Search Dallas County Court Records
The main online route for Dallas County court records is Alacourt ACCESS, Alabama's paid public portal for state trial-court records. Its public page lists criminal records, civil records, small claims records, state traffic records, domestic relations, and child support. The portal supports name searches and case-number searches, and its case-detail report can include basic case data, court actions, case status, setting dates, parties, financial history, and a detailed case action summary.
The Dallas County Fourth Judicial Circuit site is the local instruction hub. It does not publish a free county case-search box, but it links users to court divisions, local fees, traffic payment rules, e-notice registration, Alabama E-Forms, expungement materials, and Dallas County court contacts. When Alacourt does not answer the need, the next step is the Circuit Clerk for case files or the Probate Office for probate and recording records.
- Start with the case type. Civil, criminal, traffic, domestic, child support, and small claims cases are trial-court records searched through Alacourt ACCESS or requested from the Circuit Clerk.
- Choose a name search or case-number search in Alacourt ACCESS. A case number is usually cleaner when it is known.
- Review the court, parties, case status, settings, actions, and cost fields before buying document images.
- Use the Dallas County court site for local filing fees, traffic rules, expungement forms, and e-notice instructions.
- Contact the correct local office for certified copies, older files, sealed-record questions, or case material that is not available online.
The Alacourt ACCESS public landing page is the source for the statewide trial-court search options shown in Dallas County court records research.
Because Dallas County does not list a separate free countywide case index, this statewide portal is the primary online starting point for trial-court case lookup.
Dallas County Court Records Fields
Alacourt ACCESS gives Dallas County court records users two broad search paths. The public-facing page confirms name and case-number searches, but some detailed form fields require account access or active search interaction. Costs matter before a user opens documents. The portal lists a paid search price, image charges, and optional monitoring services, while the county court site lists local filing fees that may appear as costs or financial history in a case record.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name Search | Search mode | Yes, if using name path | Public page confirms name searches; exact internal fields require portal interaction. |
| Case Number Search | Search mode | Yes, if using case path | Best when the Dallas County case number is already known. |
| Login | Account access | Yes for account functions | Subscriber and paid functions use the portal login. |
| Sign Up | Account registration | Optional until paid access is needed | The portal advertises account creation for public users. |
| Document Images | Report add-on | Optional | Images cost extra and are separate from the search itself. |
| Case Monitoring | Paid add-on | Optional | District and Circuit case monitoring are listed as separate paid services. |
The Dallas County Court Fees page is the source for local fee categories that can affect court-record and filing-cost questions.
Fee records help explain why a Dallas County court record may show filing costs, jury-demand fees, subpoena fees, expungement fees, or other financial entries.
Dallas County Court Record Types
Dallas County court records are split by court and office. Circuit Clerk Lynnethia Bennett's office maintains court case records for civil, criminal, domestic, child support, juvenile, and related trial-court matters. District Court handles many lower-level cases such as small claims, district civil, traffic, misdemeanor matters, and preliminary felony activity. Probate Judge Jimmy Nunn and the Probate Office handle probate, recording, marriage-certificate recording, name changes, guardianships, conservatorships, involuntary commitments, wills, and estates.
That split is important for record access. A lawsuit, criminal case, traffic citation, protection-from-abuse matter, or domestic-relations file is not requested the same way as a deed, will, estate file, marriage certificate, or recorded lien. Some material is searchable through statewide or county portals. Some requires a clerk visit, mail request, email copy request, or public computer station.
- Civil case records: complaints, answers, motions, orders, judgments, subpoenas, garnishments, attachments, executions, and jury demands.
- Criminal case records: charges, arraignment, pleas, settings, rulings, dispositions, sentences, fines, costs, and appeal notices.
- Domestic and child support records: divorce, custody, support, modification, enforcement, and related court actions.
- Traffic records: citation number, UTC or case number, charge, court date, fine, costs, payment, appearance rules, and license-suspension risk.
- Probate and recording records: estates, wills, guardianships, conservatorships, name changes, deeds, mortgages, liens, judgments, plats, powers of attorney, incorporations, and UCC records.
- Juvenile and protective records: juvenile cases, protection-from-abuse filings, and sensitive records that may be partly or fully restricted.
The Alabama E-Forms portal is linked from the Dallas County court site as a statewide source for court forms.
