Access Lee County District Court

Lee County District Court Role

Lee County District Court is part of the Thirty-Seventh Judicial Circuit, but it has narrower authority than Circuit Court. Its work includes small claims, district civil cases, unlawful-detainer actions, misdemeanors, preliminary criminal proceedings, state or county traffic citations, and warrant-magistrate functions. Circuit Clerk Mary B. Roberson serves both District and Circuit Court, so public counters and copy requests are routed through one office even though the courts hear different matters.

District Court records may be searched through AlaCourt Access. That paid service offers name and case-number searches for Alabama state trial courts. It lists criminal, civil, small claims, state traffic, domestic relations, and child-support categories. Missing, old, paper-only, and certified items can be requested from the Circuit Clerk. Auburn and Opelika municipal cases should be checked with the city court, not assumed to appear completely in a District Court result.

Lee County District Court Location

All researched Lee County District Court divisions use the T.K. Davis Justice Center address. The source material did not identify multiple numbered District Courts, so the complete local District Court table has one court venue with the civil, small claims, eviction, criminal, traffic, and magistrate work listed together. Division contacts within the Circuit Clerk's office provide more precise routing.

The Circuit Clerk's office is in Suite 104 and keeps hours from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Direct staff lines include District Criminal and Traffic at (334) 737-3506, District Criminal and Rapid Resolution at (334) 737-3519, District Civil and Evictions at (334) 737-3532, and the criminal and civil front counter at (334) 737-3503. Calling the division that matches the case can be more effective than using the general line.

Visitors should allow time for parking and the front-door metal detector. The Lee County jury FAQ bars weapons, including pocket knives, and says smoking, vaping, and lighters are not allowed at the Justice Center. Official court sources did not publish a parking rate, garage name, bus stop, or route. Accessibility accommodations are available through Alabama AOC resources, and interpreter needs should be raised with the clerk or court administration before arrival.

Lee County District and Municipal Courts

Alabama's Lee County structure does not use the County Court and Justice of the Peace comparison shown in some states. The practical local comparison is District Court, Circuit Court, and Municipal Court. A filing must go to the venue that has authority over the claim or offense. Probate Court remains a fourth, separate venue for estates and other probate matters.

Lee County small claims has a $6,000 maximum. The official page describes the procedure as simple, informal, inexpensive, and without a jury. Either side may appeal a small-claims judgment to Circuit Court. Municipal court boundaries are agency-based: an Auburn or Opelika police citation stays with that city's court, while a state trooper or Lee County deputy citation routes to District Court.

The Circuit Clerk's copy form can request a judgment, last signed order, complete file, history check, warrant, indictment, pay history, or case action summary. It charges $25 for the first 20 pages, $0.50 for each later page, and $5 per certification. Paper, closed, archived, register, and history research costs $25. The office asks for at least seven working days and accepts neither credit cards nor personal checks for that request.

Lee County District Case Flow

A District Court path depends on the case. A misdemeanor may begin with an arrest, citation, or warrant and continue through an initial appearance, plea, hearings, trial or plea resolution, disposition, and sentence. A felony can start with District Court preliminary work but proceeds to Circuit Court for indictment, arraignment, trial-level felony proceedings, and sentencing. The research does not support treating every criminal case as if it completes in District Court.

Criminal flow: Arrest, citation, or warrant › District Court first appearance or preliminary work › District misdemeanor resolution or Circuit felony case › appeal

Civil flow: Complaint filed › service › answer or response › hearing › judgment › possible Circuit Court appeal

Small claims and unlawful detainers have their own forms and fees. An unlawful-detainer action begins with Complaint Form C-59 and may seek possession plus money damages. The filing should include the Notice to Tenant. A District Court docket then tracks service, settings, rulings, judgment, and any appeal activity. For exact filings and orders, use the Lee County court records channels.

Lee County District Court Divisions

District Civil covers lower-value civil disputes and eviction or unlawful-detainer matters. Small Claims is a District Court division for claims up to $6,000. Filing fees are $102 for claims up to $1,500, $176 for $1,500.01 through $3,000, and $265 for $3,000.01 through $6,000. The schedule also lists added defendant, plaintiff, default judgment, garnishment, execution, subpoena, and sheriff service charges.

Unlawful-detainer filings have an initial $350 fee, plus $10 for each added defendant when the sheriff issues service and a $20 service fee per defendant. District Criminal handles misdemeanors and preliminary matters. Lee County Traffic Court handles citations issued most often by state troopers or county deputies. The court's Online Traffic Resolution channel can accept eligible defensive-driving requests, time-to-pay requests, and proof uploads, but a court order must approve the request.

Domestic relations is primarily Circuit Court work in the researched local allocation. Probate matters also stay outside District Court. That distinction matters when requesting a divorce decree, filing an estate, seeking a protection-from-abuse order, or looking for a marriage-certificate record.

Lee County District Judicial Circuit

Lee County is the Thirty-Seventh Judicial Circuit. Its Circuit Court judges sit at the Justice Center: Presiding Circuit Judge Christopher J. Hughes in Suite 214, Circuit Judge Michael C. Fellows in Suite 138, and Circuit Judge Jeffrey Gerald Tickal in Suite 207. These are Circuit Court contacts, not a list of District Court judges. The official District Judges page was identified, but the research did not capture names or direct numbers, so none are inferred here.

Appeals divide by subject. Civil and domestic matters generally route to the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals, and criminal appeals go to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals before possible Alabama Supreme Court review. Small-claims judgments first allow an appeal into Circuit Court. Municipal decisions may also reach Circuit Court under Alabama's lower-court appeal structure.

Lee County District Court Magistrates

Lee County District Court magistrates have local functions tied to misdemeanor, felony, traffic, and worthless-check warrants. County traffic warrant jurisdiction covers offenses in Lee County, most often citations issued by a state trooper or a deputy serving under Sheriff Jay Jones. The Circuit Clerk directory separately lists e-warrant, expungement, juvenile, over-the-counter warrant, criminal, and traffic contacts, which reflects how the work is routed at the public counter.

Municipal bench warrants are different. Auburn Municipal Court at 141 N. Ross Street handles Auburn city court matters. Opelika Municipal Court at 300 Martin Luther King Boulevard handles Opelika tickets, city warrants, probation, and records requests. A caller should contact the municipal court for a city case rather than asking the District Court clerk to supply a record the city maintains.

Traffic defendants also need the right venue. Lee County District Court accepts eligible payment or resolution paths for county and state cases, including AlaPay, the Alabama Traffic Service Center, and Online Traffic Resolution where allowed. Auburn and Opelika use their own municipal payment and contact methods. A request is not approved merely because it was submitted online, and an appearance remains required unless the court grants relief.