Search Chilton County Court Records
The main online route for Chilton County court records is Alacourt Access for Chilton County. The public landing page identifies LOC=58 as the Chilton County location path and states that AlacourtAccess provides Alabama trial-court records for civil, domestic, criminal, and traffic matters. The system is not a county-run free database. It advertises account access, login access, and on-demand access for one case at a time, so a search may require sign-up or payment before full docket detail appears.
Local fallback matters in Chilton County because the court site divides records by office and division. Circuit Civil, Circuit Criminal, District Criminal, Divorce, Juvenile, Small Claims, District Civil, Traffic, and Warrants are Circuit Clerk functions. Probate, land records, marriage certificates, adoptions, commitments, liens, leases, and UCC indexing are Probate Office functions. Jail custody, booking charges, bonds, and inmate status come from the Sheriff's Office, not the court portal.
The Alacourt Access Chilton County docket screen is the source shown in the image below. It is useful for orientation because the visible landing page confirms the statewide trial-court path and the Chilton location code before a user moves into account or on-demand access.
When the online screen does not expose enough detail, the next step is to use the Circuit Clerk division tied to the case type rather than guessing from a partial search result.
- Identify the record type first: felony, misdemeanor, civil, domestic, traffic, juvenile, probate, marriage, warrant, or inmate custody.
- Use Alacourt Access for online District Court and Circuit Court docket access when a public online path is needed.
- Call the correct Circuit Clerk division if the portal does not show the file, if a certified copy is needed, or if the case is older.
- Use the Probate Office and altags portal for probate case records, land records, and marriage certificate questions.
- Use the Sheriff's roster and jail phone for booking, bond, custody, and current or released inmate information.
Chilton County Court System
Chilton County is part of Alabama's 19th Judicial Circuit with Autauga and Elmore counties. Circuit Court is the general-jurisdiction trial court. It handles felony criminal prosecutions, civil cases where the amount in controversy exceeds $20,000, domestic relations and family matters, and appeals from District Court, Probate Court, municipal courts, and certain administrative or municipal boards. The Chilton County court site lists Hon. Amanda Baxley as Presiding Circuit Judge and also identifies Circuit Judges Joy Booth, DeAnne "Dee Dee" Calhoon, and Patrick Pinkston.
District Court is the limited-jurisdiction trial court. It handles misdemeanors, felony preliminary hearings, non-capital felony guilty pleas, traffic matters, small claims, district civil matters, evictions, and juvenile matters in the 19th Circuit. The District Court page lists Hon. Chris Speaks as District Judge. Probate Court is separate from the Circuit Clerk's court-record operation and handles estates, probate matters, marriage certificate recording, land recording, commitments, adoptions, licenses, liens, UCC indexing, redemptions, and related records.
Case flow: Municipal, District, or Probate matter > Chilton County Circuit Court appeal > Alabama Court of Civil Appeals or Court of Criminal Appeals > Supreme Court of Alabama where review is available.
| Court | Role | Chilton County record path |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Court | Felonies, larger civil cases, domestic relations, appeals | Circuit Clerk divisions and Alacourt Access |
| District Court | Misdemeanors, traffic, small claims, district civil, felony preliminaries | Circuit Clerk divisions and Alacourt Access |
| Probate Court | Estates, probate, recording, marriage certificates, adoptions, commitments | Probate Office, public terminals, and altags online services |
| Municipal Courts | City ordinance and municipal traffic matters | City police or municipal court, with appeal routes to Circuit Court |
Chilton County Courthouse Access
The main court address is the Chilton County Courthouse at 500 2nd Avenue North, Clanton, AL 35045. The court website gives the main courthouse phone as 205-755-1551 and lists county office hours as 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with a note that county offices close at 4:00 and the Clerk's Office remains open until 4:30. Visitors should confirm whether they need the courthouse or the Probate Office at 53 Robert Threlkeld Parkway before leaving, since the records are not all held in the same office.
