About the Jefferson County Clerk's Office
Jefferson County has a split clerk structure. The Jefferson County Alabama Unified Judicial System page is the local hub for Circuit Clerk services, court divisions, jury information, traffic court, forms, and court contacts. Jacqueline Anderson-Smith is listed as Circuit Clerk on Jefferson County AOC filing-fee and traffic materials. Karen Dunn Burks is identified in official materials as the Bessemer Division deputy or circuit-clerk contact.
The Circuit Clerk handles Circuit and District Court records. Probate Court handles probate, marriage, estate, guardianship, conservatorship, recording, and related probate-court records. This split is central to Jefferson County record requests. A felony case, divorce file, district civil case, misdemeanor file, or district traffic matter starts with the Circuit Clerk path. A will, estate, marriage certificate, or guardianship starts with Probate Court.
Jefferson County also has a Birmingham Division and a Bessemer Division. That local division can matter as much as the case type. A file arising in the Bessemer Cutoff may require Bessemer routing, while a Birmingham Division case may be handled through the Birmingham courthouse counter. Search results, payment records, and certified-copy requests should be checked for the division before a person visits a counter or mails payment.
Jefferson County Circuit Clerk
Clerk: Jacqueline Anderson-Smith
Jefferson County Courthouse, Room 400
Birmingham, AL 35203
205-325-5355 / 205-325-5360
Bessemer Division routing may use separate clerk contact channels.
What the Clerk Does in Jefferson County
The Circuit Clerk is the records and filing office for Jefferson County Circuit and District Court case files. The clerk receives filings, maintains docket entries, collects court costs where applicable, issues certified copies, routes forms, supports jury and traffic functions through local court pages, and helps users identify the correct division or counter for case-file requests.
- Maintains civil, criminal, domestic-relations, district civil, small-claims, misdemeanor, and traffic-related court files.
- Provides certified copies when the file is open to the requester and the clerk holds the record.
- Routes online case searches through Alabama Trial Court Records and electronic filings through AlaFile.
- Helps distinguish Birmingham Division and Bessemer Cutoff records.
- Directs probate, estate, marriage, and guardianship records to Jefferson County Probate Court.
The Circuit Clerk is not the same as ALEA, ADOC, the Sheriff's Office, or a city municipal court. ALEA handles official state criminal-history products and driver records. ADOC handles state-prison inmate searches. The Sheriff's Office handles jail custody, incident reports, and sheriff records. Municipal courts handle many city ordinance and city traffic matters.
How to Request a Certified Copy
Certified copies are used when a court record must prove an official filing, order, judgment, decree, or disposition. Online screenshots are not certified records. The request should go to the clerk or court that maintains the file. For Jefferson County Circuit and District Court cases, that usually means the Circuit Clerk path. For marriage and probate matters, it means Probate Court.
- Find the case number in Alabama Trial Court Records or from the court notice.
- Confirm whether the case belongs to the Birmingham Division or Bessemer Cutoff.
- Identify the exact document, such as final order, divorce decree, disposition, judgment, or docket sheet.
- Submit the request with party names, filing year, copy type, and payment instructions from the clerk.
- Pick up the certified copy or arrange mail return through the responsible clerk office.
If the online portal shows only a docket entry, the clerk may still be needed for the document image or certified record. Older paper files, sealed documents, expunged records, juvenile matters, and records with protected identifiers may require extra review. A requester should ask for a certified copy only when certification is needed, since plain copies and certified copies may have different costs and processing steps.
Records Request Form Fields
Jefferson County also provides an online public-records request portal for county records when a department page does not provide a more specific route. Court case-file requests should still begin with the responsible clerk or court system, but the request fields show the level of detail staff need to route a records request.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Requester name | Yes or likely | Person submitting the request. |
| Email address | Yes or likely | Used for response and follow-up. |
| Phone number | Optional or likely | Helps staff clarify the request. |
| Department or record sought | Required | Route to Circuit Clerk, Probate Court, sheriff, or another county department as appropriate. |
| Description of records | Required | Include case number, names, date range, court division, and document title. |
| Upload or attachment | Optional | Useful for request letters or authorization documents. |
For a clerk request, the description field should be precise. A strong request might name the party, case number, court division, filing year, and document title, such as final judgment, sentencing order, divorce decree, docket sheet, or dismissal order. If a certified copy is required, say so in the first request rather than after staff locate a plain copy.
Jefferson County Clerk Fees
Alabama court fees can vary by case type, division, statutory assessment, and copy type. The research captured Jefferson County AOC fee pages for circuit civil, district civil, and domestic relations, but did not provide one stable copy-fee table for every clerk service. Confirm current amounts with the clerk or the relevant AOC fee page before filing or requesting certified copies.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Circuit civil filing fees | Confirm through Jefferson County AOC circuit civil fee page |
| District civil and small-claims filing fees | Confirm through Jefferson County AOC district civil fee page |
| Domestic-relations filing fees | Confirm through Jefferson County AOC domestic-relations fee page |
| Plain or certified court copies | Confirm with Circuit Clerk before requesting |
| Probate marriage certificate copy | $3.00 for Jefferson County certificates issued from June 1985 forward |
The fee distinction also helps route the request. Circuit civil, district civil, domestic-relations, and traffic fees belong to the Circuit Clerk or AOC route. Probate costs and marriage certificate copies belong to Probate Court. Sheriff's report fees, jail records, ALEA background checks, and ADOC records follow separate agency processes.
Common Clerk Forms
Use official Alabama and Jefferson County court pages for forms. Forms and filing requirements can differ between civil, domestic-relations, district civil, small-claims, and traffic matters. Electronic filing may also depend on whether the filer is an Alabama attorney, a pro se person, a pro se business, or an account manager.
- Jefferson County AOC local court page - local court divisions, traffic, jury, fee, and contact routes.
- AlaFile - Alabama electronic filing portal for registered users.
- Alabama e-filing information - user categories and electronic filing/service overview.
Forms should match the court and case type. A domestic-relations filing is not the same as a district civil claim, and a small-claims form is not the same as a felony criminal filing. When a form has to be filed electronically, the filer should check whether AlaFile registration is required before the deadline.
Mail and Online Filings
Alabama uses AlaFile for electronic filing in trial courts. The Alabama e-filing information page describes AlaFile as a web-based application for registered users to file and receive service copies electronically, with user types including Alabama licensed attorneys, account managers, pro se individuals, and pro se businesses. Paper, mail, or counter requests may still be needed for older records, certified copies, restricted documents, or users who cannot access electronic filing.
For records not visible online, include the case number, names, approximate filing year, court division, document title, and whether a certified copy is required. Probate Court, Sheriff's Office, ALEA, ADOC, and municipal courts each keep different records, so routing the request to the correct office saves time.
Use the clerk for the official court file, not for a broad criminal-history report. A Circuit Court record can show charges, pleas, orders, disposition, and sentence for that case. It does not replace an ALEA criminal-history product, an inmate roster, a sheriff incident report, or a municipal court record.
Mail requests should be specific enough for staff to act without guessing. Include a return address, phone or email, division, case type, and copy purpose if certification is needed. If payment amount is uncertain, contact the clerk before mailing funds because court costs and copy charges can depend on the document and case type.