| Circuit Clerk | Morgan County Circuit Clerk (Eighth Judicial Circuit) |
|---|---|
| Clerk address | Circuit Clerk: Morgan County Courthouse, 302 Lee St NE, Decatur, AL 35601. Probate Office: Morgan County Courthouse, 302 Lee St NE, Decatur, AL 35601 |
| Phone | Circuit Clerk (256) 351-4790 — option 1 Civil, option 2 Criminal/Traffic, option 3 Family Division |
| Hours | Circuit Clerk: 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday. Probate Office: 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday |
| 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 |
Morgan County, across the Tennessee River from Huntsville and centered on Decatur and Hartselle, is the Eighth Judicial Circuit of Alabama. The Morgan County Circuit Clerk keeps the case files for both circuit court (felonies, civil suits over $10,000, divorce, custody, and other domestic-relations matters) and district court (misdemeanors, small claims, civil cases up to $10,000, and county traffic citations) from the Morgan County Courthouse on Lee Street NE in downtown Decatur. The office is organized into Civil, Criminal/Traffic, and Family divisions, each reached through a menu option on a single phone line.
The Judge of Probate, a separate elected official, keeps wills, estates, guardianships, conservatorships, adoptions, and recorded land documents, and works from the same courthouse building. The probate office maintains its own records website for document searches, separate from the court system's Alacourt tools.
Morgan County stands out among Alabama circuit clerks for publishing a written Records Access Policy and a Request for Records form on its website, which spells out how the office handles copy requests. Case searching itself still runs through the statewide tools — a free docket viewer for Morgan County court dates, and Alacourt ACCESS ("Just One Look") for pay-per-search case detail.
Search Morgan County court records online
Circuit Clerk
Morgan County Circuit Clerk (Eighth 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 (Family Division), small claims, and traffic cases for Morgan County
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family, Traffic
The site links to View Dockets (pa.alacourt.com, location code 52), Just One Look, E-Forms, Online Traffic Resolution, and court calendars, and hosts a Request for Records page with the office's Records Access Policy and a downloadable request form.
Other courts
Morgan County Probate Office
- Cost
- Recording and copy fees apply; contact the office for the current schedule
- Coverage
- Wills, estates, guardianships, conservatorships, adoptions, and recorded documents (deeds, mortgages) for Morgan County
- Records
- Probate
The county commission page lists the office's location and hours and points to the probate office's own records website, morgancountyprobate.com, for document searches. That site refused automated connections when we checked, so its search features and any fees are unconfirmed; the probate phone number is not published on the pages we could reach.
What is available online
The Circuit Clerk's site offers a free docket viewer for Morgan County court dates and published court calendars, but no free name search; case histories and document images require Just One Look ($9.99 per search) or an Alacourt.com subscription. Eligible traffic citations can be handled through the Online Traffic Resolution link without a court appearance. The probate office directs document searches to its own website (morgancountyprobate.com), which is independent of Alacourt; we could not reach that site to confirm what it covers or charges. Juvenile and adoption files are confidential and never appear in a public search.
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
Morgan County clerk offices
Circuit Clerk: Morgan County Courthouse, 302 Lee St NE, Decatur, AL 35601. Probate Office: Morgan County Courthouse, 302 Lee St NE, Decatur, AL 35601
Phone: Circuit Clerk (256) 351-4790 — option 1 Civil, option 2 Criminal/Traffic, option 3 Family Division
Hours: Circuit Clerk: 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday. Probate Office: 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday
Circuit- and district-court records. Read the Records Access Policy posted on the clerk's Request for Records page, then complete the Request for Records form and bring or mail it to the Morgan County Circuit Clerk, 302 Lee St NE, Decatur, AL 35601. Include the case number if you have it, or the party names and an approximate filing year, and say whether you need certified copies. Copy fees are set under a directive of the Administrative Office of Courts and are not listed on the site; call (256) 351-4790 and choose the division that holds the file to confirm the fee before sending payment.
Online. View Dockets on the clerk's site is free for court dates. Just One Look at pa.alacourt.com ($9.99 per search) returns case detail and document images; Alacourt.com is the subscription version for attorneys and businesses. Traffic tickets that qualify can be resolved through the Online Traffic Resolution link rather than in person.
Probate records. Visit the Probate Office at the Morgan County Courthouse for wills, estates, guardianships, and recorded documents, or try the office's own records website for document searches. Because we could not confirm that site's search features or fees, call or visit the office to confirm before relying on it.
Municipal tickets. Citations written by Decatur or Hartselle 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
How do I request a copy of a Morgan County court record?
Use the Request for Records form posted on the Circuit Clerk's site under its Records Access Policy, and deliver or mail it to 302 Lee St NE, Decatur, AL 35601 with the case number, the documents you need, and whether certification is required. Call (256) 351-4790 to confirm the copy fee first.
Which phone option reaches the right division at the Morgan County Circuit Clerk?
All divisions share (256) 351-4790: option 1 for Civil, option 2 for Criminal/Traffic, and option 3 for the Family Division, which handles divorce, custody, and other domestic-relations cases.
Can I resolve a Morgan County traffic ticket online?
Often, yes. The Circuit Clerk's site links to an Online Traffic Resolution service for eligible citations written in the county; tickets from Decatur or Hartselle city police go through that city's municipal court instead.
Where are Morgan County wills and estate records kept?
With the Judge of Probate at the Morgan County Courthouse, 302 Lee St NE, Decatur — a separate office from the Circuit Clerk. The probate office also keeps recorded deeds and mortgages.
Sources
- Morgan County — Eighth Circuit Court of Alabama (Circuit Clerk) — https://morgan.alacourt.gov/
- Morgan County Circuit Clerk — Request for Records — https://morgan.alacourt.gov/request-for-records/
- Morgan County Commission — Probate Office — https://morgancounty-al.gov/government/probate-office/
- 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
- Lee County Probate Recording — Fees — https://www.leeco.us/government/probate_judge/recording/fees.php
See also: all Alabama counties.