Courthouse entry is handled by the Chilton County Sheriff's courthouse-security unit. Four full-time deputies staff court security for Circuit and District Courts. Visitors pass through metal detectors. The county bans weapons from the courthouse, and prohibited items include knives, scissors, cutting-edge items, cameras, aerosol containers, glass bottles, and plastic bottles. Cell phones and laptops may enter the building, but they may not be used in courtrooms without the judge's permission.
Probate Office
53 Robert Threlkeld Parkway
Clanton, AL 35045
205-755-1555
Chilton County Court Record Types
Chilton County court records are split by court level and subject. Circuit Civil files cover higher-dollar civil claims and can include complaints, service returns, answers, motions, orders, judgments, garnishments, executions, attachments, subpoenas, notices, and certificates of judgment. District Civil files include claims from $6,000.01 to $20,000 and unlawful detainer cases. Small Claims files run through District Court for claims up to $6,000 and often include a statement of claim, service, answer, judgment, and collection papers.
Criminal court records may start with complaint, warrant, bond, indictment, information, or preliminary-hearing material, then continue through arraignment, pleas, motions, docket entries, disposition, sentence, probation, fines, and costs. Domestic relations records are Circuit Court files. Traffic records are District Court/Circuit Clerk records unless the matter belongs to a municipal court. Probate records are handled through the Probate Office and may involve estates, commitments, adoption, land recording, UCC indexing, discharges, judgments, liens, leases, redemptions, and marriage certificate recording.
- Civil records show claims, answers, service, motions, orders, judgments, and collection papers.
- Criminal records show filed charges, hearings, pleas, dispositions, sentences, fines, costs, and bond events.
- Domestic records include divorce, support, contempt, modification, and related Circuit Court filings.
- Traffic records show citation status, payment or appearance duties, court date, disposition, and costs.
- Probate records include estate, recording, marriage, commitment, adoption, lien, and licensing records.
What Chilton County Records Show
A Chilton County court record should be read as a file history, not just a final result. The public garnishment notice list gives a concrete sample of local public court data: names, case numbers, notice-of-garnishment PDF links, written-court-order PDF links, and publish dates. Observed case number examples include 14-DV-2023-900180.00, 14-SM-2016-900298.00, and 14-CV-2018-900206. Those examples show local format clues, but they should not be treated as a complete code glossary.
Different record types show different fields. A criminal file may show charges, bond, pleas, and sentence. A civil file may show a complaint, judgment, garnishment, and certificate of judgment. A traffic file may show the UTC number, case number, court date, guilty plea, fine, costs, or failure-to-appear consequences. Probate records may show estate or land-record details through a separate portal or public terminal.
| Field | What it means in Chilton County |
|---|---|
| Case number | Local case identifiers can include county prefix, case-type code, year, and sequence. |
| Party names | Civil parties, debtors, defendants, or state-versus-defendant names depending on case type. |
| Division | Circuit Civil, Circuit Criminal, District Criminal, Divorce, Juvenile, Traffic, or Small Claims/District Civil. |
| Documents | Filed notices, court orders, subpoenas, judgments, or other PDFs where public access exists. |
| Financial entries | Filing fees, fines, costs, bonds, garnishment charges, copy charges, and certified-copy charges. |
| Disposition | The final court outcome, which is different from an arrest, booking charge, or pending allegation. |
Chilton County Public Access Laws
Alabama public access starts with state public-records law, but Chilton County separates county administrative records, court case records, probate records, and sheriff records. The county public-records policy cites Alabama's Open Records Act as amended by Act 2024-278, effective October 1, 2024. For county Commission records, Chilton County requires its Standard Public Records Request Form, proof that the requester is an Alabama resident, and in-person submission at the Commission office. Questions go to public.records@chiltoncounty.org.
Court case records should start with the Circuit Clerk or Alacourt Access. Probate and land records should start with the Probate Office and altags online services. Sheriff records use the Sheriff's forms page and office instructions. Public access is not absolute. Juvenile records, adoptions, commitments, sealed and expunged records, private data, privileged material, and other nonpublic information may be withheld or redacted.
Key Statutes:
Ala. Code § 36-12-40 gives Alabama residents the right to inspect and copy public writings unless an exception applies.
