Clarke County Circuit Clerk Office
Clarke County's trial-court clerk is the Circuit Clerk. The county page names Summer Scruggs Padgett as Circuit Court Clerk and describes the office as the chief administrative and fiscal officer for the court system at the District and Circuit Court level. The position is elected and has a six-year term. Local duties include filing, docketing, attending court, issuing notices, managing records, and reporting to the Alabama Administrative Office of Courts.
The AOC-hosted Clarke Circuit Clerk page adds that the clerk is the official record keeper and business manager for proceedings held in District and Circuit Courts. Daily work includes interacting with the public, managing pleadings, collecting fines and fees, preparing subpoenas, and issuing court notices for scheduled hearings and trials. The clerk also prepares the list of prospective jurors and issues summonses, subpoenas, writs, and warrants related to cases.
Clarke County Circuit Clerk
Clerk: Summer Scruggs Padgett
Clarke County Courthouse
114 Court Street
P.O. Box 921
Grove Hill, AL 36451
(251) 275-3363 or (251) 275-3163
Fax: (251) 275-3271
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., closed 12:00-1:00 for lunch
Clarke County Circuit Clerk Duties
The Clarke County Circuit Clerk maintains court records for civil, criminal, domestic, child support, traffic, juvenile, and warrant divisions. The office also handles jury management. These functions are tied to the District and Circuit Courts, so a court case search for a misdemeanor, felony, traffic case, civil case, domestic filing, support matter, or warrant-related entry generally starts with the Circuit Clerk or the Alabama trial-court access system.
- Files pleadings and maintains court records for Circuit Court and District Court cases.
- Dockets case events and issues notices for hearings, trials, and other settings.
- Issues summonses, subpoenas, writs, and warrants tied to court proceedings.
- Collects, disburses, and reports court funds, fines, fees, and costs.
- Prepares prospective juror lists and supports jury summons work.
- Serves as Absentee Election Manager for county, state, and federal elections.
Note: The Circuit Clerk handles trial-court records, while Probate Court handles probate, recording, land, marriage, estate, election, and related life-event records.
Search Clarke County Circuit Clerk Records
Most electronic Clarke County trial-court information is accessed through Alacourt / Just One Look. The Circuit Clerk's AOC page says court records are electronically imaged and that most trial court information may be obtained through Alacourt for required fees. The public Alacourt page lists criminal, civil, small claims, state traffic, domestic relations, and child support records, with name and case-number searches.
The Alacourt subscriber login page is one access channel for broader Alabama trial-court use, requiring Customer ID, User ID, and password.
Subscriber access is distinct from public on-demand searches, so occasional users may use Just One Look while regular court users may need account access.
| Alacourt Field or Mode | Use | Local Note |
|---|---|---|
| Name Search | Public case lookup mode | Listed by Alacourt with a $9.99 search fee. |
| Case Number Search | Public case lookup mode | Useful when the case number is known. |
| Customer ID | Subscriber login | Required for subscriber portal use. |
| User ID | Subscriber login | Required with Customer ID and password. |
| Password | Subscriber login | Required for subscriber access. |
| Docket Setting Date | Daily docket search | Used on the Clarke County docket page. |
| Last Name | Optional docket filter | Leave blank to return the full docket for a setting date. |
Request Clarke County Certified Copies
A certified copy is a clerk-authenticated copy of a court record. It may be needed for appeals, agency filings, name changes, benefits, employment licensing, or other formal uses. No standalone Circuit Clerk records-request PDF is published in the official Clarke County court pages. The practical request channels are the clerk counter, phone, mail to P.O. Box 921, Alacourt/Just One Look for available images, and the AOC E-Forms library for court forms.
- Identify the court and division first, such as Circuit, District, traffic, domestic, child support, juvenile, or warrant-related case.
- Gather the case number if known, party names, approximate filing or hearing date, and the exact document needed.
