| Circuit Clerk | Circuit Clerk of Tuscaloosa County (Sixth Judicial Circuit) |
|---|---|
| Clerk address | Circuit Clerk: Tuscaloosa County Courthouse, 714 Greensboro Ave (2nd floor), Tuscaloosa, AL 35401. Probate Court: 714 Greensboro Ave, Room 121; Probate Records: Room 137. Probate mail: P.O. Box 20067, Tuscaloosa, AL 35402-0067 |
| Phone | Circuit Clerk (205) 464-8260; Probate Court (205) 464-8204; Probate Records and Recording (205) 464-8206 |
| Hours | Circuit Clerk: 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Monday–Friday (probate office hours not published online; call ahead) |
| 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 |
Tuscaloosa County, home of the University of Alabama and the cities of Tuscaloosa and Northport, is the Sixth Judicial Circuit of Alabama. The Circuit Clerk of Tuscaloosa County 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 Tuscaloosa County Courthouse on Greensboro Avenue downtown. There is no separate district clerk; one office serves both courts.
The Judge of Probate, a separately elected official, keeps wills, estates, guardianships, conservatorships, adoptions, name changes, and mental-health commitments, and also runs the Records and Recording department that holds deeds, mortgages, liens, plats, and marriage records. The probate offices are in the same courthouse building, on the first floor, which makes Tuscaloosa one of the simpler Alabama counties to navigate in person.
Online access follows the standard Alabama pattern for court cases — a free docket viewer on the clerk's site, with names and case detail through the paid statewide Alacourt tools — but the Probate Office is notable for its own online records system, which lets registered users find, download, and pay for probate records without visiting the courthouse.
Search Tuscaloosa County court records online
Circuit Clerk
Circuit Clerk of Tuscaloosa County (Sixth 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, small claims, and traffic cases for Tuscaloosa County
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family, Traffic
The site links to View Dockets (pa.alacourt.com, location code 63), Just One Look, and the statewide E-Forms library. Its Fees page directs callers to the clerk's office for current filing and copy fees rather than publishing a schedule.
Other courts
Tuscaloosa County Probate Office (Judge of Probate)
- Cost
- Copies $1.00 per page; $3.00 per document additional for a certified copy; online records portal requires a free account
- Coverage
- Wills, estates, guardianships, conservatorships, adoptions, name changes, mental-health commitments, and recorded documents (deeds, mortgages, liens, plats, marriage records) for Tuscaloosa County
- Records
- Probate
The Probate Records Search on tuscco.com signs users in through a Microsoft account portal before opening probate.tuscco.com; records can be located, downloaded, and paid for online. The Records department (Room 137) handles copy requests; the Probate Court (Room 121) handles estate and guardianship filings.
What is available online
The Circuit Clerk's site provides a free docket viewer for Tuscaloosa County court dates but no free case search by name; party names, case histories, and document images require Just One Look ($9.99 per search) or an Alacourt.com subscription. The Probate Office runs its own online records system for probate and recorded documents — users create an account, search, and can download or purchase copies — and the Records department accepts copy requests by email (copyrequest@tuscco.com for historical records, recordingrequest@tuscco.com for recorded documents). Juvenile and adoption files are confidential and do not appear in any 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
Tuscaloosa County clerk offices
Circuit Clerk: Tuscaloosa County Courthouse, 714 Greensboro Ave (2nd floor), Tuscaloosa, AL 35401. Probate Court: 714 Greensboro Ave, Room 121; Probate Records: Room 137. Probate mail: P.O. Box 20067, Tuscaloosa, AL 35402-0067
Phone: Circuit Clerk (205) 464-8260; Probate Court (205) 464-8204; Probate Records and Recording (205) 464-8206
Hours: Circuit Clerk: 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Monday–Friday (probate office hours not published online; call ahead)
Circuit- and district-court records. Visit the Circuit Clerk on the second floor of the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse, 714 Greensboro Ave, with the case number or the party names and an approximate filing year. For a request by mail, write to the Circuit Clerk at that address, list the documents you need, state whether you need certified copies, and include a phone number so the office can quote the fee before copying. The clerk's Fees page does not publish copy charges; call (205) 464-8260 to confirm.
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.
Probate records. Use the Probate Records Search on tuscco.com (free account required) to locate and download records, or contact the Records department in Room 137, by mail at P.O. Box 20067, Tuscaloosa, AL 35402-0067, or by email. Copies are $1.00 per page, plus $3.00 per document for certification. Estate, guardianship, and adoption filings are made with the Probate Court in Room 121.
Municipal tickets. Citations written by Tuscaloosa or Northport city police are handled by those cities' municipal courts, not by 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
Can I search Tuscaloosa County court records online for free?
You can view court dockets for free on the Circuit Clerk's site, but a name or case search with case detail requires Just One Look ($9.99 per search) or an Alacourt.com subscription. Probate records are the exception: the Probate Office's own online system is free to search with an account.
How much are copies of Tuscaloosa County probate records?
$1.00 per page, plus $3.00 per document for a certified copy, according to the Probate Office's records page. The Circuit Clerk does not publish its copy fee online; call (205) 464-8260 to confirm the current charge for court-case copies.
Where are the Tuscaloosa County Circuit Clerk and Probate Office located?
Both are in the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse at 714 Greensboro Ave in downtown Tuscaloosa — the Circuit Clerk on the second floor, the Probate Court in Room 121, and Probate Records in Room 137.
Which office has a Tuscaloosa County divorce record?
The Circuit Clerk of Tuscaloosa County, because divorce and custody cases are heard in circuit court. The Probate Office holds marriage records, wills, and estates, but not divorce files.
Sources
- Tuscaloosa County — Sixth Judicial Circuit of Alabama (Circuit Clerk) — https://tuscaloosa.alacourt.gov/
- Tuscaloosa County Circuit Clerk — Fees — https://tuscaloosa.alacourt.gov/fees/
- Tuscaloosa County — Probate Office — https://www.tuscco.com/probate/
- Tuscaloosa County — Probate Records Department — https://www.tuscco.com/probate/records/
- Tuscaloosa County — Probate Judge — https://www.tuscco.com/county-officials/probate-judge/
- 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.