Dallas County Circuit Court
Alabama's trial-court structure is split among Circuit Courts, District Courts, Probate Courts, and Municipal Courts. In Dallas County, the Circuit Court is the primary trial court named in the State Court Structure Map. Dallas County is part of the Fourth Judicial Circuit of Alabama with Bibb, Hale, Perry, and Wilcox counties. The local court site labels itself "Dallas County - 4th Judicial Circuit of Alabama."
The Dallas County courthouse address for the Circuit Clerk is 105 Lauderdale Street, P.O. Box 1148, Selma, AL 36701, with phone (334) 874-2523. Public hours on the Circuit Clerk page are 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. That site is the local instruction hub for Circuit Clerk, Circuit Judges, District Judge, Small Claims, District Civil, Unlawful Detainers, Circuit Civil, Traffic Court, Magistrates and Warrants, Juvenile, Child Support, Domestic Relations, Protection from Abuse, Jury Information, Expungements, and E-Forms.
The Dallas County Circuit Judges page lists the Fourth Judicial Circuit judges serving Dallas County and nearby circuit counties.
The judge page anchors the Circuit Court structure because Dallas County shares circuit judges across the Fourth Judicial Circuit.
Dallas County Circuit Judges
Dallas County does not use numbered district courts in the Texas sense. The relevant table is the local court and judge structure identified in the research. It includes Circuit Court judges, the Dallas County District Judge, the Circuit Clerk, Probate Court, magistrate functions, and traffic-court routing.
| Court or Office | Role | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas County Circuit Clerk | Maintains records for seven courts and case categories | 105 Lauderdale Street, P.O. Box 1148, Selma, AL 36701 | (334) 874-2523 |
| Presiding Circuit Judge Marvin W. Wiggins | Fourth Judicial Circuit judge | 1001 Main Street, Greensboro, AL 36744 | (334) 624-5620 |
| Circuit Judge Donald L. McMillan | Fourth Judicial Circuit judge | P.O. Box 146, 300 Washington St., Suite 202, Marion, AL 36756 | (334) 683-2215 |
| Circuit Judge Robert Bryan Jones | Fourth Judicial Circuit judge based in Selma courthouse annex | P.O. Box 1225, 102 Church St., Courthouse Annex, Selma, AL 36702 | (334) 874-2510 |
| District Judge Vernetta Perkins | Dallas County District Court judge | 105 Lauderdale St., Room 228, P.O. Box 987, Selma, AL 36701 | (334) 874-2529 |
| Dallas County Probate Court | Probate, recording, marriage, guardianship, conservatorship, commitments | 105 Lauderdale Street, Selma, AL 36702 | (334) 876-4830 |
Dallas County Court Roles
The main user problem in Dallas County is not just finding the courthouse. It is identifying which court level holds the record. Circuit Court, District Court, Municipal Court, and Probate Court are distinct even when a user describes everything as court records.
| Record Question | Circuit Court | District Court | Probate or Municipal Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main role | General trial court and higher-level case files | Lower-level civil, misdemeanor, traffic, small claims, and preliminary matters | Probate handles estates and recording; municipal courts handle city matters |
| Civil examples | Circuit civil, larger claims, jury demands, domestic relations | Small claims, district civil, unlawful detainers | Deeds, probate estates, name changes, municipal ordinance matters |
| Criminal examples | Felony case progress and criminal case files | Misdemeanor, traffic, and preliminary felony functions | Municipal offenses inside city limits may start with the city |
| Record office | Circuit Clerk | Circuit Clerk / District Court Clerk functions | Probate Office or municipal court/police agency |
Dallas County Case Flow
Case movement depends on the case type. A felony allegation may start with law enforcement, a magistrate, or a warrant process before it becomes a Circuit Court case. A small civil claim starts in the lower civil path. A probate estate starts with the Probate Office. A traffic citation may be payable before court or may require appearance.
Criminal flow: Report or arrest › Magistrate or warrant review › First appearance or lower-court setting › Circuit Court filing or indictment when applicable › Arraignment › Pretrial action › Plea or trial › Disposition and sentence › Appeal.
