Baldwin County, AL Courts and Public Records

The Baldwin County Circuit and District Courts in Bay Minette serve as the county's trial courts, handling felonies, misdemeanors, traffic cases, civil and small claims disputes, family matters, and juvenile cases for the 28th Judicial Circuit, which consists of Baldwin County alone.

Have the person's full name, the case number if you know it, and the approximate dates ready before you search. Baldwin County cases are kept by the Circuit Clerk's Office in Bay Minette.

Baldwin County's Circuit and District Courts together are estimated to have received ~42,530 new cases in FY 2025 and disposed of ~42,540, based on FY 2023 reports and the Alabama AOC's 2025 civil dashboard. Civil filings changed +27.1% and family law filings +8.2% from FY 2024.

The civil docket drove the change, moving from ~8,167 to ~10,380 filings.

Total filings in Baldwin County are estimated to be higher in FY 2025 than in FY 2023, with the two newest years estimated from the Alabama AOC's 2025 civil dashboard.

Over the five years shown, filings moved +9.9% between FY 2021 and FY 2025, from 38,695 to ~42,530. The largest annual change was FY 2025. In FY 2025, civil filings changed +27.1% and family law filings +8.2%, while criminal and juvenile filings are held at their FY 2023 level.

Criminal cases are estimated to make up the largest share of Baldwin County filings in FY 2025, at 65.2% of the ~42,530 filed.

Circuit civil was the fastest-growing category at ~+27.1%, while criminal was the slowest at ~+0.0%.

Baldwin County is estimated to account for 5.31% of the ~800,306 cases filed in Alabama circuit and district courts in FY 2025. Its filings are estimated to change faster than statewide filings.

Baldwin County has a more criminal-heavy docket than the state as a whole. It files more cases per resident than Alabama overall.

These are the crimes reported to the FBI in 2025 by the 14 law enforcement agencies in Baldwin County, added together. For the agencies with both years on file, violent crimes rose 11.3% and property crimes fell 3.5% from 2024.

Baldwin County's violent crime rate of 180.0 per 100K is below the Alabama rate of 350.4, and its property crime rate of 869.1 is below the state's 1,479.4.

Baldwin County has 3 court locations, the main courthouse in Bay Minette and satellite courthouses in Fairhope and Foley. Check your notice or ticket for the courthouse and courtroom before you go.

Baldwin County's Circuit and District Courts are administered by the Circuit Clerk's Office, with the main courthouse in Bay Minette and satellite courthouses in Fairhope and Foley. Federal cases are filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama.

Yes, most Baldwin County court records are public. Alabama's Rules of Court Records Privacy and Confidentiality give the public the right to inspect and copy court records unless a law, rule, or court order says otherwise.

Public records

Most case files in the Circuit and District Courts are open, including dockets, filings, and orders in criminal, traffic, civil, small claims, and domestic relations cases.

Restricted or confidential records

Sealed records and records the rules list as confidential are not available without a court order. Juvenile delinquency and dependency proceedings are closed under Alabama law, and grand jury records, youthful offender records, and presentence reports are also protected.

Online access

Alacourt public access lets you look up case dockets for Alabama circuit and district courts. Online results show docket information, not every document, and restricted or closed cases are not shown. Traffic and criminal fines can be paid at Alapay.com.

In-person access

Visit the Circuit Clerk's Office at the Baldwin County Courthouse, 312 Courthouse Square, Suite 10, Bay Minette, to view or request records, or use the records request form on baldwin.alacourt.gov. Call (251) 937-0280 to confirm which office holds your case.

Fees

Copy and certification fees are set by the Circuit Clerk's Office, so ask the clerk for the current amount. The court website also posts court cost schedules for circuit criminal, district criminal, and civil cases.

Use the official Alabama portals to search Baldwin County cases by case type, and ask the Circuit Clerk for documents that are not online.

1. Identify the case type, such as criminal, traffic, civil, small claims, family law, or juvenile.
2. Open Alacourt public access for circuit and district court dockets, or the Baldwin County court website at baldwin.alacourt.gov.
3. Search by party name or case number and note the case number from the results.
4. Review the docket for case status, parties, and scheduled dates.
5. Contact the Circuit Clerk at (251) 937-0280 or use the records request form to request documents that are not online.

Baldwin County traffic tickets can be paid online or through the Alabama Traffic Service Center, and fines can also be handled through the Circuit Clerk's Office.

1. Online: Pay traffic tickets and eligible district criminal cases at Alapay.com; a convenience fee may apply.
2. Alabama Traffic Service Center: Visit traffic.alacourt.gov or call (866) 954-9399 with questions about paying a ticket. Do not pay if you plan to request defensive driving school.
3. In person: Visit the Circuit Clerk's Office at 312 Courthouse Square, Suite 10, Bay Minette, AL 36507, or call (251) 937-0280 to confirm how to pay.
4. Court date: Appear on the court date printed on your ticket or pay before it, because the Clerk's Office cannot grant continuances.
5. Criminal fines and costs: Call the Circuit Clerk at (251) 937-0280 about a balance owed in a criminal case. The court website posts court cost schedules for circuit criminal, district criminal, and civil cases.

Parking tickets are handled by the city or agency that issued them, not by the county Traffic Court. Fines and costs may be higher if you do not pay before your court date.