Baldwin County Court

How to Search Baldwin County Court Records

Most Baldwin County court records come from one of three places. State trial-court records live in Alacourt ACCESS, the official Alabama public portal. Probate records live in Probate DuProcess iQuery. Jail and arrest records live in the Sheriff's Citizen Connect system. Each tool serves a different need, and the Circuit Clerk in Bay Minette can also pull older or certified files by mail or fax.

Before you start, gather basic case info. A full party name helps the most. A date of birth narrows a common name. A case number is the fastest path when you have one. Have a credit card ready if you plan to use Alacourt, since most searches there cost $9.99.

1. Open the right portal. Use Alacourt for Circuit or District Court cases. Use Probate DuProcess for estates, wills, guardianships, name changes, and adoptions. Use Citizen Connect for current jail bookings.
2. Pick the search mode. Alacourt offers a name search or a case-number search. Probate accepts last name, first name, middle name, case type, or case number.
3. Enter the party name or case number. Add a date of birth or middle name if results are too broad.
4. Review the docket entries. Probate detail panes show file date, case type, judge, status, related parties, dockets, events, payments, and assessments.
5. Request a certified copy. Mail the Circuit Clerk request form to 312 Courthouse Square, Suite 10, Bay Minette, AL 36507, or fax 251-937-0277. Allow two weeks.

A look at the Alacourt ACCESS portal gives a sense of the cost and coverage. The screenshot below comes straight from the official site at pa.alacourt.com and shows how name and case-number searches are organized.

The same portal lists prices, document image fees, and case-monitoring options. Most users start there for everyday Baldwin County court records work.

The Baldwin County Judicial System

Baldwin County sits inside Alabama's Unified Judicial System as the Twenty-Eighth Judicial Circuit. The Circuit Court hears felonies, civil cases over $20,000, family-law matters, and appeals from the District, Probate, and Municipal Courts. The District Court handles misdemeanors, preliminary felony hearings, juvenile matters concurrent with Circuit Court, civil cases up to $20,000, and small claims up to $6,000. Probate Court is a separate office for estates, wills, name changes, guardianships, adoptions, and recorded land documents. Six circuit judges and two district judges share the trial bench.

The presiding circuit judge is Hon. J. Clark Stankoski. Other circuit judges are Byron Brackin, Laurie A. Hoyt, Karol J. Kemp, Ashley Siebert, and Scott P. Taylor. The presiding district judge is Hon. William E. Scully, Jr., who sits with Hon. Michael J. Hoyt. The Judge of Probate is Harry M. D'Olive, Jr. The Circuit Clerk is Brenda Ganey. The full lineup is published on the official Circuit Court and District Court pages.

Case flow: Arrest or filing › District Court › Circuit Court › Court of Civil Appeals or Court of Criminal Appeals › Supreme Court of Alabama

Pictures help confirm who handles what. The Circuit Court page on the official Twenty-Eighth Judicial Circuit site lists every active circuit judge and the courts they serve. You can view it directly at baldwin.alacourt.gov/circuit-court.

This official page is the most current Baldwin County source for circuit jurisdiction, the judges in service, and the divisions in use.

Baldwin County Courthouses

The main facility is the Baldwin County Courthouse on Courthouse Square in Bay Minette. Most state-court business runs through this site. Two satellite courthouses serve the eastern shore and south county areas. Probate also keeps offices in four cities so users do not have to drive to Bay Minette for routine licenses or recording work. Marriage certificates are recorded only at the Bay Minette Probate Office.

The Twenty-Eighth Judicial Circuit home page lists each courthouse, the Circuit Clerk contact, and quick links for traffic, small claims, and jury duty. The page is at baldwin.alacourt.gov.

Use this site as your home base for current judges, fees, jury info, traffic rules, and forms in Baldwin County.

Types of Court Records Available in Baldwin County

Baldwin County court records cover criminal, civil, family, traffic, juvenile, small claims, probate, and recorded land records. The records split across two main offices. The Circuit Clerk holds files for Circuit and District Court. Probate holds estates, wills, marriage certificates, name changes, and recorded documents. Sensitive material like juvenile, sealed, and adoption records is not open to general public search.

The Circuit Clerk's own request form states the office has Baldwin Circuit and District Court records only. It cannot supply federal, municipal, other-county, or other-state records. For municipal cases, contact the city court. For federal matters, use PACER through the Southern District of Alabama.

