Find Criminal Court Records in Mobile

If you live in Mobile and got charged with a crime, your file sits with the county court system. Big crimes land in one court. Small crimes land in another. The city court only deals with local laws you broke, not the real state crimes. Every sheet from your case, the charge forms, the judge's orders, the final call on guilt or not, all of it lives at 205 Government Street in the county building. You can search for your case online if you know where to look, or you can just walk in during business hours and ask the clerk to pull it for you. Both ways get you what you need, so pick whichever is easier for your schedule.

Mobile County Criminal Court System

This city sits in Mobile County. The county runs the courts. If you got hit with a felony, that goes to Circuit Court. If you got hit with a misdemeanor, that goes to District Court. Both courts work out of the same building downtown at Government Plaza. So whether your charge is big or small, you'll end up at the same address, just in different courtrooms with different judges handling different levels of crime.

Pursuant to Alabama Code § 12-11-30, the Circuit Court has exclusive original jurisdiction over all felony prosecutions. The District Court handles misdemeanor criminal cases under Alabama Code § 12-12-32. The Circuit Clerk maintains all criminal court records for both courts.

Mobile County Circuit Court (Felony Criminal Cases)

Mobile County District Court (Misdemeanor Criminal Cases)

Mobile County Court System website

Mobile Municipal Court

The city court is pretty limited in what it can do. Tickets go here. City law breaks go here. That's it. If you got charged with a state crime like theft, assault, or drugs, this court has no power over that. What shows up in Municipal Court are the local rules the City Council passed. Maybe you parked where you weren't supposed to. Maybe you made too much noise at night. That kind of stuff lands here, not the serious charges.

Mobile Municipal Court website

Real crimes go to county court. Felonies, misdemeanors. The county handles all that. Municipal Court doesn't touch those cases. And the files are kept in different places too. City court has its own stack of papers. The Circuit Clerk keeps the county court files. So don't mix them up or you'll be looking in the wrong place for what you need.

How to Access Mobile Criminal Court Records

You got a few ways to dig up court files here. The county put some stuff online so you can search from home. Or you can walk into the courthouse and ask the clerk in person to pull what you need. Both paths work fine. Some folks like the web option because it's fast. Other folks like the in-person route because they can ask questions and get help right there. Pick what fits your style and your schedule best.

Online Access Through Just One Look Portal

Mobile County courts use the Just One Look portal for on-demand access to court records. This system provides electronic access to case information, court filings, and case status for criminal cases filed in Mobile County.

The statewide Alabama court system website at mobile.alacourt.gov also provides online search capabilities for Mobile County criminal cases. Users can search by case number, party name, or other identifying information.

In-Person Record Requests

Criminal court records can be requested in person at the Mobile County Courthouse. The Circuit Clerk's office is located at 205 Government Street, Mobile, AL 36644. Interested parties can request case files, court documents, and certified copies at the Clerk's counter.

Public Records Requests

Public records requests can be submitted through the City of Mobile's online portal at mobileal.justfoia.com/publicportal. This system allows requesters to submit formal requests for public records and track the status of requests.

What Information to Provide

When searching for criminal court records, provide as much identifying information as possible. Helpful information includes the defendant's full name, date of birth, case number (if known), and approximate date of arrest or offense. More specific information allows for faster and more accurate searches.

Alabama Criminal Court Records Law

Alabama Code § 36-12-40 establishes the right of citizens to inspect and copy public records, including criminal court records. This statute provides that every resident has a right to inspect and take a copy of any public record of the state, except as otherwise expressly provided by applicable law.

The Alabama Rules of Court-Record Privacy and Confidentiality became effective January 1, 2025. These Rules apply to all Alabama courts and establish procedures for balancing public access to court records with individual privacy interests. The Rules designate 91 categories of information as privileged or confidential in Alabama.

Alabama Code § 12-17-94 requires circuit court clerks to keep consolidated docket sheets of criminal cases, including the names of parties, the character of the offense, and the names of attorneys. Clerks must maintain all papers, books, dockets, and records with care and security, arranged and labeled for easy reference.

Expungement of Criminal Records

Alabama Code § 15-27-1 governs expungement of misdemeanor records. A person charged with a misdemeanor may petition to expunge records when charges are dismissed with prejudice, no billed by a grand jury, the person is found not guilty, or charges are nolle prossed without conditions and not refiled. Persons convicted of nonviolent misdemeanors may qualify for expungement if all probation requirements have been completed, all fines paid in full, and three years have elapsed from the date of conviction.

Alabama Code § 15-27-2 addresses felony record expungement. Expungement is available when felony charges are dismissed with prejudice, no billed by a grand jury, the person is found not guilty, or charges are nolle prossed without conditions and not refiled. For convicted felons, expungement requires a certificate of pardon with restoration of civil and political rights.

The administrative filing fee for expungement petitions is $500, as established by Alabama Code § 15-27-4. The court may waive fees if it made a clear judicial finding that the arrest had no foundation of probable cause.

Fees for Criminal Court Records

If you want an official copy with a stamp on it, the county will charge you a fee. The price shifts based on what kind of paper you're after and how thick the file is. One page costs less than ten. Ten pages cost less than fifty. You get the idea. The clerk desk has the full price list if you want to know exactly what you'll pay before they start pulling files and running the copier.

You can pay with cash if you have it on you. Check works too. So does a money order. Most clerks take credit cards now as well, which is handy. Now, if you're just doing a basic search, they might not charge you anything at all. But if you want copies, especially official ones with the clerk's stamp, or if you need a whole thick file pulled and copied, then yeah, you're going to pay. So bring a way to cover the bill just in case.

Indigent persons may request fee waivers through the Circuit Clerk's office by demonstrating financial hardship.

Federal Criminal Cases in Mobile

Federal criminal cases involving Mobile residents are handled by the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama. The Mobile Division opened a new federal courthouse in 2018.

Federal criminal cases include prosecutions under federal law such as drug trafficking, firearms offenses, fraud, immigration violations, and other federal crimes. Federal court records are available through the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system at pacer.uscourts.gov.

The new federal courthouse opened in 2018, replacing the 1934 courthouse. Limestone for the new building came from the same Russellville, Alabama quarry used 80 years prior for the original courthouse.

Legal Aid Resources in Mobile

Several organizations provide free or low-cost legal assistance to Mobile residents.

Legal Services Alabama - Mobile Office

South Alabama Volunteer Lawyers Program

Additional Resources

• Alabama Free Legal Answers (online Q&A with lawyers)
• Alabama Legal Help website (self-help forms and information)
• Mobile Bar Association
• Just One Look portal (Alabama State Trial Courts records access)

The South Alabama Volunteer Lawyers Program offers free monthly limited legal advice clinics at the Mobile County Courthouse. These clinics provide brief consultations with volunteer attorneys on civil legal matters.

Criminal defendants who cannot afford an attorney are entitled to court-appointed counsel under the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The court will appoint an attorney at arraignment for defendants who qualify financially.

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