Shelby County Circuit Clerk Office
Mary H. Harris is Shelby County Circuit Clerk for the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit. The office is the central state trial-court clerk for Circuit Court, District Court, traffic, criminal, domestic relations, small claims, district civil, juvenile and family records, appeals, criminal bookkeeping, and magistrate or warrant services. Probate Judge Allison S. Boyd's office separately maintains Probate Court judicial, marriage, and recording records.
The main courthouse address is 112 Main Street, Columbiana, AL 35051. Record requests and court mail use Mary H. Harris, Circuit Clerk, P.O. Box 1810, Columbiana, AL 35051. The official division phone directory gives direct staff numbers, which is more useful than a general line when the case type is known.
Shelby County Circuit Clerk
Clerk: Mary H. Harris
112 Main Street
Columbiana, AL 35051
(205) 669-3760
Mail: P.O. Box 1810
Direct division contacts include civil and criminal appeals at (205) 670-5261 and (205) 670-5269. Family Court supervision is at (205) 670-5239, Domestic Relations at (205) 670-5238, and child support at (205) 670-5268. Deputy Clerk Jill Smitherman is listed at (205) 670-5270. These lines help route a request without treating every record as a single clerk counter function.
Shelby County Circuit Clerk Duties
The Circuit Clerk receives and maintains filings, preserves the case record, supports docket and notice work, processes record searches and copies, collects court-related money, and routes questions to the correct division. The office cannot give legal advice. Its records may include pleadings, motions, service returns, orders, judgments, pleas, dispositions, sentencing, fines, costs, restitution, hearing settings, and appeals.
- Circuit Civil and District Civil case filing and record support
- Small Claims, Domestic Relations, Family, and Juvenile divisions
- District, Circuit Criminal, Traffic, and criminal bookkeeping
- Civil and criminal appeals plus magistrate and warrant services
The Circuit Civil division page explains that notices and judgments are mailed to attorneys and encourages attorneys to use SJIS for case status.
This division is one part of the broader Shelby County Circuit Clerk record system.
Request Shelby County Certified Court Copies
A certified copy is requested when the receiving court, agency, or other official process needs clerk authentication. Shelby County uses the Alabama Request for Record Search and/or Copies of Court Records form. The request may be mailed or delivered through the clerk process. Allow two weeks according to the form.
- Identify the case number. If it is unknown, give the approximate filing year and useful party identifiers.
- Describe the exact record and mark whether certification is required.
- Complete requester contact information and submit the form with the $10 deposit.
- Wait for the clerk to report the remaining balance after processing.
- Send the balance and a self-addressed stamped envelope for mailed copies.
Payment must be by cashier's check or money order payable to Mary Harris, Circuit Clerk. Personal checks are not accepted. Mail goes to P.O. Box 1810, Columbiana, AL 35051. Questions about charges can go to (205) 669-3760.
Shelby County Clerk Request Fields
The official court record request form collects both search clues and return contact details. More precise entries reduce the risk of matching the wrong party.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Specific information requested | Yes for a useful request | Describe the document or record sought. |
| Case number | Optional if unknown | Give an approximate filing year when no number is available. |
| Date of birth or aliases | Optional but useful | Helps distinguish parties with similar names. |
| Certification | As needed | Mark yes or no. |
| Name and address | Yes | Includes city, state, and ZIP. |
| Phone and email | Contact fields | Used for balances and questions. |
Online docket data does not replace this form when a complete file or certified copy is required. Alacourt's public docket warns that some cases may not appear electronically.
Shelby County Circuit Clerk Fees
Search and copy charges vary by the file's age and format. Computerized record searches from 1993 forward have no search charge. Paper and archive or microfilm work costs more because it requires a manual search.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Request deposit | $10 |
| Computerized search, 1993-present | No search charge |
| Paper or archive/microfilm search | $20 |
| Copies, pages 1-20 | $5 |
| Each added page | $0.50 |
| Each certification | $5 |
The Circuit Civil fee chart separately lists filing costs for civil actions and service.
