Houston County
Located in the southeastern corner of Alabama, Houston County was established in 1903 and is the youngest county in the state. It has a land area of 580 square miles and over 105,000 residents. Its largest city and county seat is Dotham.
The Houston County court system comprises Circuit, District, Probate, and Municipal Courts. The Houston County Circuit Court has general jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases but typically oversees cases outside the standard jurisdiction enjoyed by other county courts. The court weighs in on each felony case and some misdemeanors, juvenile matters, domestic relations matters, and some probate cases. It has exclusive jurisdiction over civil cases with claims exceeding $10,000 but shares jurisdiction with the District Court over civil cases with claims between $3,000 and $10,000. The Houston County District Court handles misdemeanors, some juvenile matters, small claims, and some probate matters. It also hears municipal ordinance violations and traffic offenses in municipalities without municipal courts. In addition, it handles civil cases with claims under $10,000 but may not hear certain civil equity cases.
The Houston County Probate Court handles admission of wills, appointment of conservatorships and guardianships, adoptions, name changes, involuntary commitment to mental health institutions, and administration of estates. Municipal courts in Houston County handle traffic infractions and municipal ordinance offenses within their jurisdictions. There are five municipal courts in Taylor, Gordon, Gotham, Ashford, and Cottonwood.
Public court records in Houston County include warrants, court transcripts, court filings, writs, depositions, motions, proceedings, orders, and court rulings. These records are generated by the county's courts and are accessible to the public. The Houston County Circuit Clerk maintains all records from the Circuit and District Courts. Clerks of other county courts maintain their records.
The following types of court records are public in Houston County unless sealed by law or court orders:
- Probate Case Records
- Traffic Violation Records
- Criminal Case Records
- Family Law Case Records
- Civil Case Records
Record seekers can visit county courts to view and request their public court records. They can also register and use the Alabama Court Records platform to access nonconfidential court records from Houston County at a fee.
