| Circuit Clerk | Circuit Clerk of Lee County (Thirty-Seventh Judicial Circuit) |
|---|---|
| Clerk address | Circuit Clerk: T.K. Davis Justice Center, 2311 Gateway Dr, Opelika, AL 36801. Probate Judge: Lee County Courthouse, 215 South 9th St, Opelika, AL 36801. Probate annexes: 1266 Mall Pkwy, Auburn, AL 36830; 2336 Lee Road 430, Smiths Station, AL 36877 |
| Phone | Circuit Clerk (334) 737-3526; Probate Judge (334) 737-3670; Probate Recording (334) 737-3660; Auburn annex (334) 737-7297; Smiths Station annex (334) 448-3299 |
| Hours | Circuit Clerk: 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday. Probate Judge's office: 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (Recording division 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.); Smiths Station annex 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. |
| Earliest records noted | Varies by court — older files may be on paper or microfilm |
| Plain copy fee | Probate records: $1.00 per page (Code of Alabama § 12-19-90). Circuit/district clerk copies: set by directive of the Administrative Director of Courts under Rule 30, Alabama Rules of Judicial Administration; confirm with the clerk |
| Certified copy fee | Probate records: $3.00 per document (certificate with seal) in addition to the per-page copy charge. Circuit/district clerk certification: confirm with the clerk |
Lee County — Auburn, Opelika, and Smiths Station on the Georgia line — is the Thirty-Seventh Judicial Circuit of Alabama. The Circuit Clerk of Lee County keeps the case files for both circuit court (felonies, civil suits over $10,000, divorce, custody, and protection-from-abuse cases) and district court (misdemeanors, small claims, civil cases up to $10,000, juvenile matters, and county traffic citations). Unlike most Alabama counties, the courts are not in the historic courthouse: the Circuit Clerk works from the T.K. Davis Justice Center on Gateway Drive in Opelika, a modern building shared with the circuit and district judges.
The Judge of Probate, a separate elected official, keeps wills, estates, guardianships, conservatorships, adoptions, and recorded land documents at the Lee County Courthouse on South 9th Street in downtown Opelika, with satellite annexes in Auburn and Smiths Station that handle licensing and some recording services. Anyone looking for a will, an estate file, or a deed goes to the probate office, not the Justice Center.
Online searching follows the statewide Alabama pattern. The Circuit Clerk's site offers a free docket viewer for Lee County court dates and links to Alacourt ACCESS ("Just One Look") for pay-per-search case detail; the probate office does not offer a public online search of its records and instead provides public viewing stations at the courthouse and copy requests by mail.
Search Lee County court records online
Circuit Clerk
Circuit Clerk of Lee County (Thirty-Seventh Judicial Circuit)
- Cost
- Office information and dockets are free; Alacourt/Just One Look search ($9.99 per search) and copy fees apply for case detail
- Coverage
- Circuit- and district-court criminal, civil, domestic relations, juvenile, child support, protection-from-abuse, small claims, and traffic cases for Lee County
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family, Traffic
The site links to View Dockets (pa.alacourt.com, location code 43), Just One Look, AlaFile e-notice registration, juror confirmation, and a records-request form for media requests. Divisional pages cover small claims, circuit civil, traffic, juvenile, and child support.
Other courts
Lee County Probate Judge's Office
- Cost
- Copies $1.00 per page; $3.00 per document additional for a certified copy (Recording division fee schedule)
- Coverage
- Wills, estates, guardianships, conservatorships, adoptions, and recorded documents (deeds, mortgages, liens) for Lee County
- Records
- Probate
No public online records search is offered. The Recording division provides public viewing stations at the Opelika courthouse and fills mailed copy requests when the book and page or recording date are supplied; e-recording for filers goes through Simplifile.