• Criminal records - Felony cases at Circuit Court, misdemeanors and preliminary felony hearings at District Court, plus warrants, bond orders, and sentencing.
• Civil records - Complaints, answers, motions, orders, judgments, garnishments, executions, and certificates of judgment.
• Family and divorce records - Domestic-relations filings such as uncontested divorce, custody, support, and protection orders.
• Probate records - Wills, estates, letters of administration, guardianships, conservatorships, adoptions, name changes, and recorded marriage certificates.
• Traffic records - Citations heard in District Court, payment routes through Alapay, and failure-to-appear consequences.
• Small claims records - Civil claims up to $6,000 with simpler forms and a 14-day answer deadline.

What Baldwin County Court Records Show

The fields you see in a court record depend on the system you use. Alacourt name-search reports include party info, court setting dates, case action summary, financial info, and document images for a fee. Probate detail panes show case number, file date, case type, file action, judge, case status, status date, related parties, charges, case dockets, court events, payments, assessments, sentence, bonds, and warrants. The sheriff booking system shows demographics, mugshot, charges, booking date, and arresting agency.

Public Access Laws for Baldwin County Court Records

Alabama law starts from a general right of public access. Court-record privacy rules layer on top of that to protect sensitive details. Court access in Alabama combines a public-records statute, common-law access rights, Rule 33 for electronic data, and a set of court-record privacy rules. The rules apply across appellate, circuit, district, juvenile, small claims, municipal, and probate courts. Some records are sealed or restricted by statute or court order.

Records That Are Restricted or Confidential

Some Baldwin County court records are off-limits to the general public. Juvenile records are restricted by Alabama Code § 12-15-133. Sealed cases may keep only a docket shell open to public view. Expunged records are treated as though no record exists outside of narrow statutory exceptions. Adoption files are confidential. Mental-health and involuntary commitment cases through Probate hold protected medical material. Grand-jury and pending-investigation records may also be withheld.

To view a sealed file, you usually need to file a petition with the issuing court and show legal grounds. For an expungement, Alabama law requires a court order under Title 15, Chapter 27. The ALEA expungement page says courts grant expungements, not ALEA. The process needs certified criminal-history records, the AOC Petition for Expungement of Records, sworn statements, and service on the right agencies.

Specialty Courts in Baldwin County

Baldwin County runs a Community Corrections and Pre-Trial Program through the Sheriff's Office. The program offers lower-cost alternatives to jail for eligible low-level offenders while keeping public safety as the goal. Eligibility is strict by state law. People charged with or with a history of violent crimes, sex crimes, narcotic sales, gang offenses, or other excluded offenses cannot take part. The page lists bad-check cases, petty theft, past-due child support, and some alcohol or narcotic offenses as common eligible matters.

The Community Corrections page describes the Pre-Trial component as a way to manage qualified people who have not made bond. Release comes with specific restrictions, outside supervision, and partial cost-sharing by the participant. The program contact is 251-580-1678. This is not a "get out of jail" program. Supervision is voluntary but significant, and removal can return a person to custody.

Baldwin County Sheriff and Jail

Sheriff Anthony E. Lowery leads the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office. The office runs the Baldwin County Sheriff's Corrections Center at 200 Hand Avenue in Bay Minette. The center has served Baldwin County for over 200 years under various names, and it now holds an average daily population near 550, with periods that go above that figure. The non-emergency phone is (251) 937-0202. The official arrest-search page links to current inmates and 24-hour bookings.

You can browse Baldwin County inmate records for the full roster details, look up warrant records, see released inmates data, or review jail population trends. The sheriff posts a disclaimer that the Corrections Center cannot certify online data accuracy, so confirm anything important with the Docket Room before acting on it.

The official Sheriff history page covers the 2024 leadership change and the recent $70 million Corrections Center expansion. View the page at sheriff.baldwincountyal.gov.

The sheriff history page is the official source for Sheriff Lowery's term and the recent jail expansion that opened in early 2026.

Marriage, Divorce, and Probate Records

Alabama changed how marriage works on August 29, 2019. Probate offices no longer issue marriage licenses. Instead, couples complete the Alabama Department of Public Health marriage certificate form, get it notarized by an Alabama notary, and file it with Baldwin Probate at the Bay Minette office within 30 days. The fee is $73.00 and includes one certified copy. Extra certified copies are $3.00 each. See marriage and divorce records for the full process and probate records for estates, wills, and guardianships.

Testator

The person who made the will.

Executor

The person named in a will to carry it out.

Intestate

Dying without a valid will, so the estate passes by state law.

Guardianship

Probate role for personal-care decisions over a minor or incapacitated adult.

Conservatorship

Probate role for managing the property of an incapacitated person.

Letters of Administration

The order that authorizes someone to act for an estate when there is no will.

Baldwin County Court Records Fees

The Circuit Clerk publishes a clear fee schedule on its request form. The search fee applies even if no record is found, and personal checks are not accepted. Probate keeps a separate fee chart for marriage copies and probate filings. Always send money order or cashier's check when paying by mail for either office.

