Search Houston County Court Records
Most Houston County court records for state trial courts begin with Alacourt ACCESS, Alabama's paid trial court records portal. It advertises criminal, civil, small claims, state traffic, domestic relations, and child support case records. The portal supports name searches and case-number searches. A case detail report may show basic case data, court action, case status, setting dates, party details, financial history, and a case action summary. Document images cost extra when they are available.
The local fallback is the Houston County Circuit Clerk at the courthouse. Use the division line that matches the record: Circuit Criminal, District Criminal, Circuit Civil, Small Claims and District Civil, Traffic, Domestic Relations, Juvenile, or Jury. Probate, recording, marriage, and estate records are separate from the Circuit Clerk and use the Probate Office or the Ingenuity portal.
The official county homepage at houstoncountyal.gov is the starting point for county offices and courthouse context.
That county site helps separate county administration from the state court pages, probate records, and sheriff records.
- Identify the record type first: circuit, district, traffic, domestic relations, probate, municipal, jail, or sheriff.
- For circuit and district case records, search Alacourt ACCESS by party name or case number.
- For probate, marriage, and recording records, use Ingenuity Houston Probate or call Probate Court.
- For inmate records, use Citizen Connect inmate confinements or call the jail.
- For certified copies or files missing online, contact the office that owns the record before visiting.
Houston County Record Offices
Houston County court records do not sit in one single database. Circuit and district case files are local state court records maintained by the Circuit Clerk. Probate case records, marriage certificate records, estate matters, guardianships, conservatorships, land recording, and name changes are handled by the Probate Office. Jail confinement records are handled by the Sheriff's Office. City ordinance, municipal misdemeanor, and municipal traffic matters may route through a city court, especially in Dothan or the other named municipalities.
The Houston County departments directory shows the county office structure and helps route users to Probate, Community Corrections, Sheriff links, and other county services.
That directory is useful when a record is not a court case, such as a probate-office service, sheriff matter, or county department contact.
| Record Need | Primary Office | Access Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit, district, domestic, criminal, traffic, small claims | Houston County Circuit Clerk | Alacourt ACCESS, division phone, in person, mail |
| Probate, estates, guardianships, marriage certificates | Houston County Probate Office | Ingenuity portal, Probate Court phone, counter service |
| Current jail custody and booking filters | Houston County Sheriff's Office | Citizen Connect, jail phone, sheriff phone |
| City ordinance and municipal traffic matters | Municipal court | Dothan Municipal Court or city/town contact |
| Federal civil, criminal, or bankruptcy cases | Federal court | PACER, Middle District sites, bankruptcy court |
Houston County Court Locations
The county has three local buildings that matter most for record users. The courthouse is the place for Circuit Court, District Court, the Circuit Clerk, traffic, domestic relations, criminal, civil, small claims, jury, and magistrate functions. The Administrative Building holds the Probate Office. The Sheriff's Office and jail handle inmate lookup, jail calls, visitation rules, warrant-status questions, and law-enforcement records.
Houston County Courthouse
114 N. Oates St.
Dothan, AL 36303
(334) 677-4800
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
Probate Office
462 N. Oates St.
Dothan, AL 36303
(334) 677-4701
Monday-Thursday, 7:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; closed Fridays
Sheriff's Office and Jail
411 N. Foster Street
Dothan, AL 36303
(334) 677-4882; Jail (334) 712-0762
Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Houston County Court System
Houston County is in Alabama's Twentieth Judicial Circuit with Henry County. Circuit Court is the primary trial court of general jurisdiction. District Court handles limited civil, small claims, state traffic, misdemeanors, preliminary criminal matters, and juvenile matters. Probate Court handles estates, guardianship, conservatorship, adoptions, name changes, involuntary commitments, and related probate-office work. Municipal courts cover city ordinance, municipal traffic, and municipal misdemeanor matters.
Case flow: Municipal Court or District Court › Circuit Court › Alabama Court of Civil Appeals or Court of Criminal Appeals › Supreme Court of Alabama when jurisdiction allows.
| Court | Local Role | Common Houston County Records |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Court | General-jurisdiction trial court and appeal venue | Felony, major civil, domestic relations, de novo appeals |
| District Court | Limited-jurisdiction trial court | Small claims, district civil, state traffic, misdemeanors, juvenile matters |
| Probate Court | Separate county probate court | Estates, guardianships, conservatorships, adoptions, name changes |
| Municipal Court | City court layer | Municipal traffic, city ordinance cases, city misdemeanors |
Houston County Court Record Types
Civil records may include complaints, answers, motions, service returns, judgments, garnishments, and appeal papers. Criminal records may include charging instruments, bond, arraignment, pleas, motions, setting dates, disposition, sentence, costs, probation terms, and appeal notices. Traffic records show citation details, court date, payment or plea status, proof processing, failure-to-appear results, and disposition. Domestic relations records are Circuit Clerk records, but some details may be restricted.
