Search Alabama Traffic Court Records
Traffic court records in Alabama are kept by district courts, municipal courts, and circuit courts across all 67 counties. The state has a unified court system. The Administrative Office of Courts runs it and keeps several online databases open to the public. District courts handle most traffic cases at the county level. Municipal courts deal with tickets from city police. Circuit courts hear the more serious stuff and appeals from lower courts. Records show citation info, court dates, case outcomes, fines, and payment status. The statewide Alacourt system gives you one place to look up traffic case data. You can search online, go to the courthouse in person, or send a request by mail.
Alabama Traffic Court Quick Facts
How to Search Alabama Traffic Court Records
Online Search Methods
Alabama courts give you a few ways to look up traffic records and deal with tickets online. You do not have to go to court for many things now. The state has put a lot of effort into making these tools work well, and most people find them pretty easy to use once they know where to go. Each tool does something a bit different, so it helps to know which one fits what you need to do. Some are just for looking things up, while others let you pay fines or set up a court date.
Alacourt Public Access at pa.alacourt.com is the main statewide database for trial court records. You can search by name or case number. It has civil, domestic, criminal, and traffic cases from district and circuit courts. You might need to sign up and pay for full access to case details.
Online Traffic Resolution System at traffic.alacourt.gov lets you look up tickets and deal with them without going to court. You can search by your UTC number and date of birth, or by case number with your SSN. Use it to see ticket details, check court dates, pay fines, or ask for a trial.
ALAPay at alapay.com is the main payment site for state traffic tickets and criminal fines. Just type in your UTC number to find your ticket. It shows what you owe and takes credit or debit cards. A lot of folks use this to pay from home instead of driving to the courthouse. The site works on phones too, which is nice if you need to take care of it right away. Just keep in mind there is a small fee for paying online, usually about 4% of the total.
In-Person Record Requests
You can get traffic court records from the court that handled your case. District Court Clerk offices keep records for county-level traffic cases. Go to the clerk's office in the county where you got the ticket. Most are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Hours can vary, so call first if you can. Bring your ID and any case info you have. The citation number helps a lot. If you do not have it, the date of the offense works too.
Municipal Court Clerk offices deal with records for city tickets. Get in touch with the municipal court in the city where your ticket was filed. Big cities like Birmingham, Mobile, and Huntsville have their own court buildings. Smaller towns might share court services with the county, so you may end up going to the county courthouse instead. It depends on where you got the ticket and how the local setup works.
Mail Requests
You can send a written request for traffic court records by mail. Send it to the right court clerk. Put in the case number, or use the full name and date of birth. Say what you need, like a case outcome or certified copies. Include payment for copy fees. Give it two to three weeks for them to get back to you.
Telephone Inquiries
The Alabama Traffic Service Center takes calls at 1-866-954-9399. They can help with questions and take payments. There is also an IVR system at 1-877-252-7294 for paying by phone. You can check your case status and pay with a credit or debit card. The phone line is good if you do not have a computer handy or just want to talk to someone. Wait times can be long on busy days, so try calling mid-week if you can.
Fees and Court Costs
Traffic Violation Fines
Court costs and fines vary by county and city. A basic traffic ticket runs from $150 to $300 total, with fines and court fees mixed in. Speeding costs $190 to $300, depending on how fast you were going and where. Worse offenses cost more. Reckless driving starts at about $250 and goes up from there. A first DUI hits hard: $600 to $2,100 in fines, plus more court costs and fees on top of that.
Record Copy Fees
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Case copies (1-20 pages) | $5.00 |
| Additional pages (over 20) | $0.50 per page |
| Certification fee | $5.00 |
| Computerized records search | $10.00 |
| Paper records search | $20.00 |
| Alacourt name search | $9.99 |
Payment Methods
Courts take a few ways to pay. You can pay cash in person at most clerk offices. Money orders and cashier's checks work at all spots. A lot of courts will not take personal checks anymore because of past problems. Credit and debit cards work online at ALAPay or by phone at 1-877-252-7294. Online payments have a fee of about 4%. Some people do not like paying the extra fee, but it saves you a trip to the courthouse and you can do it any time of day or night. Your choice.