Forms do not replace the case record, but they help explain the documents that later appear in Dallas County court files.
What Dallas County Court Records Show
A Dallas County court record is more than a case title. In Alacourt ACCESS, the public report description points to basic case information, court action, case status, setting dates, party information, financial history, and a detailed case action summary. Local Dallas County pages add practical fields such as traffic ticket numbers, UTC or case numbers, filing categories, warrant jurisdiction, and court office routing.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | The unique court identifier used for case-number searches, mail payments, continuance letters, and clerk requests. |
| Parties | Names and roles such as plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, or State of Alabama versus defendant. |
| Case Category | Criminal, civil, small claims, traffic, domestic relations, child support, probate, juvenile, or related record type. |
| Court or Division | The Dallas County court or office handling the matter, such as Circuit Court, District Court, Probate Court, Traffic Court, Juvenile, or Domestic Relations. |
| Settings and Actions | Hearing dates, court actions, rulings, continuances, orders, and the case action summary. |
| Status and Disposition | Whether the case or charge is pending, disposed, dismissed, resolved by plea, decided by judgment, or otherwise closed. |
| Financial Information | Filing fees, fines, costs, payments, court costs, traffic amounts, or other money history tied to the case. |
| Documents | Images or attachments may be available for extra cost in Alacourt ACCESS, depending on the record and access level. |
Dallas County Court Records Access
Alabama public-records law gives residents a right to inspect and copy public records unless another law restricts the record. For Dallas County court records, that right still has to be applied through the correct office and record system. Circuit and District case files route through the Circuit Clerk and statewide court systems. Probate, land, recording, and marriage-certificate questions route through the Probate Office or Recording Office.
Ala. Code § 36-12-40 supports inspection and copying of public records, while Ala. Code § 36-12-41 addresses copies and lawful fees. These statutes do not make every court file public. Juvenile records, sealed cases, expunged charges, adoption files, involuntary commitments, military discharges, and marriage-license material can follow stricter rules.
Note: Public access starts with the office that keeps the record, but sealed, juvenile, expunged, and vital-record material may stay restricted.
The Alabama public-records inspection statute is one of the core legal sources for Dallas County court records access.
The statute supports public inspection, while the local clerk or probate office determines how the request is handled for the specific Dallas County record.
The Alabama public-records copy-fee statute is the companion source for copy access and fee authority.
Copy rules matter when a Dallas County user needs a printed, certified, or office-issued record rather than an online case summary.
Restricted Dallas County Court Records
Some Dallas County court records are not open like ordinary civil and adult criminal case files. Juvenile court information is confidential under Alabama law, and juvenile law-enforcement records receive separate protection. Adoption records and involuntary commitment files handled through Probate Court are sensitive. Military discharges and marriage licenses are excluded from the Probate Office's public computer-station access. The Recording Office also tells filers not to include Social Security numbers in recorded documents and says filers will be asked to redact those numbers before recording.
Expungement is a separate court process. Dallas County links a local expungement petition PDF and lists a court filing fee for expungement. ALEA explains that Alabama courts grant expungements under Code of Alabama Section 15-27, not ALEA itself. A person seeking access to a sealed, expunged, juvenile, or otherwise restricted record may need a court order or a request made through the record-holding office.
Dallas County Court Record Requests
In-person and direct office requests remain important because Dallas County court records do not all sit in one public database. The Circuit Clerk is the fallback for certified copies, older trial-court files, paper records, and local questions about criminal, civil, domestic, juvenile, child support, small claims, district civil, traffic, and expungement matters. The Probate Office and Recording Office handle probate and permanent recording records, including deeds, mortgages, liens, judgments, plats, powers of attorney, incorporation filings, UCCs, wills, estates, guardianships, conservatorships, name changes, and related probate services.
Dallas County Circuit Clerk
105 Lauderdale Street
Selma, AL 36701
(334) 874-2523
8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday
Dallas County Probate Office
105 Lauderdale Street
Selma, AL 36702
(334) 876-4830
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday
The Alabama Appellate Courts Public Portal is the source for appellate documents filed in or issued by Alabama appellate courts on or after March 20, 2022.
Appeal records are separate from the Dallas County trial-court file, so appellate lookup belongs in the appellate portal rather than the county clerk counter.