Marriage certificate records and probate case records are handled by the Probate Office, not the Circuit Clerk. Alabama marriage is a certificate-recording process. Estate records may be searchable through Ingenuity, but adoptions and some mental-health or commitment matters are restricted. Jail records are sheriff records, and a jail roster is not the same as a court criminal case record.
- Civil and small claims: circuit and district case files involving money, eviction, service, judgments, and appeals.
- Criminal and charge records: case files and charge paths after arrest, warrant, prosecutor review, or indictment.
- Traffic cases: state traffic tickets in Houston County District Court or municipal traffic cases in city court.
- Probate and marriage: estate, guardianship, conservatorship, adoption, name change, and marriage certificate records.
- Jail and warrant records: sheriff and magistrate records with special public-access limits.
What Houston County Court Records Show
A Houston County court record can show the court, division, case number, parties, attorneys, filing date, setting dates, court actions, rulings, status, costs, and available images. Criminal records add charges, bond, plea, disposition, sentence, probation, costs, and possible warrant or arrest references. Traffic records add citation number, offense, plea, fine, court date, and license consequences. Probate records add estate or ward data, representative names, bonds, inventories, letters, notices, and hearings.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | The court's identifier for the case or file. |
| Parties | Names of plaintiffs, defendants, petitioners, respondents, or other parties. |
| Settings | Scheduled hearing, arraignment, trial, or review dates. |
| Actions and Rulings | Docket activity, orders, motions, and judge rulings. |
| Financial History | Costs, fines, fees, payments, and balances when the portal exposes them. |
| Documents | Images or attachments that may be available for an added fee. |
Houston County Public Access Rules
Alabama public-record access starts with Ala. Code Section 36-12-40, which gives Alabama residents a right to inspect and copy public records unless another law closes the record. Ala. Code Section 36-12-41 covers certified copies from a public officer with custody of a record upon proper request and payment of lawful or reasonable fees. Court records still depend on court rules, judicial-branch limits, sealed orders, and confidentiality statutes.
The official Alabama code portal at alison.legislature.state.al.us is the source for the state statutes used across Houston County court records research.
The code portal is especially important for juvenile confidentiality, certified-copy rights, expungement rules, and divorce timing statutes.
Key Statutes:
Ala. Code Section 36-12-40 - public records may be inspected and copied unless a law makes them confidential.
Ala. Code Section 36-12-41 - certified copies may be requested from the lawful custodian with proper payment.
Ala. Code Section 12-15-133 - juvenile legal and social records are confidential except as allowed by law.
Ala. Code Section 15-27-1 - Alabama's expungement chapter controls many criminal-record restriction questions.
Restricted Houston County Records
Not every Houston County court record is open. Juvenile legal and social records are generally confidential. Adoption files are sealed after the final decree, and identifying information is restricted. Mental-health and involuntary commitment files may contain medical information and should not be treated as ordinary public probate files. Protection from abuse records can include safety-related limits, including deletion of home, work, phone, or other protected information from court records concerning the order.
Sealed and expunged criminal records require careful handling. Alabama expungement does not mean every government trace disappears for all purposes. A person checking eligibility should identify the exact arrest, charge, court case, and disposition, then use the Circuit Clerk and legal counsel for next steps.
Note: Houston County says unserved arrest warrants are not public records, so a missing online result does not rule out a warrant.
Houston County Court Record Fees
Fees vary by portal and office. Alacourt ACCESS posts its own search and document image pricing. The Circuit Clerk division should be contacted for certified copies, divorce decrees, and case-specific copy needs. Probate records have separate Ingenuity and Probate Office charges. For marriage certificates, Houston County Probate lists a local recording cost and certified-copy fee.
| Item | Amount or Rule |
|---|---|
| Alacourt name search | $9.99 |
| Alacourt case-number search | $9.99 |
| Alacourt document images | $5.00 first 20 pages; $0.50 per page after |
| Marriage certificate recording | $80 through Houston County Probate |
| Marriage certified copy | $3 each through Houston County Probate |
| Ingenuity records download/copy | $1.00 per page for records in the portal |
Houston County Criminal Records
Criminal case records and arrest records are related but not the same file. The Circuit Clerk handles criminal court case records after a case opens in District Court or Circuit Court. The Sheriff's Office handles jail confinement records and local custody questions. The magistrate process controls arrest warrants, and the district attorney or prosecutor path affects how charges move forward after arrest or investigation.
Houston County's official research found no complete public active-warrant list. The Sheriff's Citizen Connect platform includes jail and most-wanted functions, but the county warrant page directs people who suspect a warrant to contact the Sheriff's Department. City-limit misdemeanors inside Dothan, Taylor, Kinsey, Webb, Ashford, Cottonwood, or Gordon may belong with a municipal court unless a felony is tied to the same incident or an extraordinary circumstance exists.