Types of Traffic Courts in Alabama
District Courts
District courts deal with most traffic cases in Alabama. Every county has one. They have the power to hear traffic misdemeanors. A judge decides your case. There are no juries. These courts handle things like speeding, running red lights, not yielding, and driving with no license. If you want to appeal, that goes to the circuit court.
Municipal Courts
Municipal courts deal with traffic offenses inside city limits when city police wrote the ticket. Alabama has more than 300 of these courts. They handle city ordinance stuff, parking tickets, and traffic offenses from local police. Fines top out at $500 for most things, and jail time is capped at six months. DUI cases can be worse though. These courts move pretty fast compared to district courts, so you might get your case done sooner. But keep in mind that you can appeal to district court if you do not like the outcome.
Circuit Courts
Circuit courts are the main trial courts in Alabama. For traffic, they handle the serious stuff. That means felonies like vehicular homicide or repeat DUI cases. They also hear appeals from district and municipal courts. You can ask for a jury trial here if you want one. Alabama has 41 judicial circuits. Some cover just one county. Others cover a few.
Driver License Points System
Alabama uses a point system to track traffic violations. ALEA keeps the driving records and adds points when you get convicted of something. Points pile up over two years from the date of each conviction. The system is meant to catch problem drivers before things get out of hand. Rack up too many points and you lose your license for a while. The good news is that points go away after two years, so one bad stretch does not follow you forever if you clean up your act.
| Violation | Points |
|---|---|
| Speeding 1-25 mph over limit | 2 points |
| Speeding 26+ mph over limit | 5 points |
| Reckless driving | 6 points |
| DUI (non-mandatory revocation) | 6 points |
| Failure to yield | 5 points |
| Passing stopped school bus | 5 points |
| Wrong side of road | 4 points |
| Following too closely | 3 points |
| Disregarding traffic signal | 3 points |
| Other moving violations | 2 points |
Get 12 or more points in two years and your license gets suspended. How long? 60 days to a year, based on your total points and past record. Points drop off two years after each conviction date. You can get your driver history from ALEA at alea.gov to see where you stand.
Related Record Sources
Driver History Records
ALEA keeps official driver history records apart from court records. These show all traffic convictions, points, license suspensions, and crashes on file. You can ask for your record on the ALEA website. Set up an account and pay the fee. This is often the best source for a full look at traffic violation history across Alabama.
Crash Reports
Crash reports are kept by whoever looked into the wreck. If State Troopers handled it, ALEA has the report. City cops keep reports for wrecks inside city lines. Sheriff's offices have the ones from out in the county where there are no city limits. These reports can hold useful info when a traffic ticket came from a crash. Getting the report can help you see what the officer wrote down, which might matter if you plan to fight the ticket or need it for an insurance claim.
Criminal Court Records
Bad traffic offenses that get charged as felonies show up in criminal court records. We are talking about vehicular homicide, repeat DUI, and running from the cops. Get these records from the circuit court clerk in the county where the case was filed. Alacourt has criminal case info too.
Federal Court Records
Got a ticket on federal land? That goes to federal court. This covers military bases, national parks, and federal buildings. Federal traffic cases are heard by U.S. Magistrate judges. You can find records on PACER at pacer.uscourts.gov. Alabama has three federal districts: Northern (covers Birmingham and Huntsville), Middle (Montgomery area), and Southern (Mobile).
Legal Framework
Public Records Access
Traffic court records count as public records in Alabama. Code of Alabama Section 36-12-40 says Alabama folks can look at and copy public records from state agencies and courts. Traffic case files fall under this rule unless a law says otherwise or a judge seals them. Sections 36-12-41 through 36-12-46 lay out how to ask for records, what fees apply, what is exempt, and how to push back if you get denied.
Traffic Laws
Title 32 of the Code of Alabama covers motor vehicles and traffic. Section 32-5A-8 says traffic violations under Chapter 5A are misdemeanors unless marked as felonies. Sections 32-5A-170 through 32-5A-178 deal with speed limits and how they charge and prove speeding. Section 32-5A-190 spells out reckless driving and its fines. Section 32-5A-191 is the DUI law.
