Carla H. Woodall and the Circuit Clerk Office
Houston County's state trial court record office is the Houston County Circuit Clerk. The current Circuit Clerk is Carla H. Woodall. Her official biography says she was first elected Circuit Clerk of Houston County in 2007 and is serving her fourth term. The Circuit Clerk website describes its mission as providing helpful online information about the office and services.
The office is in the Houston County Courthouse at 114 North Oates Street, Dothan, AL 36303. Many local court pages use the mailing address P.O. Drawer 6406, Dothan, AL 36302. Public hours are Monday through Friday, excluding state holidays, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with the office closed from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. for lunch. The primary phone number is (334) 677-4800, and the office directory breaks out the division lines.
Houston County Circuit Clerk
Circuit Clerk: Carla H. Woodall
114 North Oates Street
Dothan, AL 36303
Mail: P.O. Drawer 6406, Dothan, AL 36302
(334) 677-4800
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; closed noon-1:00 p.m.
Records Held by the Circuit Clerk
The Circuit Clerk is the correct local office for Houston County state trial court case records. That includes civil circuit case records, district civil case records, small claims, criminal circuit cases, district criminal cases, state traffic cases in Houston County District Court, domestic relations and divorce files, child support case records, juvenile matters subject to confidentiality, protection from abuse filings, jury administration, and courthouse election or absentee functions assigned to the clerk.
Probate Office records are separate. Estate, guardianship, conservatorship, adoption, involuntary commitment, legitimation, name change, marriage certificate recording, land recording, notary, license, tag, and election records are not Circuit Clerk case records. A person looking for a divorce decree should call Domestic Relations, while a person looking for a marriage certificate should contact Probate.
- Circuit Civil: civil actions over the circuit threshold, appeals from limited-jurisdiction courts, and related circuit filings.
- District Civil and Small Claims: district-level civil matters, evictions, unlawful detainers, and small claims up to $6,000.
- Circuit Criminal and District Criminal: felony case records, district criminal matters, preliminary proceedings, and misdemeanor-related court records.
- Traffic: state traffic citations issued to appear before Houston County District Court.
- Domestic Relations: divorce, child support, custody-related filings, modifications, enforcement, and decree copy questions.
- Juvenile: juvenile court records, with confidentiality limits that restrict ordinary public access.
Circuit Clerk Division Phone Directory
Using the division line first is usually faster than starting with the main number. The office directory lists direct phones for the record category or case division, and local pages such as Domestic Relations explain special copy and filing rules for that division.
| Division | Phone | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Civil | (334) 677-4859 | Circuit civil filings, copies, and case questions. |
| Small Claims / District Civil | (334) 677-4868 | Small claims, district civil, evictions, and unlawful detainers. |
| Circuit Criminal | (334) 677-4858 | Circuit criminal case records and filings. |
| District Criminal | (334) 677-4869 | District criminal case questions. |
| Traffic | (334) 677-4870 | Houston County District Court traffic cases. |
| Domestic Relations / Child Support | (334) 677-4805 | Divorce, child support, decree copies, and domestic case questions. |
| Juvenile | (334) 677-4880 | Juvenile matters, subject to confidentiality limits. |
| Jury Line | (334) 671-8719 | Jury reporting and check-in information. |
| Absentee Voting | (334) 671-8700 | Absentee voting functions assigned locally. |
Alacourt Online Record Access
The strongest online path for Alabama state trial court records is Alacourt ACCESS at pa.alacourt.com. It provides on-demand access to Alabama trial court records and advertises criminal, civil, small claims, state traffic, domestic relations, and child support records. The portal supports name searches and case number searches. It is a paid service, not a free county search.
Alacourt states that a case detail report includes basic case information, court action, case status, setting dates, party information, financial history, and a detailed case action summary. The public pricing shown in the research is $9.99 for a name search, $9.99 for a case number search, document images at $5.00 for the first 20 pages and $0.50 per page thereafter, and case monitoring at $19.99 for district cases or $29.99 for circuit cases. A "No Matching Records on File" result still counts as a search.