What is available online
The Circuit Clerk's site hosts a free docket viewer for Lee County court dates but no free name search; case histories and document images require Just One Look ($9.99 per search) or an Alacourt.com subscription. Juvenile and adoption files are confidential and excluded from any public search. The Probate Judge's office does not publish an online index of estates or recorded documents; searches are done at public viewing stations in the Opelika courthouse, where staff can help locate documents by name, or by mailed request when you already know the recording information.
Which clerk has your record
In Alabama, the clerk who keeps a file depends on which court heard the case. Check the court name on the case notice, citation, or order, then use the office and coverage details above to identify the record holder. Court names and responsibilities differ by state; a county clerk may not keep court case files. For federal cases, see the PACER guide. The full court structure is on the Alabama page.
| Court | Typical cases | Records kept by |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Courts (41 judicial circuits) | Felony criminal cases; Divorce, custody, and other domestic-relations cases; Civil cases exceeding $10,000 (and $3,000–$10,000 by discretion) | Circuit Clerk of the county |
| District Courts | Misdemeanor criminal cases and preliminary felony hearings; Civil cases between $3,000 and $10,000; Small claims up to $6,000 | Circuit Clerk of the county |
| Probate Courts | Wills and estate administration; Guardianships and conservatorships; Adoptions | Judge of Probate of the county |
| Municipal Courts | Municipal ordinance violations; Traffic tickets issued within city limits; Class C misdemeanors when tried by the city | Municipal court clerk for that city |
Request records in person or by mail
Lee County clerk offices
Circuit Clerk: T.K. Davis Justice Center, 2311 Gateway Dr, Opelika, AL 36801. Probate Judge: Lee County Courthouse, 215 South 9th St, Opelika, AL 36801. Probate annexes: 1266 Mall Pkwy, Auburn, AL 36830; 2336 Lee Road 430, Smiths Station, AL 36877
Phone: Circuit Clerk (334) 737-3526; Probate Judge (334) 737-3670; Probate Recording (334) 737-3660; Auburn annex (334) 737-7297; Smiths Station annex (334) 448-3299
Hours: Circuit Clerk: 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday. Probate Judge's office: 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (Recording division 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.); Smiths Station annex 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Circuit- and district-court records. Visit the Circuit Clerk at the T.K. Davis Justice Center, 2311 Gateway Dr, Opelika, with the case number or the party names and an approximate filing year. For a request by mail, write to the clerk at that address, describe the documents you need, say whether you need certified copies, and include a phone number so the office can quote the fee; the clerk's site does not publish a copy-fee schedule, so call (334) 737-3526 to confirm before sending payment. News organizations use the separate media records-request form linked from the site.
Online. View Dockets on the clerk's site is free for court dates. Just One Look at pa.alacourt.com ($9.99 per search) provides case detail and document images statewide; Alacourt.com is the subscription version for attorneys and businesses.
Probate records. Go to the Probate Judge's office at the Lee County Courthouse, 215 South 9th St, Opelika, where public viewing stations let you search estate and recorded-document indexes and staff can assist with a name search. To request copies by mail, include the book and page (or instrument number) and recording date, along with payment of $1.00 per page plus $3.00 per document for certification, and a self-addressed stamped envelope. The Auburn and Smiths Station annexes handle licensing and some recording business but the main court files are in Opelika.
Municipal tickets. Citations written by Auburn or Opelika city police go to that city's municipal court, not the Circuit Clerk.
Fees
| Item | Typical cost in Alabama |
|---|---|
| Plain copy | Probate records: $1.00 per page (Code of Alabama § 12-19-90). Circuit/district clerk copies: set by directive of the Administrative Director of Courts under Rule 30, Alabama Rules of Judicial Administration; confirm with the clerk |
| Certified copy | Probate records: $3.00 per document (certificate with seal) in addition to the per-page copy charge. Circuit/district clerk certification: confirm with the clerk |
Probate judges charge the statutory schedule in Code of Alabama § 12-19-90 — $1.00 per page for a copy of an instrument and $3.00 for each certificate with seal — which county probate offices such as Shelby, Lee, and Tuscaloosa reproduce on their posted fee sheets. Circuit clerks are governed instead by Rule 30 of the Alabama Rules of Judicial Administration, which says copy costs "shall be established by directive of the Administrative Director of Courts" and lets clerks charge for record searches; no statewide amount is published online, and court files remain free to inspect at the clerk's office. Parties and their attorneys may receive copies free at the clerk's discretion.