Filing fees and record-copy fees answer different needs, so searchers should use the schedule tied to the requested service.
Other researched filing amounts include $302 for a Circuit Civil filing from $20,001 through $50,000, $402 above $50,000 or when the amount is unspecified, and $100 for a Circuit Civil jury demand. Domestic Relations lists a $280 docket fee and $383 for modify, enforce, or counterclaim filings. Sheriff service in Circuit Civil is $50 per document per party.
Shelby County Clerk Civil Divisions
Circuit Court has exclusive original civil jurisdiction above $20,000 and concurrent jurisdiction with District Court when the amount exceeds $6,000. District Civil and Small Claims have their own clerk staff and case paths. Circuit Civil records can include complaints, answers, motions, service returns, orders, judgments, subpoenas, garnishments, and appeals.
The local Circuit Civil jurisdiction page explains the monetary split and de novo appeals.
The jurisdiction page helps a requester decide whether the Circuit Civil or District Civil staff is likely to hold the file.
The District Civil division page identifies the limited-jurisdiction civil path.
That division distinction directs lower-value civil record questions to the correct Shelby County clerk staff.
The Small Claims division page provides the separate small-claim access point.
Direct numbers include Circuit Civil at (205) 670-5237, District Civil at (205) 670-5260, and Small Claims at (205) 670-5274.
Shelby County Clerk Family Records
Domestic Relations is a Circuit Court division for divorce and related family cases. Family Court staff also support child support and juvenile matters, though juvenile records should be treated as restricted unless the court confirms access. District and Circuit Criminal and Traffic staff share a supervisor line at (205) 670-5266.
The Domestic Relations division page explains contested and uncontested divorce processing.
Criminal bookkeeping covers cash bonds, court costs, fines, drug-court supervision fees, restitution, receipts, and delinquent-money reporting. Appeals have separate civil and criminal contacts. The clerk's PFA and warrant service routes through Chief Magistrate Tiffany Young at (205) 670-5262.
When restitution payments stop for 90 days, the criminal bookkeeping process can refer the case to the District Attorney's Restitution Recovery unit. Victims should keep their mailing address current because restitution checks are mailed. A payment record or AlaPay balance should be matched with the case disposition and court order rather than read alone.
Shelby County Circuit Clerk Access Rules
Alabama Code § 36-12-40 gives residents the baseline right to inspect and copy eligible public records, subject to legal exceptions. The clerk may withhold or redact juvenile identifiers, sealed or expunged records, Social Security numbers, private financial details, and other protected material. A missing public docket entry does not prove that no file exists.
Probate judicial records, marriage certificates, and recording-room instruments are not kept by Mary H. Harris as Circuit Clerk. Those requests go to Probate Court. Municipal ordinance and city misdemeanor files may also remain with the city court. Choosing the custodian first is part of an accurate Shelby County records search.
Shelby County Clerk Online Access
Use the Shelby Alacourt docket for setting-date and optional last-name checks. Alacourt Access provides broader on-demand Alabama trial-court data and may require an account or payment. AlaFile is an e-filing and e-notice system, not an open public search. Pro se e-notice users register online, print the registration form, and bring it with state-issued photo identification to the Clerk's Office.
AlaPay handles state traffic ticket and disposed criminal fine payments. Online Traffic Resolution handles eligible traffic resolution paths. For county-maintained records outside the courts, Shelby County has an online, mail, and in-person public-record request process. Court records should start with the Circuit Clerk, while Probate records start with Probate Court.
Mail remains essential for certified-copy requests and payments that cannot be completed through an online service. The request form calls for a self-addressed stamped envelope after the balance is known. Traffic guilty-plea mail payments also use P.O. Box 1810, but must follow the Traffic Court's separate instructions and should not be mixed with a record-copy request.
Note: A missing electronic docket entry should be checked with the correct Shelby County Circuit Clerk division before drawing a conclusion.