Ala. Code §§ 36-12-43 to 36-12-46 add procedures for public-record requests and responses.
Ala. Code § 15-27-1 covers expungement petitions for qualifying misdemeanors, violations, traffic violations, and municipal ordinance violations.
Ala. Code § 12-15-136 allows juvenile legal and social files to be sealed in qualifying matters.
Restricted Chilton County Records
The strongest local restriction is juvenile access. The Chilton Juvenile Court page states that all juvenile records are sealed and that the office will not answer questions by telephone. A person with a juvenile case question must come to the office with valid ID. Adult sealed and expunged criminal records are also removed from ordinary public access under Alabama Title 15, Chapter 27 when statutory requirements are met, although courts and law enforcement may retain limited access for lawful uses.
Probate records need careful separation. Estate and land-record material may be publicly searchable, but adoption and commitment records are sensitive and should not be described as ordinary public downloads. County public-record responses may also protect Social Security numbers, financial account data, minor identifiers, privileged material, private information, and other nonpublic details.
Note: If a search does not show a case, the reason may be restricted access, not proof that the case never existed.
Chilton County Specialty Programs
Official local research found a Drug Court contact and a Court Referral Office contact, but not a detailed Chilton-specific program page with eligibility rules, phases, judge assignments, or graduation statistics. The judiciary directory lists Drug Court Information at 205-755-4242 and Court Referral Office at 205-280-1030. Those numbers are verified local paths for program questions, but the published sources do not support broader claims about who qualifies or how long a program lasts.
The District Attorney's Child Support Unit is another specialized court-adjacent function in the 19th Circuit. The local child-support page states that the unit was formed in 1977 to represent Autauga, Elmore, and Chilton County DHR in paternity and child-support cases. DHR files court actions, establishes support orders, collects and enforces support through income withholding, and prosecutes contempt when support is not paid.
Chilton County Sheriff and Jail
The Chilton County Sheriff's Office is at 500 2nd Avenue North in Clanton. Sheriff John Shearon is the current sheriff on the official administration page. The main sheriff phone is 205-755-4698, the jail phone is 205-755-1053, and dispatch is 205-755-1120 for after-hours matters. The Sheriff's Office also promotes a mobile app through its Get App page, but the research did not verify app-only warrant or roster functions.
The Chilton County Jail is at 301 City Street in Clanton. The corrections page describes a 232-bed facility that houses local, county, and state inmates in both pretrial and convicted status. Intake and release operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The public roster is the official online custody source and supports current, released, name, date, newest-to-oldest, oldest-to-newest, search, show-all, and profile-link controls. Full roster detail belongs on the Chilton County inmate records page.
Chilton County Probate Records
Marriage certificates and probate records are Probate Office functions, not Circuit Clerk functions. The Probate Office names Jason L. Calhoun as Probate Judge and Shannon Brown as Chief Clerk. It publishes a marriage license fee of $78.25, although Alabama's current marriage process uses certificate recording rather than the older license-issued-by-court model. Divorce records are different. They are Circuit Court Domestic Relations records handled through the Circuit Clerk and may also appear through Alacourt Access when online access is available.
The Probate Office provides public access to probate, tax assessor, and tax collector records, with four public access stations in the Probate Judge's vault room and one Tax Assessor station. The altags portal provides online options for land records and probate case records. For a focused split between marriage, divorce, and probate channels, use the marriage and divorce records page or the Probate Court page.
- Testator
- A person who made a will.
- Executor
- A person named to manage an estate through probate.
- Intestate
- A probate case where a person died without a valid will.
- Conservatorship
- A court-supervised arrangement for managing another person's financial affairs.
