Browse Montgomery County Circuit Court

Montgomery County Circuit Court

Montgomery County belongs to Alabama's Fifteenth Judicial Circuit. Circuit Court is the county's trial court of general jurisdiction. Its criminal division handles felony matters and misdemeanor appeals from Montgomery County District Court and the City of Montgomery Municipal Court. Its civil division handles disputes in which the amount in controversy exceeds $20,000, along with District Civil appeals, administrative appeals, and Probate Court appeals. Domestic Relations, where divorces are primarily filed, is also part of Circuit Court.

The primary court complex is the Phelps-Price Justice Center at 251 South Lawrence Street, Montgomery, Alabama 36104. Some Circuit and Family Court judges work from 100 South Lawrence Street. The Circuit Court mailing address is P.O. Box 1667, Montgomery, AL 36102-1667. The Circuit Clerk's main number is (334) 832-1260, and the courthouse lists weekday hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Montgomery County court records are not held in one unified county system. Circuit and District case records use the Circuit Clerk and Alacourt channels. Probate matters use Probate Court. City traffic and municipal criminal matters use the City of Montgomery Municipal Court. Sheriff inmate and warrant information follows the Sheriff's Office portal.

Montgomery County Circuit Court Judges

The official Montgomery County court inventory lists the Circuit Court judges below. The court is organized by assigned judicial work rather than separate numbered court websites. Family Court judges are based at 100 South Lawrence Street, while the other listed Circuit judges use 251 South Lawrence Street. Phone numbers identify the individual chambers or listed court contact and should not replace the Circuit Clerk's line for public copy requests.

Materials for a judge should be filed or delivered only through the method authorized by court personnel. The court's montgomery@alacourt.gov address is limited to proposed orders or other specifically authorized materials, and the proper judge's name must be placed in the subject line.

Montgomery County Court Jurisdiction Compared

Alabama does not route every local dispute through the same court. The distinction turns on subject matter, amount, offense level, location, and procedural stage. Circuit Court has general jurisdiction. District Court and Municipal Court handle narrower classes of cases, while Probate Court has its own specialized county jurisdiction. The comparison below follows the local court structure documented for Montgomery County.

Small claims is linked separately through the local court system. A felony may start in District Criminal and later move to Circuit Court after grand-jury action. City misdemeanors and traffic inside Montgomery city limits ordinarily use Municipal Court, while state or county tickets outside city limits can use District Court.

Montgomery County Circuit Case Flow

The local Circuit Criminal material identifies the main stages of a felony case. Investigation and arrest may occur before the court file is complete. A felony can begin in District Court, where early proceedings occur, then move through grand-jury review and indictment into Circuit Court. The case record can later show arraignment, settings, court action, plea or trial, disposition, sentence, and appeal activity.

Criminal flow: Investigation › Arrest › District Court start › Grand jury and indictment › Circuit Court arraignment › Pretrial and plea talks › Trial or plea › Sentencing › Appeal

Civil flow: Complaint filed › Service and answer › Motions and case settings › Trial or other resolution › Judgment › Post-judgment action › Appeal

Each Circuit Criminal judge sets an individual docket. Once counsel is appointed or retained, notices of court dates and discovery are sent to the attorney. Discovery is not part of the clerk's public record. The docket may show settings and actions, but police reports, lab reports, body-camera files, and witness material should not be expected in an Alacourt case summary.

Montgomery County Circuit Court Divisions

Circuit Civil hears disputes above the District Civil range, as well as specified appeals. Its public file may include a complaint, answer, summons, service returns, motions, orders, judgment, costs, garnishment or execution papers, and an appeal notice. The exact content depends on what the parties file and what the judge enters. A public record can still be sealed or redacted when law or court order requires it.

Circuit Criminal handles felonies after indictment and misdemeanor appeals. The case record may include a complaint or warrant reference, bond entries, indictment, arraignment, plea, motions, settings, sentence, probation order, financial history, and appeal notices. A charge is not the same as a conviction. The final disposition and sentence must be read before drawing a conclusion about the case outcome.

Domestic Relations is the primary divorce venue. Family Court works from 100 South Lawrence Street. Divorce files can contain petitions, answers or waivers, settlement agreements, custody affidavits, child-support forms, withholding orders, and decrees. Minor information, account data, and other sensitive family content may be redacted. Families in Transition attendance or a waiver can be required before a final decree when the court orders it.

Search Montgomery County Circuit Records

Alacourt Access is the paid public route for Alabama state trial-court records. It supports a name search when the case number is unknown and a case-number search when the number appears on a pleading, notice, ticket, warrant, or indictment. Its Case Detail report can include basic case data, status, setting dates, parties, court actions, financial history, and a detailed case action summary. Document images and attachments are paid separately.

For in-person service and certified copies, use the Montgomery County Circuit Clerk at 251 South Lawrence Street or call (334) 832-1260. Mail goes to P.O. Box 1667, Montgomery, AL 36102-1667. A certified copy requires clerk authentication and should not be confused with an online screen. Call ahead to confirm public access, the current copy charge, and how the office wants the request submitted.

Alabama public-record law supports inspection and copying of public records, but it does not override sealing, expungement, juvenile confidentiality, adoption confidentiality, or redaction. A public search may omit a restricted case or protected document. The clerk also does not hold criminal discovery.

Montgomery County Lower Court Routing

Montgomery County District Court has two listed judges: Samarria Dunson at (334) 832-2589 and Pamela Higgins at (334) 832-1359, both at 251 South Lawrence Street. District Criminal hears misdemeanors outside Montgomery city limits, DUI tickets outside the city, worthless-check matters, conservation tickets, Revenue Commission tickets, and ABC violations. It is also the starting court for felony cases before grand-jury disposition. District Civil handles damages from $6,000.01 through $20,000, evictions, and unlawful detainers.

The City of Montgomery Municipal Court handles municipal traffic, parking, red-light-camera, and city criminal matters. The county warrant magistrate rules provide a useful jurisdiction line: misdemeanors inside city limits generally go to Municipal Court unless the incident also involves a felony or a Sheriff's Office incident report. Municipal cases may later reach Circuit Court on appeal as Alabama law permits.

Probate Court is separate from both. Judge J C Love III and the Probate Court at 101 South Lawrence Street handle estates, wills, guardianships, conservatorships, marriage records, and related services. Circuit Civil may hear probate appeals, but the original probate record remains with Probate Court. State appellate review proceeds through the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals or Court of Criminal Appeals by subject, with the Alabama Supreme Court as the court of last resort.

Visit Montgomery County Circuit Court

The official courthouse approach from I-65 uses Exit 172B, then Bell Street, Molton Street, Bibb Street, Madison Avenue, and south on Lawrence Street. Parking is limited. Jurors are directed to the deck at Scott and Lawrence Streets, and the court does not reimburse parking citations. Public transportation is encouraged, though the official court material does not list a route number.

The Jury Assembly Room is on the third floor, to the left after leaving the elevator. Smoking is prohibited throughout the courthouse. No official court-specific list of security items, accessibility entrances, hearing devices, or public amenities was captured, so visitors who need accommodations should contact the courthouse before arrival rather than rely on an assumed entrance or service.

Family Court uses 100 South Lawrence Street, and Probate Court uses Annex III at 101 South Lawrence Street. These buildings sit close together but keep different records. Verify the division, judge, and room before the visit. The main Circuit Clerk office at the Phelps-Price Justice Center is the best general starting point for Circuit Court record questions.