Access Choctaw County Court Records

Choctaw County Court Records

Choctaw County court records start with the office that made or received the filing. Circuit Clerk Candace D. Jenkins is the public record keeper and business manager for Circuit Court and District Court proceedings. Her office handles civil, criminal, domestic, child support, traffic, juvenile, and warrant divisions, and the local court page states that court records are electronically imaged. Probate Judge Jason Sturdivant is a separate county official for Probate Court, recording, licenses, marriage certificate processing, elections, passports, and probate case work.

The county does not use one local search portal for every record. Trial court records generally route to Alabama's Alacourt ACCESS and Just One Look system, current docket settings use the county 58 docket page, probate case and land records use ING Probate, traffic payments use Alapay or the Traffic Service Center, and custody records use sheriff and state inmate tools. Federal records are separate from all of those systems.

The official Choctaw County homepage gives local government context for the county seat in Butler.

That county context matters because the courthouse in Butler serves as the local hub for court, probate, sheriff, jury, and records offices.

Start With the Right Office

Most Choctaw County court records can be sorted into four practical lanes. Circuit and District Court matters go through the Circuit Clerk or Alacourt. Probate, marriage certificate, land, and recorded-instrument matters go through the Probate Judge or ING Probate. Jail, booking, bond, and sheriff records go through the Sheriff's Office or the current inmates report. State vital records, driver records, prison records, and appellate records use statewide agencies.

This split prevents the most common search mistake. A divorce case file is not the same record as a divorce certificate. A traffic payment page is not a full case-detail search. A sheriff roster charge is not the same as a final conviction. A probate record is not maintained by the Circuit Clerk unless the issue is actually a trial court case.

Search Choctaw County Court Records

Choctaw County trial court records are searched mainly through Alacourt ACCESS and Just One Look. The portal covers Alabama state trial court records, including criminal, civil, small claims, state traffic, domestic relations, and child support records. It offers name searches and case-number searches. A case detail report can show case status, setting dates, parties, court actions, financial history, and a case action summary.

Before paying for a search, use any notice, citation, docket entry, receipt, or clerk correspondence to gather the case number, party name, court division, and date range. Older files, sealed files, juvenile matters, and records not yet imaged may require the Circuit Clerk instead of a portal search.

1. Confirm the record type. Use the Circuit Clerk for Circuit and District Court files, the Probate Judge for probate or recording, and the Sheriff for booking or custody records.
2. Open Alacourt ACCESS when the matter is a trial court case. Choose a name search if the case number is unknown.
3. Use a case-number search when the number appears on a citation, notice, payment record, attorney letter, or docket entry.
4. Check the case detail for status, setting dates, parties, court actions, costs, and the case action summary.
5. Use the county 58 docket search for current hearing settings, and call the Circuit Clerk if a case does not appear electronically.
6. Request copies or certification from the office that keeps the original record, because online reports are not always certified copies.

Note: A no-match result on Alacourt still counts as a paid search, so verify names and case numbers first.

Choctaw County Court System

Choctaw County is part of Alabama's 1st Judicial Circuit with Clarke and Washington Counties. Circuit Court is the general-jurisdiction trial court. It handles felony prosecutions, higher civil disputes, domestic relations files, appeals from lower courts, and matters not placed exclusively somewhere else. District Court handles misdemeanors, state traffic citations, preliminary felony hearings, and civil disputes above small claims but below the Circuit Court threshold.

Probate Court is a separate local court and office led by the Probate Judge. Juvenile and family matters use the courthouse and Circuit Clerk contact route, but juvenile records are not open records in the same way ordinary civil files are. Small Claims Court handles lower-dollar claims. Municipal cases, when they exist, may remain with the issuing city or appear through state payment tools if selected for online payment.

Case path: District, Small Claims, Probate, or Municipal filing > Circuit Court when jurisdiction or appeal requires it > Alabama Court of Civil Appeals or Court of Criminal Appeals > Alabama Supreme Court when applicable.

Circuit Court

Felonies, higher civil claims, domestic matters, appeals, criminal case files, orders, judgments, and costs.

District Court

Misdemeanors, state traffic citations, preliminary felony hearings, mid-level civil cases, settings, fines, and dispositions.

Probate Court

Wills, estates, guardianships, conservatorships, commitments, name changes, land records, marriage certificates, and recorded instruments.

Juvenile/Family Court

Delinquency, children in need of supervision, dependency matters, and restricted juvenile court records.

Small Claims Court

Lower-dollar claims, statements of claim, answers, judgments, and collection records.

The Choctaw County courts overview shows the local court categories used by county government.

The county overview supports the local distinction between Circuit Court, District Court, Probate Court, Juvenile/Family Court, and Small Claims Court.