Civil flow: Complaint or petition filed › Service › Answer or default › Motions or hearings › Trial or judgment › Post-judgment collection or appeal.
Appeals from Alabama trial courts move through the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals, Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, or Supreme Court of Alabama depending on the case. Federal appeals for federal cases serving Dallas County go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Dallas County District Court
District Court in Dallas County is represented locally by Honorable Vernetta Perkins, District Judge. The research identifies the judge's office at 105 Lauderdale St., Room 228, P.O. Box 987, Selma, AL 36701, phone (334) 874-2529. District Court is the primary lower trial court for many misdemeanor, traffic, small claims, district civil, and preliminary felony matters.
The local court menu separates Small Claims, District Civil, Unlawful Detainers, Traffic Court, Magistrates and Warrants, Juvenile, Child Support, Domestic Relations, and Protection from Abuse into service pages. That menu matters because a Dallas County Circuit Court records search can fail if the user actually needs a lower-court, traffic, juvenile, or domestic-relations pathway.
Dallas County Small Claims
Small claims and district civil matters are lower-court civil paths. The Dallas County court-fee table separates small claims by amount and distinguishes district civil from circuit civil. Small claims fees listed in the research are $61.00 for $1,500 or less, $135.00 for $1,501 to $3,000, and $224.00 for $3,001 to $6,000. District civil from $6,001 to $10,000 is listed at $256.00.
The Dallas County small claims page is the local lower-civil source for this part of the court structure.
Small claims information belongs on the Circuit Court page because it shows when a civil record is lower-court rather than circuit civil.
The Dallas County district civil page is the related source for district civil claims.
District civil is a separate lower-court path from circuit civil and should be checked before assuming a file belongs in Circuit Court.
Dallas County Circuit Civil
Circuit civil is the higher civil path in the local fee table. Dallas County lists $255.00 for circuit civil through $50,000, non-monetary claims, or declaratory judgment filings, and $355.00 for circuit civil over $50,000. The table also lists a $100.00 civil jury demand and $30.00 for attachment, garnishment, or execution.
The Dallas County circuit civil page is the local source for civil case routing in the Circuit Court structure.
Circuit civil records can include complaints, answers, motions, orders, judgments, jury demands, and post-judgment enforcement records.
Dallas County Traffic and Warrants
Traffic Court is part of the local court structure and is tied to District Court record handling. Dallas County traffic tickets are scheduled for a specific day, time, and place at the Dallas County Courthouse. Some citations are payable before court through official payment channels, while DUI, driving with suspended license, reckless driving, and unlisted violations require court appearance.
Magistrates and Warrants also sit in the court pathway. The Dallas County Magistrates and Warrants page explains misdemeanor, felony, traffic, and worthless-check warrant jurisdiction. Felony warrant procedure requires contact with the relevant municipality or Sheriff's Department and an officer or investigator coming with the complainant to the Circuit Clerk's Office to obtain the warrant.
Note: Failure to appear or pay a traffic case before the court date may lead to an alias warrant and driver-license suspension without prior notice.
Dallas County Juvenile Records
Juvenile records appear in the Dallas County court menu but should not be treated like ordinary public dockets. Alabama law restricts juvenile court records and juvenile law-enforcement records. The local court site has a Juvenile page, and the county has a separate Juvenile Detention Center, but public-facing juvenile case detail is limited by statute.
The research identifies Ala. Code Section 12-15-133 as the juvenile court record confidentiality statute.
Juvenile confidentiality is a major reason a complete Dallas County court file may not be available through public search channels.
Dallas County Court Access
For online trial-court records, Alabama uses Alacourt ACCESS for statewide public trial-court access. The local Dallas County site is still the office and instruction hub. In-person records and certified copies route through the Circuit Clerk when the case is a Circuit Court, District Court, traffic, small claims, domestic-relations, child support, juvenile, or criminal matter.
Probate records are different. Estates, recording records, marriage certificate recording, conservatorships, guardianships, name changes, involuntary commitments, and notary matters route through the Probate Office. Municipal matters may require the city court or police agency, especially when an incident occurred inside municipal limits.