Need a copy an agency will accept? See how to get certified copies of court records.
Sealed and restricted records
Alabama court records are presumed open under the state's public-records law, Code of Alabama § 36-12-40, but several categories are restricted or excluded from any public search:
The Alabama guide lists every category of sealed and restricted record, and our guide to expunging or sealing a criminal record explains how to remove one from public view.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Lee County Circuit Clerk located?
At the T.K. Davis Justice Center, 2311 Gateway Dr, Opelika, AL 36801 — not the historic courthouse downtown. The Justice Center houses the circuit and district courts and the clerk's divisions for civil, criminal, traffic, small claims, juvenile, and child support cases.
Can I search Lee County probate or deed records online?
No. The Lee County Probate Judge's office does not offer a public online index. Searches are done at public viewing stations in the courthouse at 215 South 9th St, Opelika, or by mailed request when you know the book and page or recording date.
How much do copies of Lee County probate records cost?
$1.00 per page, plus $3.00 per document for a certified copy, under the Recording division's fee schedule. The Circuit Clerk does not publish its court-copy fee online; call (334) 737-3526 to confirm the current amount.
Is there a free way to look up a Lee County court case?
The Circuit Clerk's View Dockets link shows scheduled court dates at no charge. A name or case-number search with full case detail requires Just One Look ($9.99 per search) or an Alacourt.com subscription.
Sources
- Lee County — Thirty-Seventh Judicial Circuit of Alabama (Circuit Clerk) — https://lee.alacourt.gov/
- Lee County, AL — Probate Judge's Office — https://www.leeco.us/government/probate_judge/index.php
- Lee County, AL — Probate Recording — https://www.leeco.us/government/probate_judge/recording/index.php
- Lee County, AL — Probate Recording Fees — https://www.leeco.us/government/probate_judge/recording/fees.php
- Alabama Administrative Office of Courts — https://www.alacourt.gov/
- Alabama Judicial System — Judicial System Chart — https://judicial.alabama.gov/Appellate/JudicialSystemChart
- Alacourt ACCESS ("Just One Look") — https://pa.alacourt.com/
- Alacourt.com 2.0 (subscription service) — https://v2.alacourt.com/
- ALEA Alabama Background Check Program — https://www.alea.gov/sbi/criminal-justice-services/criminal-records/alabama-background-check
- Alabama Appellate Courts Public Portal — https://publicportal.alappeals.gov/
- Alabama Rules of Court-Record Privacy and Confidentiality — https://judicial.alabama.gov/docs/library/rules/RulesPrivacyConfidentiality.pdf
- Code of Alabama, Title 15, Chapter 27 — Expungement — https://law.justia.com/codes/alabama/title-15/chapter-27/section-15-27-1/
- Code of Alabama, Title 36, Chapter 12, Article 3 — Public Writings — https://law.justia.com/codes/alabama/title-36/chapter-12/article-3/section-36-12-40/
- Code of Alabama, Title 12, Chapter 19 — Court Finances — https://law.justia.com/codes/alabama/title-12/chapter-19/article-3/division-2/section-12-19-71/
- Alabama Rules of Judicial Administration, Rule 30 — Copies, certified copies; cost for copies — https://judicial.alabama.gov/docs/library/rules/ja30.pdf
- Shelby County Probate — Public Fee Schedule (Code of Alabama § 12-19-90) — https://www.shelbyal.com/DocumentCenter/View/892/Probate-Public-Fees
See also: all Alabama counties.