Houston County Inmate Records
The Houston County Sheriff's Office is led by Sheriff Donald Valenza and lists the sheriff's office and jail at 411 N. Foster Street in Dothan. Citizen Connect is the official sheriff-linked inmate confinement search. It supports current confinements, admits by date range, releases by date range, name search, charge search, and arresting-agency filters. Date range searches are limited to 31 days or less.
Jail users should distinguish the current county roster from state prison searches. ADOC's inmate search is for currently incarcerated Alabama state inmates, while VINELink and the Alabama Victim Notification System support custody and notification functions. Local jail questions go to the sheriff or jail phone numbers.
Houston County Probate Records
Houston County Probate Court is led by Probate Judge Patrick H. Davenport and operates from the Administrative Building. Probate handles estates with wills, estates without wills, guardianships, conservatorships, adoptions, name changes, involuntary commitments, legitimation, putative father registry matters, and online probate records access. The office also records Alabama marriage certificates.
Houston County's probate environment uses Ingenuity for online records. The county says searching and viewing are free, but copies and downloads cost by the page. Attorney e-filing exists through probate electronic filing resources, but the public should treat eCourt and public record searching as separate paths.
- Testator
- A person who leaves a will.
- Executor
- A person named to administer an estate under a will.
- Intestate
- Dying without a will, which triggers Alabama priority rules.
- Conservator
- A person appointed to manage property for a minor or incapacitated person.
Houston County Traffic Records
Houston County District Court handles state traffic citations issued to appear before Houston County District Court. A ticket's court date is not the trial date. To plead not guilty and request a trial, the defendant must appear on the listed court date and request a trial. For eligible payable tickets, a guilty plea and payment may be submitted by mail, online, by phone, or through the Alabama Traffic Service Center.
Traffic court records are different from ALEA driver records. A court traffic record shows citation, court date, plea, proof processing, fine or cost, failure-to-appear results, and disposition. An ALEA driver record shows driver history, license status, convictions, reinstatement issues, and related state driver data.
Houston County Court Referral
Official sources did not confirm a named Houston County drug court, veterans court, mental health court, or reentry court page. Houston County does publish Community Corrections and Court Referral contacts, which may be involved in supervision, court-ordered alternatives, probation coordination, and compliance matters. The center is at 164 N. Oates St. in Dothan, with County Probation, State Probation and Parole, Federal Probation and Parole, and Court Referral phone numbers listed in official county material.
The county Community Corrections page at houstoncountyal.gov/community_corrections is the official local source for these contacts.
That office can matter when a court case involves referral, supervision, probation, or compliance rather than only a record search.
Houston County Federal Records
Federal records are not Houston County court records. Houston County is in the Southern Division of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. The Dothan federal courthouse is downtown, but the Middle District page notes the Dothan courthouse is not staffed and says not to mail filings there. Federal district and bankruptcy cases use federal court systems, including PACER and CM/ECF, not the Houston County Circuit Clerk.
The county communities page at houstoncountyal.gov/about/communities helps route city-level questions when a case belongs to a local municipality instead of county or federal court.
Those municipal contacts are useful for Dothan-area users whose traffic, misdemeanor, or ordinance matter is not in the county court record system.
Houston County Court History
Houston County was established in 1903 and is Alabama's youngest county. Dothan is the county seat. The local record system reflects a compact downtown public-office district: the county courthouse for trial court records, the Administrative Building for probate work, the Sheriff's Office and jail for custody and warrant questions, the Dothan Municipal Court for city matters, and the federal courthouse for federal records.
That close geography can make record searches confusing. A person may be in the right part of downtown but at the wrong office. The safest path is to identify the court or agency first, then use the correct portal, phone number, or counter before requesting copies.
Houston County Court Records FAQ
Can Houston County court records be searched online?
Yes, many state trial court records can be searched through Alacourt ACCESS, which is a paid Alabama court records portal. Probate, marriage, and land records use the Houston County Ingenuity portal. Jail confinements use Citizen Connect. Certified copies and files not shown online still require the office that owns the record.
Who is the Houston County Circuit Clerk?
Carla H. Woodall is the Houston County Circuit Clerk. Her office is the local record office for circuit, district, domestic relations, juvenile, traffic, small claims, and related state trial court case files.
Are Houston County warrants online?
No complete official active-warrant search was located in the research. Houston County states an arrest warrant is not public until served. People who suspect a county warrant should contact the Sheriff's Department, while municipal matters may need the city court.
Where are Houston County divorce records kept?
Divorce case files and divorce decree copies are Circuit Clerk records through Domestic Relations. The Probate Office handles marriage certificates, not divorce decrees.
Does Probate Court use the same portal as Circuit Court?
No. Circuit and district court cases use Alacourt ACCESS. Probate, marriage, and recording records use the Houston County Probate/Ingenuity path or the Probate Office.
Are juvenile court records public?
Juvenile legal and social records are generally confidential under Alabama law. Access may require statutory authority or a court order.