Choctaw County Record Types

Each Choctaw County court record type has its own trail. Civil records may include complaints, answers, motions, hearing settings, orders, judgments, garnishments, and payment history. Criminal records can include complaints, warrants, indictments, bond orders, pleas, motions, sentencing orders, probation records, revocation records, costs, and restitution. Traffic records may show the UTC or ticket number, charge, court date, plea, payment, defensive-driving request, failure-to-appear action, license-suspension notice, and disposition.

Domestic relations and child support files are Circuit Clerk divisions. Probate records are held by the Probate Court or Probate Office. Marriage certificates route through probate and the Alabama Department of Public Health, while divorce case files come from Circuit Court. Sheriff and jail records are different from court files, although booking charges and bonds may later connect to a court case.

Choctaw County Probate Records

Probate Judge Jason Sturdivant administers the Choctaw County Probate Court and Probate Office. The office handles wills, estates, adoptions, guardianships, conservatorships, involuntary mental commitments, eminent domain, name changes, certain contested elections, deeds and mortgages, records maintenance, passports, marriage certificate processing, licenses, and election duties. Some of those records are open through ordinary office or portal access, while adoption and mental-health materials are restricted.

The Choctaw County Probate Judge page identifies the local probate office and its record duties.

For online searches, the ING Probate portal separates land records from probate case records, which helps avoid mixing recorded instruments with estate or guardianship files.

Executor

The person named to manage an estate under a will.

Guardian

A person appointed to care for a minor or legally protected person.

Conservator

A person appointed to manage another person's property or financial affairs.

Letters testamentary

Court proof that an executor has authority to act for an estate.

Choctaw County Traffic Records

Choctaw County traffic citations are District Court matters when they are state traffic tickets. The Traffic Court materials state that a citation is issued for appearance before Choctaw County District Court, and the ticket court date is not a trial date. A person who wants to plead not guilty and request a trial must appear on the court date. If the ticket is not paid or otherwise handled before the court date and the person fails to appear, a warrant may be issued, the fine may increase, any bond may be forfeited, and ALEA may suspend the driver's license.

Traffic payment and resolution channels are separate from full trial-court record lookup. Alapay accepts payment by ticket number, case number, and disposed criminal fine routes. The Alabama Traffic Service Center supports traffic questions, phone payment, online resolution, and driving school requests when available. Defensive driving may require court permission before payment.

Traffic cost and support details should be read by channel. Alapay lists a 4 percent service fee for online payments. ALEA lists a $5.75 fee for a copy of a driver record, which is separate from the court's traffic case file. The Traffic Service Center call center is 1-866-954-9399. A defensive driving request should be made before payment when the online resolution route is available.

Choctaw County Inmate Records

Sheriff Scott Lolley is the Choctaw County sheriff. The Sheriff's Office is in Suite 11 at the Butler courthouse, and the official sheriff website provides quick links for Who's in Jail, weekly mugshots, crime tips, sex offender search, Most Wanted, visitation, bonding companies, and pistol permits. The most important custody fact is local: the Choctaw County Jail permanently closed on July 17, 2019, and the sheriff page says Choctaw County inmates are housed in neighboring county jails.

The sheriff still publishes a current inmates report through the Who's in Jail page. That report shows names, dates, bond amounts, and charge lines, but not every field a full jail management system may hold. Facility rules for visits, mail, commissary, and housing may come from the receiving jail instead of Choctaw County. State prison custody is searched through ADOC, not the county roster.

The official county sheriff page names Sheriff Scott Lolley and places the sheriff office in the courthouse suite structure.

The sheriff office location is useful because warrant, booking, bond, and records questions often begin there even though housing occurs in neighboring counties.

Choctaw County Warrant Records

Choctaw County research did not locate an official public active-warrant search portal. The Circuit Clerk page lists warrants as a court-record division, and sheriff records may show warrant-related custody entries after a person is booked or held. Failure to appear, failure to pay, probation revocation, and bond forfeiture can appear as charge or bond-related lines, but the inmate report is not a full warrant index.

For court-case warrant questions, call the Circuit Clerk when the issue is tied to a known Circuit Court, District Court, traffic, misdemeanor, felony, or payment matter. For arrest, surrender, booking, or jail-docket questions, call the Sheriff's Office. Municipal bench warrants may originate with the issuing municipality, so city traffic or ordinance cases should be checked with the city that issued the ticket or complaint.

Defendant name

May appear in the sheriff inmate report after booking, but that is not proof of a public warrant list.

Failure to appear or pay

May appear in traffic, court, or custody records, and the issuing court should verify the current status.

Bond amount

May appear in the current inmate report or court file, with separate bond lines for separate charges.

Court date

May appear in the county 58 docket or case detail, subject to the docket warning that some cases may not appear electronically.

