Clarke County Court Records

Court records document the pleadings, motions, evidence, orders, and judgments that arise from judicial proceedings. In Clarke County, Alabama, these materials are retained in multiple formats—paper files, scanned images, and microfilm—so that older dockets remain accessible alongside newer electronic case records.

The Circuit Clerk serves as the county court system's chief administrative officer. In that capacity, the clerk:

• Issues summonses, notices, and writs
• Attends and records court sessions
• Dockets new filings and maintains both Circuit and District Court registers
• Reports caseload statistics to the Alabama Administrative Office of Courts

Are Court Records Public in Clarke County?

Under Code of Alabama § 36-12-40, most court records are deemed public unless a statute, rule, or court order provides otherwise. Typical categories exempt from public inspection include:

• Medical and mental health evaluations
• Materials whose release could threaten public safety or security
• Juvenile, family, and adoption records
• Confidential witness statements
• Files connected to pending criminal investigations

Restricted records remain available to law-enforcement agencies and, in limited circumstances, to litigants or third parties who demonstrate a compelling need and obtain a court order.

Clarke County Court Records Search

Identify the case number, party names, or filing date in advance to streamline the search, particularly when requesting copies in person or through paid portals.

The 'Just one look' portal restricts public download of actual court documents from its system. Download features are only free to the attorney on record for a specific case upon an active subscription or to users who are attorneys, registered to practice law in Alabama, or users approved formally to appear pro hac vice before an Appellate Court in Alabama.

Clarke County Courts

Clarke County is situated within the 1st Judicial Circuit of Alabama, and its local courthouses comprise the Circuit, District, Traffic, and Probate courts. Below are the locations and addresses of these courts:

Clarke County Probate Court
114 Court Street
Grove Hill, AL 36451
Phone: (251) 275-3251

Clarke County First Judicial Circuit Court
114 Court Street
Grove Hill, AL 36451
Phone: (251) 275-3163

Clarke County District Court
114 Court Street
Grove Hill, AL 36451
Phone: (251) 275-8296

Clarke County Traffic Court
114 Court Street
Grove Hill, AL 36451
Phone: (866) 954-9399

Clarke County Criminal and Civil Records

Clarke County's trial courts divide jurisdiction by case type and monetary value. The Circuit Court hears felony prosecutions, civil actions that seek more than $10,000 in damages, and appeals from the District and Probate Courts. The District Court processes misdemeanors, traffic offenses, preliminary felony hearings, and civil claims between $3,000 and $10,000. The Circuit Clerk indexes, stores, and certifies all pleadings, orders, and judgments filed in both courts.

To obtain Clarke County court records, inquirers may utilize the following options

• Public terminals at the courthouse: The clerk maintains computer terminals and docket books for same-day inspection during business hours (Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m.). The office is located on the first floor of the historic courthouse at:

114 Court Street,
Grove Hill, AL 36451
Phone: (251) 275-3363

• File counter requests: Paper and imaged case files may be requested by case number, party name, or filing date. Statutory copy fees are $0.50 per page; certified copies cost $5 per document plus per-page fees.
• Mail requests: Record requesters may prepare written applications citing the record sought, enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope, and include payment by money order payable to "Clarke County Circuit Clerk".

For state-wide record searches inquirers may search via:

• Just One Look (Alacourt.com) which supplies single-case searches across Alabama dockets for $9.99; document images cost $5.00 for the first 20 pages and $0.50 per additional page.
• AlaCourt offers flat-rate monthly subscriptions to attorneys, agencies, and frequent users who require unlimited statewide docket inquiries.
• AlaFile—the judiciary's e-filing portal—permits registered attorneys and self-represented litigants to view and download filings in their own cases and to retrieve certified e-documents for a per-page fee.

Sealed juvenile, adoption, expunged, and certain investigatory materials remain inaccessible without a court order.

Clarke County Marriage Records

Since August 1936, Alabama marriage certificates have been filed centrally with the Alabama Department of Public Health. To obtain records from the department, inquirers may send a written request to:

Center for Health Statistics (CHS)
Vital Records Section
P.O. Box 5625
Montgomery, AL 36103-5625
Phone: (334) 206-5418

The Clarke County Probate Office holds certificates dated before August 1936. A certified copy costs $15.00; additional copies ordered at the same time cost $6.00 each. Requests may be submitted online through the department's third-party partner, by mail, or in person; government-issued photo identification is required. Processing averages 7–10 business days.

The Probate Office issues certified pre-1936 licenses upon payment of the same statutory fees.

