Washington County Court Docket Basics
A docket, called a case action summary in Alabama's statewide system, is the dated index of what happens in a court case. An entry can record a complaint, answer, motion, hearing, continuance, plea, order, judgment, payment, writ, garnishment, or appeal. The docket may also show who filed an item, when the clerk entered it, the next setting, and the present case status. It is useful for checking progress and finding the date of a specific action.
The full file is broader. It may contain the actual complaint, motion, exhibit, written order, sentencing paper, or judgment referenced by the docket. A short docket label cannot show every fact or legal reason in the underlying document. Washington County court dockets should therefore be used as indexes. When the exact language matters, request the linked image or a plain or certified copy from the Circuit Clerk.
Docket terms also vary with case type. A civil action may list service, an answer, default, judgment, execution, and garnishment. A criminal matter may list bond, arraignment, plea, motions, trial, disposition, and sentencing. A domestic relations case can include support, custody, withholding, modification, and enforcement entries. State traffic records may add proof submissions, payment, driving-school compliance, and failure-to-appear action. The sequence helps identify the case's path, but a short label must be read with its court and date.
Find Washington County Court Dockets
No free county-run Circuit or District docket database was found. The Washington County Circuit Clerk provides a public access computer and staff help at 45 Court Street in Chatom. The office phone is (251) 847-2239, and posted hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The clerk route is the best fallback when a case number is missing, the entry is old, or a copy must be certified.
Statewide online trial-court access is available through paid Alacourt ACCESS. Its case detail report includes court actions, status, setting dates, party data, financial history, and a detailed case action summary. Name and case-number searches are each listed at $9.99, and a no-match result counts as a search.
- Decide whether the event belongs to Circuit, District, Probate, or Municipal Court.
- Use the full case number from a notice, citation, order, or prior docket when available.
- Search Alacourt by case number or name, or use the clerk's public computer.
- Confirm the party, court, case type, and filing year before relying on an entry.
- Read the setting and action sequence, then request the underlying document when its wording matters.
Washington County Docket Entry Fields
The research found one public local sample source rather than a complete public docket. The Washington County garnishment notice listing displays a name, case number, notice link, written court order link, and publication date.
The listing proves that some docket-linked actions are published locally, but it is not a general calendar or full case-search system.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Name | The public party or person tied to the garnishment notice. |
| Case Number | The unique court number, with 65-DV-2023-900015.00 observed as one example. |
| Notice of Garnishment | A link to the notice connected with collection activity. |
| Written Court Order | A link to the order that supports the listed action. |
| Publish Date | The date the local listing was published in month/day/year format. |
| Setting or action date | In a broader case summary, the date tied to a hearing, filing, order, or other event. |
The visible DV code should not be decoded beyond what the record itself states. Ask the clerk to confirm the court and case type.
Washington County Courts and Dockets
Circuit and District Court both use the Circuit Clerk as records office, but their dockets reflect different work. Circuit Court handles felonies, domestic relations, larger civil matters, appeals from lower courts, and other general-jurisdiction cases. District Court handles misdemeanors, preliminary felony proceedings, small claims, district civil matters, unlawful detainers, and many state traffic cases. Washington County sits in the First Judicial Circuit with Choctaw and Clarke counties.
The official circuit judge list identifies Presiding Circuit Judge Charles R. Montgomery in Chatom and Circuit Judge Perry Newton in Grove Hill.
A docket's judge field helps identify which court officer is assigned, but dates and assignments should be verified from the current case entry.
The District Court listing identifies Judge William Alexander Odom and supplies the district judge contact block.
Judge contact pages are not hearing calendars. The case docket or clerk remains the source for a specific setting.
Probate Court has its own docket and records custody. Estate matters can show a petition, letters testamentary or administration, inventory, bond, creditor notice, claims, accountings, and orders. Guardianship and conservatorship cases also follow Probate Court. The official Washington Probate and Ingenuity portal offers a probate-case option, while the Probate Office can help with older or certified material. Adoption and involuntary commitment events are sensitive and should not be expected in an ordinary public docket search.
Washington County Docket Versus File
The docket answers what occurred and when. The full record answers what a filing or order actually says. A docket may show that a motion was filed or an order entered without displaying the motion's facts or the judge's full directions. Alacourt offers document images where available, with public pricing at $5 for the first 20 pages and $0.50 per page after. The local schedule lists the same copy amount plus a $5 certification fee.
| Point | Docket | Full Case Record |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Dated list or case action summary | Pleadings, orders, notices, and other documents |
| Best use | Track events, status, and next setting | Read exact claims, rulings, terms, and reasons |
| Access | Paid Alacourt or clerk public computer | Images, plain copies, or certified copies where public |
| Limits | Short labels may lack context | Confidential, sealed, or redacted papers remain limited |
Washington County Traffic Docket Dates
State traffic docket information may appear through the Circuit Clerk, Alacourt, and Alabama's official Online Traffic Resolution system. Washington County requires an OTR request at least seven days before the court date. Not all citations qualify. The date printed on the ticket is not a trial date; a defendant who pleads not guilty and requests trial must appear on that listed date. Failure to dispose of the case and failure to appear can cause an arrest warrant, license suspension, a higher fine, and bond forfeiture.
Municipal traffic dockets are separate. Chatom Municipal Court is held at Chatom Town Hall, 44 West Front Street, on the fourth Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. McIntosh Municipal Court meets on the third Monday at 5:00 p.m. and lists (251) 944-2428. Those recurring schedules identify the normal court session, but a defendant must still follow the date on the citation or notice.
McIntosh tickets can be mailed by cashier's check or money order to P.O. Box 385, McIntosh, AL 36553, and the city has a separate official payment portal. Washington County state tickets use different Circuit Clerk, OTR, and Alapay channels. That split matters when checking a setting or payment entry. A payment made to one court cannot be assumed to update another court's docket, and a municipal failure-to-appear action can originate outside the county state-court docket.
Note: A city ticket may not appear in the county clerk channel, so check the issuing municipal court before assuming no docket exists.
Read Washington County Court Dockets
Start with the case number, court, parties, filing date, and status. Then read entries in date order. Complaint means the initial pleading or a charging complaint. Motion means a party asked the court to act. Order means the judge ruled or directed an action. Continuance means the setting was postponed. Arraignment is the criminal event where charges are read and a plea is entered. Disposition is the outcome of the case or charge, while sentence is the punishment after conviction.
Pending, disposed, closed, dismissed, transferred, and appealed describe different case states. A case can be disposed at one level and later show appeal activity. A charge can be dismissed while another count ends in conviction. A payment entry does not by itself establish that every condition is complete. Read the event sequence and the written order before drawing a legal conclusion.
Hearing settings may identify a date, time, location, hearing type, and judge. A later continuance can replace an earlier setting, so the newest valid order matters. Party and attorney fields also change when counsel appears or withdraws. Financial history may record assessments and payments without explaining the legal basis for each sum. When a deadline or required appearance is at issue, confirm it directly with the issuing court instead of relying on an old printout.
Washington County Docket Help
For Circuit and District docket questions, contact the Circuit Clerk at (251) 847-2239 or visit 45 Court Street, Chatom, Alabama 36518. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mail correspondence uses P.O. Box 548, Chatom, AL 36518-0548. No universal Washington County docket request form was found, so call before mailing a copy request or payment.
Provide the full case number, names as filed, approximate year, court level, and exact event or hearing date needed. For Probate Court, use the Probate Office or its separate online records portal. For Chatom or McIntosh cases, contact the municipal court. These access channels reflect the county's court structure and reduce the risk of asking the wrong records office.