For the small-claims and civil side of District Court, the official chart lists $82 up to $1,500, $156 for $1,501-$3,000, $245 for $3,001-$6,000, and $277 for $6,000.01-$20,000. Extra defendants are $10 each. Garnishment and execution writs are $30 each. Subpoenas are $12 each. Child support filing is $134.00.

Baldwin County Court Records Portal Search Fields

The main public portal for state trial-court records is Alacourt ACCESS. The portal allows two search modes: a name search and a case-number search. Both modes are paid. A Probate DuProcess search is free and has its own field set. The table below sets out the public fields exposed in Alacourt ACCESS at the search entry point.

How to Interpret Baldwin County Court Records

Court records use a lot of shorthand. A docket entry might read "MOT GRT" for motion granted or "FTA" for failure to appear. Disposition codes describe how a case ended: dismissed, nolle prossed, guilty plea, jury verdict, or judgment for the plaintiff. A charge listed in a booking record is not the same thing as a conviction. A defendant might be booked on a felony but later plead to a misdemeanor. A case can also be reduced, dismissed, or sealed long after the booking screen first appeared online.

Probate records have their own vocabulary. A will is admitted by petition. Letters of administration are issued when there is no will. An inventory lists the estate property. An accounting tracks what the personal representative has done. Bonds may be set as a percentage of personal property. The Probate fee schedule lists $58.00 for a will of five pages or less, $68.00 for letters of administration, and $30.00 to $96.00 for guardianship, conservatorship, name change, and adoption matters.

Accuracy and Record Limitations

Online court records lag behind paper files in some cases. The Sheriff's official disclaimer says the Corrections Center cannot certify accuracy or authenticity of online data. Alacourt's reports reflect what the clerk has entered into the AOC system, which may take time to update after a hearing. For any use that matters in court, in employment, in licensing, or in immigration, get a certified copy from the Circuit Clerk or Probate.

History of Baldwin County Courts

Baldwin County was created by the Mississippi Territorial Legislature on December 21, 1809. That is nearly ten years before Alabama statehood, so the county's legal history runs deeper than the state itself. Bay Minette has long served as the county seat and the home of the main courthouse. The Baldwin County Archives keeps a preserved collection of Probate Court materials from 1889 to 1944, including fee books, land-court records, and Probate Court index books. The Archives research page links to digital collections, historic court cases, and the Archives catalog.

The Sheriff's Corrections Center has served Baldwin County for over 200 years. The original adult facility was built in 1964 with expansions in 1985, 1992, 1996, and a major $70 million expansion that began in 2020 and opened in early 2026. The Probate Office has also modernized with online services, a Foley-based call center, and the DuProcess case search portal.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I search Baldwin County Circuit or District Court records?

Use Alacourt ACCESS for online Alabama trial-court records. It covers criminal, civil, small claims, state traffic, domestic relations, and child-support records. You can search by name or case number for $9.99 per search. If you need certified copies, archived files, or staff help, mail the Circuit Clerk's request form to 312 Courthouse Square, Suite 10, Bay Minette, AL 36507. The form asks for the specific records, any case numbers, identifying info such as date of birth, and whether you want mail or email delivery.

Where do I search Baldwin County probate records?

Use the Probate DuProcess iQuery portal. Search fields are last name, first name, middle name, case type, and case number. The detail pane shows case number, file date, case type, judge, status, related parties, dockets, events, payments, assessments, sentence, bonds, and warrants. Probate covers wills, estates, guardianships, conservatorships, name changes, adoptions, and recorded marriage certificates.

How do I find someone in the Baldwin County jail?

Use the Sheriff's Citizen Connect inmate-confinements page. Tabs include Current Confinements, Admits by Date Range, Releases by Date Range, Name, Charges, and Arresting Agency. Profiles show name, mugshot, demographics, date of birth, booking date, arresting agency, arrest date and time, and charges. The Corrections Center Docket Room can confirm bond amounts and charges by phone at (251) 937-0202.

How do I get a Baldwin County marriage certificate?

Alabama no longer issues marriage licenses. Get the Alabama Department of Public Health marriage certificate form, sign it before an Alabama notary, and file it with Baldwin Probate in Bay Minette within 30 calendar days. The fee is $73.00 and includes one certified copy. Extra certified copies are $3.00 each. The official instructions are on the Probate marriage page.

How long does a Circuit Clerk record request take?

The Circuit Clerk's official request form says "PLEASE ALLOW TWO WEEKS." That is the best planning estimate for mail or fax requests. Online Alacourt purchases are faster for records available through the public portal. Certified or archived material may still require a clerk visit or mailed request.

More on the Baldwin County Court Records FAQ page.