Court Jurisdiction
Title 12 sets up the court system. Section 12-12-51 gives district courts the power to hear misdemeanor traffic cases, except city stuff that goes to municipal court. Section 12-12-52 lets magistrates take guilty pleas for traffic cases. Section 12-12-54 is about how they track Uniform Traffic Tickets and keep records of outcomes. Sections 12-14-1 through 12-14-70 set up municipal courts for city traffic tickets.
License Suspension
Section 32-6-17.2 lets them cancel, suspend, or pull your license if you do not pay fines or court costs from traffic cases. Section 32-6-18 sets fines for driving with no valid license: $10 to $100, plus $50 more on top. It is a misdemeanor. Section 32-6-19 is what happens if you drive with a canceled, suspended, or revoked license. That can get you in worse trouble, so it is best to take care of things before it gets to that point.
Resolving Traffic Citations
Options Available
If you get a traffic ticket in Alabama, you have a few choices. Pay the fine by the court date and the case closes. You are saying you did it, so points go on your record. Some courts let you take a driving class instead. That might get the case tossed or cut your points. Ask the court or DA's office if you can do that. You can also plead not guilty and ask for a trial. A judge decides your case. No jury in district or municipal court.
Online Resolution
The Online Traffic Resolution system at traffic.alacourt.gov lets you handle many tickets without going to court. It is open all day, every day. You can pay fines, sign up for driving school, or ask for a trial date. But not every ticket works online. Bad offenses and cases where you must show up in person cannot be done this way. The site will tell you if your ticket qualifies when you look it up. If it does not, you will need to go in or call the court.
Failure to Appear
If you skip your court date, bad things happen. The court can put out a warrant for your arrest. More fines and fees pile on. Your license might get suspended until you fix it. Any bond you posted? That money is gone. If you know you cannot make it, call the court before your date. Ask for a new date. Most courts will work with you if you reach out ahead of time. Just do not ghost them or you will make things a lot worse for yourself.
Legal Resources
Legal Services Alabama
Legal Services Alabama gives free civil legal help to low-income folks who qualify. They have offices in Anniston, Birmingham, Dothan, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Selma, and Tuscaloosa. Call their intake line at 1-866-456-4995 to see if you qualify and what help they can give you.
Alabama Legal Help
Alabama Legal Help has a guide to free and cheap legal help across the state. The site has self-help tools, legal info, and a list of legal aid groups. Good place to start if you do not know where to turn.
Alabama State Bar
The Alabama State Bar runs a lawyer referral service. If you do not qualify for free help, use this to find a lawyer. They can point you toward someone who handles traffic court cases in your area.
Alabama Free Legal Answers
Alabama Free Legal Answers is an online legal advice clinic. If you qualify, you can post civil legal questions and get answers from volunteer lawyers. It is free and you can do it from home, which is nice if you just have a quick question about how to handle your case.
Statewide Contacts
Administrative Office of Courts
- Address: 300 Dexter Avenue, Montgomery, AL 36104
- Phone: 1-866-954-9411
- Website: alacourt.gov
Alabama Traffic Service Center
- Phone: 1-866-954-9399
- IVR System: 1-877-252-7294
- Website: traffic.alacourt.gov
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA)
- Driver License Division: alea.gov/dps/driver-license
- Driver History Records: Driver History Record Search
Start Your Search
Use the search tool below to find traffic court record info from across Alabama.
Browse by Location
Counties
Traffic court records in Alabama are kept at the county level. District court clerks hold on to these files. All 67 counties have a district court that deals with traffic misdemeanors. If you want to dig into a specific county, pick one from the list below or use the link to see them all.
Cities
Municipal courts in big Alabama cities deal with traffic tickets from city police. The cities below have their own municipal court info pages. These pages cover how to look up tickets, pay fines, and find the courthouse. If you got a ticket inside city limits, this is the place to start.