Clarke County Probate Court Overview
The Clarke County Probate Court is led by Judge Valerie Bradford Davis and works from the Clarke County Courthouse in Grove Hill. Probate Court is not just a filing counter for estates. The county describes the office as touching residents from birth to death, with duties that include wills, estates, adoptions, legitimations, guardianships, conservatorships, name changes, marriage records, property records, corporation records, involuntary commitments, elections, and notary public appointment information.
That scope makes Probate Court different from Circuit Court and District Court. Circuit and District records generally run through the Circuit Clerk and Alacourt. Clarke County Probate Court keeps its own probate and recording records, and it links to a separate public records portal. Probate is also the local source for many historical records. County history material says marriage records, will and estate records, and deed and mortgage records begin in 1814, with loose records from the 1800s and other genealogy holdings in the Probate Office and related local history collections.
The official Clarke County Probate Court page is the source for the local probate office, recording rules, public records portal, staff information, and history.
The county page is important because it separates Probate Court records from trial-court case records maintained by the Circuit Clerk.
Clarke County Probate Contact
Use the Probate Court office for estate files, probate recordings, certified probate copies, portal support, marriage-related probate records, and older probate searches. The Probate Court page gives the direct office phone and fax. Because some probate matters are restricted, a phone call can also clarify whether a record can be released, whether a certified copy is available, and whether a portal document is enough for the intended use.
Clarke County Probate Court
Judge: Valerie Bradford Davis
P.O. Box 10
114 Court Street
Grove Hill, AL 36451
251-275-3251
Fax: 251-275-8427
Clarke County Probate Terms
Probate filings use terms that do not always appear in ordinary civil cases. The definitions below are short working meanings for reading Clarke County Probate Court records. The exact authority in a case comes from the order, filing, or statute, not from the label alone.
- Testator
- A person who made a will before death.
- Executor
- A person named to carry out a will and help administer an estate.
- Intestate
- A death without a valid will, so estate handling follows the law rather than a will plan.
- Guardianship
- A court arrangement for care or decision-making for a minor or a person needing protection.
- Conservatorship
- A probate proceeding for managing property or finances for a person who needs protection.
- Letters
- A probate document showing a person has court authority to act for an estate.
Search Clarke County Probate Records
Clarke County links to a Probate Court public records portal for online access to available documents. The portal path uses an account gateway rather than a fully open no-login search page. The county Probate Court page says users must create an account, but it also says there is no fee to create the account and no fee to access documents that are available on the online portal. That makes the portal a useful starting point, but not a complete substitute for Probate Court staff.
| Portal Item | Requirement | Local Note |
|---|---|---|
| Account login | Required | The county links to an account-based gateway. |
| Account fee | No fee listed by county | The Probate Court page says no fee to create an account. |
| Document access fee | No fee for available portal documents | The county says available online documents can be accessed at no fee. |
| Support | Call Probate Court | Use 251-275-3251 for portal or record questions. |
For older estates, certified copies, adoptions, commitments, or documents not shown in the portal, contact Probate Court directly. The portal access rule should not be read as a guarantee that every probate file, land record, or historical document is online.
Clarke County Probate Record Types
Estate files may include a petition, will, letters, bond, inventory, notices, claims, accountings, orders, and final settlement documents. Guardianship and conservatorship matters can include appointment orders and later oversight filings. Name changes, legitimations, marriage records, corporation records, and recorded land instruments may appear in separate probate or recording books. Probate Court also handles election duties, and the Probate Judge is identified as Chief Election Officer.
The historical record role is unusually strong in Clarke County. The Probate Court history describes an early Orphans' Court, the creation of Probate Courts in every Alabama county in 1850, and the later split between Probate and the License Commission in 1989. The county history page describes the Probate Office vault as a strong source for genealogists, with marriage records, will and estate records, deed and mortgage records, newspapers, cemetery listings, bond records, physician certificates, and other old record sets.
For marriage-specific record paths, the Clarke County marriage and divorce records page separates Probate Court records from ADPH certificates and Circuit Clerk divorce files.
Clarke County Probate Fees
Probate recording fees are detailed and should be calculated before mailing or hand-delivering documents. The Probate Court page says documents sent without exact fees are returned for the correct amount. Hand-delivered documents must reach the office by 4:30 p.m., and multiple documents or large packages should arrive earlier to allow same-day recording. Mailed documents should include a self-addressed stamped envelope large enough for return.
| Recording Item | Fee or Rule |
|---|---|
| Page fees | $6 first page, $3 each additional page |
| Extra indexing or extra book-page reference | $1 each |
| Copies | $1 per page |
| Certified copies | $3 certification fee plus $1 per page |
| Additional names after second name | $1 each |
| Deed tax | Minimum $0.50; $1 per $1,000 of value |
| Mineral tax | Minimum $1.00 or $0.15 per net mineral acre |
| Mortgage recording tax | $0.15 per $100 indebtedness, rounded up to next $100 |
| UCC filings except cancellations | $20 up to two pages; $2 each additional page |
| UCC-3 terminations | No fee if standard form is used |
| Non-standard form fee | $5 |
| UCC-11 request for information | $20 for each debtor name |
| UCC certified copy request | $5 per file number plus $1 per page |
Clarke County Probate Recording
Recording rules matter for deeds, mortgages, UCC filings, mineral documents, and other instruments. The Probate Court page says payment for recording may be by checks, money orders, or cash, but no personal out-of-state checks. A preparer's statement is required on every document by state law. Electronic recording is available through Simplifile at 800-460-5657 and Corporation Service Company / eRecording at 866-652-0111. The listed recording clerk contact is sfuller@clarkecountyal.com.
These recording rules are separate from estate administration. A deed or mortgage may be a recorded public instrument, while an adoption or involuntary commitment may be restricted. Probate Court can be the physical office for both types of matters, but the public-access rules are not the same.
Note: When the exact fee is uncertain, call Probate Court before mailing documents because incorrect fees can cause return and delay.
Restricted Clarke County Probate Records
Some Clarke County Probate Court matters should not be treated as public-search items. Adoptions and involuntary commitments are Probate Court duties, and those matters involve privacy rules. Guardianship and conservatorship files can also contain medical, financial, minor, or protected personal information. A portal search may omit restricted records, and staff may require proof of authority before releasing certified copies or case details.
Public-record access in Alabama supports inspection and copying of public writings, but court-specific confidentiality rules control sensitive proceedings. Use the local custodian first. For Probate Court records, that means the Probate Court office and portal. For Circuit and District cases, it means the Circuit Clerk and Alacourt. Mixing the offices can slow a search because the Probate Court is a separate county office in Clarke County.