Chilton County Court Fees
Fees vary by division and filing type, so a person who needs a certified copy, filing, subpoena, or payment plan should confirm with the correct clerk before relying on a screen print. The court-cost research gives several published Circuit Clerk fees. Plain copies up to 20 pages are $5.00, with $0.50 for each page after 20. Certified copies up to 20 pages are $7.00, with $0.50 for each page after 20. Circuit civil filings cost more than district civil and small claims filings, and traffic citations use a separate payable-offense chart.
| Item | Published amount |
|---|---|
| Circuit civil filing up to $50,000 | $280.00 |
| Circuit civil filing over $50,000 or unspecified | $380.00 |
| District civil $6,000.01 to $20,000 and unlawful detainer | $281.00 |
| Small claims up to $1,500 | $57.00 |
| Divorce filing | $224.00 |
| Plain copies up to 20 pages | $5.00 |
| Certified copies up to 20 pages | $7.00 |
| Marriage license/certificate recording label on Probate page | $78.25 |
Read Chilton County Court Records
Start with the court division, then the case number, then the event history. A charge is an allegation or filed offense. A conviction is a final result after a guilty plea, trial verdict, or other qualifying disposition. A docket is the chronological list of case events, while the full case file may include pleadings, motions, orders, notices, payment records, subpoenas, and judgment papers. In traffic matters, the court date printed on a ticket is not the trial date; the local traffic page says a not-guilty plea requires appearing on that date to request a trial.
For arrest-related records, booking data is not the same as the final criminal case file. A jail roster charge may show why a person was booked, but the court record is the source for filed charges, pleas, dismissals, reductions, dispositions, and sentencing. For warrants, the local warrant page is procedural rather than a public warrant search list. A Chilton County police officer must prepare an incident/offense report and bring it to the Circuit Clerk's Office to obtain a warrant.
Chilton County Record Limits
Online records can lag behind clerk action, bond changes, court orders, or jail release. The Sheriff's roster may show current custody or released status before a court docket reflects the next hearing. Alacourt Access may show docket-level data while certified copies still require the Circuit Clerk. The Probate Office may have public terminals or account access for records that are not obvious from a general web search.
The county contact page is itself a useful official directory because it lists court, jail, sheriff, probate, district attorney, and traffic contacts in one place. The Chilton County contact page is shown in the image below and can help route a reader to the right office when a single database does not answer the question.
Use the directory as a routing aid, then verify the record with the office that actually keeps it.
Note: Certified copies and current case status should be confirmed with the originating office before legal use.
Chilton County Court History
Official local history material is limited, but the research does identify a few useful institutional details. The jury page calls the building the old courthouse and warns jurors that the temperature can vary enough that a jacket may be useful. The courthouse-security page describes a written County Commission resolution banning weapons from the courthouse, signs about screening, metal detectors, limited access, and a four-deputy security unit.
The District Attorney's Child Support Unit offers another dated local marker. The local page says the unit was formed in 1977 to represent DHR in paternity and child-support matters for Autauga, Elmore, and Chilton counties. It also reported 2008 figures for collections and referrals, which should be treated as historical data rather than current statistics.
Chilton County Court Records FAQ
Where do online Chilton County court records start?
District Court and Circuit Court docket access starts with Alacourt Access for Chilton County, using the LOC=58 path. Full use may require an account, login, or on-demand access. Certified copies and case-specific questions still route to the Circuit Clerk division that handles the case type.
Are juvenile court records public?
No. The local juvenile page states that all juvenile records are sealed. It also says the office will not answer juvenile case questions over the telephone. A person with a case question must appear with valid ID.
Who keeps Chilton County divorce records?
Divorce records are Circuit Court Domestic Relations records handled through the Circuit Clerk, not the Probate Office. Alacourt Access may help with online docket lookup, but certified copies and restrictions should be checked with the Divorce or Domestic Relations clerk.
Is the jail roster a criminal court record?
No. The jail roster is a Sheriff's Office custody record. It may show booking date, booking number, charges, bond, mugshot, and profile links, but the court file is the source for filed charges, dispositions, and sentence information.
Can a traffic ticket be paid online?
Eligible payable traffic cases can be handled through Alapay, resolve.alacourt.gov, phone card payment, or mail with a money order or cashier's check. The local traffic page says no personal checks and warns that mandatory-appearance or unlisted violations cannot be paid without court action.
Where are probate records searched?
Probate records are searched through the Probate Office, public vault-room terminals, and the altags Chilton probate portal. Adoption and commitment records should be treated as restricted, even though many probate and land-record functions are public.