Choctaw County Public Access

Alabama public records law supports inspection and copying of public writings, but court access is not unlimited. The practical first step is to identify the custodian: Circuit Clerk for trial court records, Probate Judge for probate and recorded records, Sheriff for booking and jail records, ADPH for vital certificates, ADOC for state prisoners, ALEA for driver records, and federal courts for federal cases. A written request should include full name, case number if known, date range, record type, and copy or certification needs.

Restricted records include juvenile files, sealed or expunged criminal records, adoption cases, mental-health commitment records, confidential identifiers, and material protected by court order. Expungement is not automatic. Eligible criminal records require a petition, usually filed in the criminal division of Circuit Court where the charge was filed.

Choctaw County Record Fees

Published online fee data is strongest for statewide systems, not local copy certification. The research did not locate an official Choctaw County plain-copy or certified-copy schedule for every court record type. For clerk copies, certified case action summaries, probate letters, and mailed requests, contact the office before sending payment.

Choctaw County Record Limits

Online records have limits. The county 58 docket page warns that some cases may not appear electronically. Alacourt reports may not include every image without a separate document charge. The inmate report shows current custody-style data but not full criminal case history. Probate records may be split between land records, probate case records, paper files, and restricted records. Federal dockets are searched through PACER or the federal court clerk, not the county courthouse.

Use the local office when the online record is missing, unclear, sealed, old, recently filed, or needed in certified form. Corrections also go back to the originating office. ADPH states that divorce certificate errors must be corrected through the Alabama county circuit court that granted the divorce, so a Choctaw County decree issue routes to the Choctaw Circuit Clerk.

Disposition

The final outcome of a charge or case.

Docket

A court calendar or a list of case actions.

Case action summary

A chronological record of filings, settings, rulings, and financial entries.

Sealed record

A record hidden from public view by law or court order.

Expungement

A court process that removes eligible records from ordinary public access.

Choctaw County Record Updates

Recent official updates are limited in local court and sheriff sources, but several current items affect Choctaw County court record access. Alabama's 2024 public-records update added request procedures to state law. The Alabama Examiners of Public Accounts issued a recent report for the Office of Circuit and District Courts, Choctaw County, describing the Circuit Clerk as the elected official who oversees court operations and accounts for court costs, fines, forfeitures, fiduciary funds, and other receipts.

A separate 2026 state audit covered the District Attorney for the 1st Judicial Circuit, which includes Choctaw, Clarke, and Washington Counties. ADPH's divorce certificate page was updated in 2025, confirming statewide certificate access and fee details. The sheriff's current inmate report was active during the research inspection, which matters because the jail is closed but the public roster still displays Choctaw custody-related rows.

Federal Court Records Separate

Choctaw County is in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama. Federal criminal cases, federal civil cases, civil rights actions, prisoner petitions, federal tax or lien litigation, and other federal matters are not searched through the Choctaw County Circuit Clerk or Alacourt. The federal courthouse for the Southern District is in Mobile, and official federal electronic records use PACER and CM/ECF.

Appeals from the Southern District route to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Alabama appellate state court records are also separate from Choctaw County trial court records. The Alabama appellate public portal covers state appellate documents filed in or issued by appellate courts on or after March 20, 2022.

Choctaw County Courthouse History

Choctaw County was founded on December 29, 1847, and Butler is the county seat. The current courthouse dates to 1906 and was occupied in 1907. Alabama Historical Commission material describes it as a two-story yellow or buff brick public building with Beaux Arts Classicism features, a hipped roof, water table, and projecting front portico. Additions were made in the 1950s and 1960s, and the courthouse is listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

The courthouse remains the center of local court records. The Circuit Clerk, Probate Judge, Sheriff, Circuit and District Court functions, and jury reporting all tie back to the same Butler courthouse complex. That is why Choctaw County still has a hybrid records model: online systems help with searches, but the courthouse offices remain the source for certified copies, filings, older files, and records that are not public online.

The county Circuit Court Clerk page describes the clerk's role in receiving lawsuits, indictments, motions, process, juries, judgments, and executions.

The clerk page also supports the local point that Circuit and District Court records are maintained through one Circuit Clerk office in Butler.

Choctaw County Court Context

Choctaw County is a rural southwest Alabama county between the Tombigbee River and the Mississippi line. Many visitors reach Butler by highway from Clarke, Washington, Sumter, Marengo, or Mississippi border communities. Official sources did not publish a public transit route or parking garage rate for courthouse access. The jury materials say parking is available around the judicial building at no charge and tell jurors to allow time for parking and the metal detector.

Census QuickFacts is the preferred source for population and county context. In a smaller rural county, phone and in-person access remain important when online records are limited. State systems also matter more because court, vital, driver, prison, and federal records are spread across several agencies instead of one county portal.

The Census QuickFacts page for Choctaw County supplies official demographic and local context.

That local context explains why courthouse-counter access, phone verification, and statewide record systems all remain useful for Choctaw County court records.

Choctaw County Court FAQs