Cherokee County Circuit Clerk Office
Dwayne Amos is the Cherokee County Circuit Clerk. The Cherokee County Circuit Clerk homepage identifies the office as the record keeper and business manager for District and Circuit Court proceedings. The office maintains court records, collects and disburses court funds, prepares subpoenas, issues notices for hearings and trials, and manages jury functions.
The local Circuit Clerk page also states that court records are electronically imaged, which makes information more available to judges, clerks, and the public. Records are divided into court divisions that include civil, criminal, domestic, child support, traffic, juvenile, and warrants. Probate records are not part of this office's record set.
Dwayne Amos, Circuit Clerk
Cherokee County Courthouse
373 East Main Street, Suite 102
Centre, AL 35960
(256) 927-3637
Records form also lists (256) 927-3340
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.; closed noon-1 p.m.
Cherokee County Circuit Clerk Duties
The Circuit Clerk performs both record and business functions. As record keeper, the office stores pleadings, notices, orders, docket entries, case numbers, financial entries, judgments, and certified copy records for Circuit and District Court matters. As business manager, it receives court money, disburses funds, prepares notices, processes subpoenas, and supports jury administration.
The office is also a boundary marker for public access. Court users can ask the Circuit Clerk for Cherokee County Circuit and District Court records only. The records request form states the office cannot provide federal, state, municipal, other-county, or out-of-state records. Sheriff incident reports, jail booking records, Probate Office recordings, and municipal court files require separate offices.
- Circuit Civil: higher-value civil cases and related filings.
- District Civil: lower-value claims, evictions, and unlawful detainers.
- Domestic Relations: divorces, support orders, modifications, and contempt filings.
- Traffic: county-level citations handled in District Court.
- Warrants: magistrate and warrant-related court processes.
Search Cherokee County Clerk Records
Online access starts with Alacourt ACCESS / Just One Look, the statewide Alabama trial court record service. The Cherokee County Circuit Clerk site points users to Alacourt and says most trial court information may be obtained through "Just One Look" for on-demand access, with required fees. It is useful for civil, domestic, criminal, and traffic trial court case status where public and available.
The local request form is the better path for certified copies, paper copies, electronic copies, older files, archived or microfilm searches, or a clerk-assisted search. The form requires a $5 deposit. It tells requesters to allow two weeks for the search, and the office contacts the requester with the balance due before sending copies.
In-person requests go to Suite 102 during the posted courthouse hours. Mail requests use the same office address and should include the request form, deposit, accepted payment type, and return envelope. Phone contact is useful when the requester is unsure whether the record belongs to Circuit Court, District Court, Probate Court, a municipal court, the sheriff, or a federal court. That first routing check can save a paid search that produces no local court result.
- Decide whether the record is a Cherokee County Circuit Court or District Court file.
- Check Alacourt if online docket status is enough and paid portal access fits the need.
- Use the Circuit Clerk request form for copies, certified records, paper files, archived records, or clerk-assisted searches.
- Include the $5 deposit, case details, payment by cashier's check or money order, and a self-addressed stamped envelope for mailed copies.
- Call the office if the record may be municipal, probate, sheriff, federal, or from another county.
Cherokee County Record Request Fields
The Cherokee County Circuit Clerk Request for Records form is the local inventory for copy and search requests. More exact information improves the chance that the clerk can locate the right file, especially when names are common or the case is old.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Date line | Unspecified | Date the request is prepared. |
| Specific information requested | Text | Yes | Include name, date of birth, or identifying information. |
| Case numbers | Text | Optional | Exact case numbers help locate files. |
| Approximate year filed | Year | Helpful | Important for older records. |
| Certified documents requested | Yes or no | Optional | Certification costs $5 each. |
| Name and mailing address | Contact | Yes for mail | Used for mailed copies and balance contact. |
| Phone and email | Contact | Practical | Clerk can contact requester about balance due. |
Cherokee County Clerk Fees
The records request form states that the search fee applies even if no records are found. It also states that personal checks are not accepted. Payment must be by cashier's check or money order payable to Cherokee County Circuit Clerk. Filing fees vary by division, and the most relevant copy and search fees are listed below.
| Item | Fee or Rule |
|---|---|
| Records request deposit | $5 |
| Computerized records search | $10 |
| Paper records search | $20 |
| Archived or microfilm search | $25 |
| Copies pages 1 through 20, paper or electronic | $5 |
| Each additional page | $0.50 |
| Each certification | $5 |
| Domestic Relations docket fee | $217.50 |
| Small Claims up to $1,500 | $75.50 plus sheriff service |
| Circuit Civil $50,000.01 or more | $369.50 |
Request Certified Cherokee County Copies
Certified copies are used when a plain copy is not enough. A certified divorce decree, judgment, disposition, or order may be needed for another court, licensing agency, employer process, benefit office, title issue, or personal legal file. The Circuit Clerk can certify court records held by the office, but it cannot certify sheriff reports, probate recordings, federal cases, or municipal records it does not hold.
- Identify the case type, party names, case number if known, and approximate filing year.
- Mark that certified documents are needed on the request form.
- Include the $5 deposit and use cashier's check or money order, not a personal check.
- Add a self-addressed stamped envelope if the copies should be mailed.
- Wait for the clerk to contact the requester with any balance due before copies are sent.
Note: A certification proves the copy came from the clerk's record, but it does not make a sealed or confidential record public.
What the Circuit Clerk Cannot Provide
The Circuit Clerk record channel has clear limits. Probate deeds, UCC filings, estate claims, marriage certificates, and probate indexes are handled by the Cherokee County Probate Court. Sheriff reports, jail roster details, bonds, incident reports, and detention records are handled by the Sheriff's Office and detention staff. Federal civil, criminal, and bankruptcy records use federal court and PACER systems.
Municipal court records are also separate. The Cherokee warrant research notes that Centre and Cedar Bluff municipal misdemeanors ordinarily route to their municipal courts unless a felony or extraordinary circumstance is involved. A person who sends a municipal or federal request to the Circuit Clerk may pay a search fee and still receive no Cherokee County Circuit or District Court result.