 Government Street, Room 338, North Tower, Mobile, AL 36644, and does not accept personal checks. A copy form should follow the address and payment directions printed by its division. Call first when a deadline, certified record, archived search, or large copy order is involved.