- Check Alacourt or the Clarke County docket page for electronic information when the record is not restricted.
- Call or visit the Circuit Clerk to confirm copy availability, certification method, payment amount, and mailing steps.
- Mail requests to Clarke County Circuit Clerk, P.O. Box 921, Grove Hill, AL 36451, when staff confirms the request can be handled by mail.
Clarke County Request Fields
Because no official local request form was found, a written Clarke County Circuit Clerk request should include the fields staff would need to identify the file and the requested copy. Do not send sensitive personal identifiers unless the clerk asks for them through an official channel. The clerk cannot provide legal advice, so requests should ask for records or copies rather than legal direction.
| Field | Required in Practice | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case number | Helpful | Use the Alacourt or court notice number if known. |
| Party names | Yes | List defendant, plaintiff, petitioner, respondent, or other parties as applicable. |
| Court or division | Helpful | Examples include Circuit, District, traffic, domestic, criminal, or child support. |
| Document type | Yes | Examples include decree, order, judgment, case action summary, or disposition. |
| Copy type | Yes | State whether plain or certified copies are needed. |
| Requester contact | Yes | Include name, phone, and mailing address for fee or pickup questions. |
| Payment method | As instructed | Confirm the amount and accepted method before mailing payment. |
Clarke County Circuit Clerk Fees
Published fee data covers Alacourt, document images, case monitoring, Alapay service fees, and traffic mail payments. The official local pages do not provide a Clarke Circuit Clerk per-page certified-copy schedule for every court-document request. For copy costs not shown online, call the clerk before mailing payment. For traffic and criminal payments, Alapay states a service fee applies to online card payments.
| Item | Fee or Rule |
|---|---|
| Just One Look name search | $9.99; one case detail included |
| Just One Look case-number search | $9.99; one case detail included |
| No matching records result | Counts as a search on Alacourt |
| Alacourt document images | $5.00 first 20 pages; $0.50 per page after |
| District case monitoring | $19.99 for future-change email notices |
| Circuit case monitoring | $29.99 for future-change email notices |
| Alapay traffic or criminal payment service fee | 4% |
| Mail traffic payment | Money order or cashier's check; no personal checks |
The Alapay criminal fine search form applies to disposed Circuit, District, and Municipal criminal cases with outstanding balances.
Alapay is a payment lookup channel, not a substitute for the full court file held through the Circuit Clerk and Alacourt systems.
Clarke County Circuit Clerk Forms
Official forms for Alabama courts are routed through the AOC E-Forms library. Available categories include appellate forms, child support forms, civil forms, criminal forms, do-it-yourself forms, interpreter forms, juvenile forms, local county forms, municipal forms, probate forms, small claims forms, traffic forms, and other court administration documents. Select the form category that matches the case type before filing or mailing anything to the clerk.
Pro se parties may register for electronic notices through AlaFile, then print the form and bring it to the Clerk's Office during normal business hours with state-issued photo identification. The clerk processes the information, and the party receives electronic orders by email. That e-notice path is for receiving court notices. It does not make the clerk an attorney or legal adviser.
The Alabama Supreme Court page describes the state high court's administrative role and record-fee links in the Alabama judicial system.
That statewide context matters because Clarke County Circuit and District Courts operate inside Alabama's unified court system.
Clarke County Circuit Clerk Access Limits
The Circuit Clerk can provide records and procedural access channels, but the office cannot provide legal advice. Some court records are also restricted. Juvenile records, sealed and expunged criminal matters, adoption-related records, mental-health filings, personal identifiers, protected addresses, minor information, and sensitive financial data may be withheld or redacted. If a record is missing from the electronic docket, the clerk's office is the fallback source.
Alabama public-records law supports inspection and copying of public writings, but court confidentiality rules still apply. That distinction is important in Clarke County because the Circuit Clerk, Probate Court, Sheriff's Office, and municipal courts may each hold different parts of a person's record path. Start with the custodian that created or keeps the record.