Search applications must list both spouses' full names before marriage, the marriage date, and the county that issued the license; contact information and a signature are required.

Clarke County Divorce Records

Certified divorce decrees from 1950 to the present are available from CHS Vital Records under the same $15.00/$6.00 fee schedule. Decrees granted before 1950 may be obtained from the Clarke County Circuit Clerk. Because divorce records are classified as unrestricted in Alabama, any member of the public may order them, provided the statutory fee is remitted. Required search data mirror those for marriage records: the parties' names before marriage, date of divorce, county of decree, and requester contact details.

Interested persons may also request these records by downloading and submitting the office's Mail-In Application or visiting the office for more information.

Clarke County Birth Records

Alabama has preserved county births at the state level since 1908, and the files are closed to the general public for 125 years. Only the registrant, an immediate family member, or a person holding a legal power of attorney may apply, and the applicant must enclose a photocopy of a government-issued photo ID or two alternative documents from the secondary list approved by the State Registrar.

In 2025 the Center for Health Statistics charges $15 to search the file; the price includes one certified copy or, if no record is located, a "Certificate of Failure to Find". Additional copies ordered in the same request are $6 each, and an optional $15 "rush" fee shortens the in-house handling time.

Requests may be handed over the counter at any Alabama county health department, where most patrons receive the printout within thirty minutes, mailed to:

Alabama Vital Records,
P.O. Box 5625,
Montgomery AL 36103-5625

The typical turnaround for mail requests is 7 to 10 days; requests my also be placed online through the department's third-party partner. The web option adds a vendor processing fee that currently ranges from $2 to $16 plus commercial-carrier postage, and it pushes the total for one certificate into the low-thirties. Telephone assistance is available at (334) 206-5418 for status checks or to arrange a same-day courier pickup.

Clarke County Death Records

Deaths, like births, have been filed statewide since 1908, but the confidentiality window is only twenty-five years. Until that anniversary the certificate can be released to a parent, spouse, adult child, sibling, grandchild, the decedent's legal representative, or the informant who signed the original form; after twenty-five years anyone may order a copy. Valid photo identification must accompany every restricted request. The price schedule mirrors that for births: $15 for the search and the first certified copy, $6 for each extra copy in the same package, and an optional $15 rush surcharge. Walk-in, mail and online channels are identical to the birth-certificate options, and the same Montgomery mailing address and telephone number apply.

Clarke County Probate Court Record

Every Clarke County adoption, estate, guardianship, conservatorship, marriage filing, name change or corporate charter ends up in the Probate Court vault at:

114 Court Street,
Grove Hill
P.O. Box 10
Phone: (251) 275-3251

The office keeps the official deed, mortgage and lien books as well, although tag and business-license work was spun into a separate License Commission in 1989.

Researchers can examine unsealed case documents free of charge in person or through the court's web portal after opening a user account; no subscription is required to read images online. Photocopies cost $1 per page, and a clerk's certification adds $3 per instrument. Persons who need to record a new deed or other property instrument, expect to pay $6 for the first page, $3 for each additional page, plus $1 for every cross-index reference beyond the second name.

If filing a petition—say, to open an estate or finalize an adult name change—the court posts a separate cost sheet: in 2025 an intestate-estate administration runs $145, an adult name-change $75, an adoption of a child born in Alabama $305 (guardian-ad-litem fee included) and so on. All fees are paid by check to "Clarke County Probate Court" at the time the papers are lodged.

Clarke County Property Records

Because Alabama treats land instruments as part of the probate docket, the same Grove Hill office and online portal provide grantor-grantee index searches back to the 19th century. Copies are priced the same as other probate extracts—$1 a page plus $3 for a certification. Recording a deed carries the page fees listed above and also triggers the state deed tax, calculated at fifty cents per $500 of value (roughly $1 per $1 000).

For deeper historical work, the Alabama Department of Archives and History in Montgomery has filmed the county deed volumes and tract books; its microfilm can be viewed on-site or borrowed through inter-library loan, and scanned images of Secretary-of-State tract books are searchable on the Secretary's website.

Clarke County Court Records Online

Members of the public can search Clarke County court records on the county or state judiciary's official portals, or through reputable third-party services. A popular option is Alabamacourtrecords.us, which offers an intuitive interface and lets users locate and, for accredited subscribers, download actual court documents from anywhere. However, these third-party aggregators are privately operated and are not affiliated with any government agency. For maximum accuracy, record seekers are generally advised to cross-check information obtained from such sites against the official records maintained by the relevant court or government office.