Step-by-Step Certified Copy Request
Certified copies are used when the requester needs official proof from the court file, such as a certified decree, order, judgment, or case document. Houston County's inspected pages did not publish a single universal court-records request PDF, so copy requests should be directed to the correct division by phone, counter, or mail.
- Identify the case type: circuit civil, district civil, small claims, circuit criminal, district criminal, traffic, domestic relations, or juvenile.
- Gather the case number if available. If not, prepare exact party names, approximate filing year, case type, and document name.
- Call the correct division for copy availability, certification, total cost, payment method, and whether the file is restricted or sealed.
- For in-person requests, go to the Circuit Clerk's office during public hours and avoid the noon to 1:00 p.m. lunch closure.
- For mail requests, use the court mailing address published on local pages: P.O. Drawer 6406, Dothan, AL 36302, and include the payment method the division instructs.
- For divorce decree copies, call Domestic Relations at (334) 677-4805 for an estimate. The office accepts money order or cash for those copies, with money orders payable to Houston County Circuit Clerk; credit cards are not accepted for decree copies.
Records Request Form-Field Inventory
Because the research did not locate a universal Houston County court-record request form, this inventory reflects the information a requester should be ready to provide to the correct Circuit Clerk division. Providing more precise information reduces the chance of paying for the wrong search or waiting for a call-back.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case number | Recommended | Best identifier for Alacourt and division copy requests. |
| Party names | Yes | Use full names and known aliases or prior names. |
| Case type or division | Yes | Examples: circuit civil, district criminal, traffic, domestic relations. |
| Document type | Yes | Examples: decree, order, judgment, disposition, docket sheet, complaint. |
| Certified or plain copy | Yes | Certification changes handling and cost. |
| Number of copies | Yes | Needed for estimate and payment. |
| Approximate filing date | Recommended | Helpful when no case number is known. |
| Requester name and contact | Yes | Needed for questions, pickup, or mailing. |
| Return mailing address | Conditional | Needed for mail fulfillment. |
| Restricted-record relationship or authority | Conditional | May be required for juvenile, sealed, or otherwise restricted files. |
Houston County Circuit Clerk Fees
The fee schedule below uses the amounts documented in the research. Filing fees are not the same as copy fees, and Alacourt online search costs are separate from counter copy charges. Always confirm the current amount with the division before mailing payment.
| 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 |
| Alacourt case monitoring | $19.99 district case; $29.99 circuit case |
| District civil filing, $6,001-$10,000 | $267.00 |
| Small claims up to $1,500 | $72.00 |
| Small claims $1,501-$3,000 | $146.00 |
| Small claims $3,001-$6,000 | $235.00 |
| Circuit civil $10,001-$50,000 | $266.00 |
| Circuit civil $50,001+ or unspecified | $366.00 |
| Circuit civil jury demand | $100.00 |
| Domestic relations docket fee | $214.00 |
| Domestic relations modification, enforcement, or counterclaim to modify | $317.00 |
| Domestic relations dispositive motion | $50.00 |
| Domestic relations sheriff fee | $20.00 |
| Subpoena fee | $12.00 plus sheriff fee if applicable |
| Divorce decree copy | Fee varies; call (334) 677-4805 |
What the Circuit Clerk Cannot Do
The Circuit Clerk can file, maintain, and provide access to court records within legal limits, but the office cannot give legal advice. Domestic Relations information specifically says the Clerk strongly recommends consulting an attorney, especially when children are involved, and that the office does not have fill-in-the-blank forms for many pleadings. Email or faxed paperwork is not accepted for divorce filings; originals are required.
Restricted files need special care. Juvenile matters are generally confidential. Sealed or expunged criminal records may be unavailable to ordinary public search. Protection from abuse records can include address or phone deletion from court records concerning the order. If a document is missing online, older, sealed, juvenile, or unclear, the next step is not guessing from a public search result. The requester should call the correct division or visit the courthouse.