| Circuit Clerk | Shelby County Circuit Clerk |
|---|---|
| Clerk address | Shelby County Courthouse, 112 North Main St, Columbiana, AL 35051 (Circuit Clerk: 1st Floor, Room 1F; Probate Judge: Room A101/A401). Mail: P.O. Box 1810, Columbiana, AL 35051 |
| Phone | Circuit Clerk (205) 669-3760; Probate Judge, judicial office (205) 670-5210; recording office (205) 670-5220 |
| Hours | 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday (open during lunch) |
| 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 |
Shelby County, one of Alabama's fastest-growing counties (Alabaster, Pelham, Hoover's Shelby County side, Chelsea, Helena), keeps its circuit- and district-court records with the Shelby County Circuit Clerk at the courthouse in Columbiana, the county seat. The office handles civil, criminal, domestic-relations, juvenile, and traffic matters for both court levels.
A separate elected Probate Judge keeps wills, estates, guardianships, adoptions, and recorded documents from a nearby office in the same courthouse complex, with an online records-search platform of its own for recorded documents.
As elsewhere in Alabama, the circuit clerk's website links out to statewide tools — AlaFile for e-filing, Just One Look for a pay-per-search case lookup, and Alapay for paying tickets and fines online — rather than hosting a free case search directly.
Search Shelby County court records online
Circuit Clerk
Shelby County Circuit Clerk
- Cost
- Office information and dockets are free to view; Alacourt/Just One Look search and copy fees apply for case detail
- Coverage
- Circuit- and district-court civil, criminal, domestic relations, juvenile, and traffic cases for Shelby County
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family, Traffic
The site links to View Dockets, AlaFile, Just One Look, Alapay, and Online Traffic Resolution / Online Dispute Resolution tools.
Other courts
Shelby County Probate Court
- Cost
- Free to search office information; a separate online records platform (probaterecords.shelbyal.com) covers recorded documents, with fees for copies
- Coverage
- Wills, estates, guardianships, adoptions, and recorded documents for Shelby County
- Records
- Probate
The Probate Judge's recording office and judicial office are in separate rooms of the same courthouse building.
What is available online
The Circuit Clerk's site links to statewide Alacourt tools rather than hosting a free case search of its own. The Probate Court operates a separate online records-search platform (probaterecords.shelbyal.com) for recorded documents, distinct from the circuit clerk's case records.
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
Shelby County clerk offices
Shelby County Courthouse, 112 North Main St, Columbiana, AL 35051 (Circuit Clerk: 1st Floor, Room 1F; Probate Judge: Room A101/A401). Mail: P.O. Box 1810, Columbiana, AL 35051
Phone: Circuit Clerk (205) 669-3760; Probate Judge, judicial office (205) 670-5210; recording office (205) 670-5220
Hours: 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday (open during lunch)
Circuit- and district-court records. Visit the Circuit Clerk at 112 North Main St, Room 1F, or mail a request to P.O. Box 1810, Columbiana, AL 35051, with the case number, the documents needed, and whether certified copies are required. Online case searches go through Just One Look or Alacourt.com.
Probate records. Contact the Probate Judge's judicial office for estate, guardianship, and adoption matters, or the recording office for deeds and other recorded documents; some recorded documents are searchable online through the probate court's own records platform.
Traffic tickets and fines. Shelby County offers Alapay and an Online Traffic Resolution portal for paying or resolving traffic citations without an in-person visit.
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 search Shelby County court records online?
The Circuit Clerk's site links to View Dockets and to the statewide Just One Look service ($9.99 per search) for case detail; it does not offer a free full case search directly.
Who keeps Shelby County probate and estate records?
The Shelby County Probate Judge, a separate office from the Circuit Clerk, with a judicial office and a separate recording office in the same courthouse in Columbiana.
Can I pay a Shelby County traffic ticket online?
Yes. The Circuit Clerk's site links to Alapay and an Online Traffic Resolution portal for paying fines or resolving citations without visiting the courthouse.
How do I get a certified copy of a Shelby County court record?
Request it in person at the Circuit Clerk's office (112 North Main St, Room 1F) or by mail to P.O. Box 1810, Columbiana, AL 35051, including the case number and payment. Call ahead to confirm the fee.
Sources
- Shelby County Circuit Clerk — https://shelby.alacourt.gov/
- Shelby County, Alabama — Probate Court — https://www.shelbyal.com/285/Probate-Court
- Shelby County official website — https://www.shelbyal.com/223/Courthouse
- 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.