Covington County District Court Overview
Alabama District Court is a limited trial court. In Covington County, it sits within the Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit and shares the downtown courthouse setting with Circuit Court functions. District Court is important because many cases begin there even when they later move elsewhere. Misdemeanor prosecutions, state traffic citations, small civil disputes, preliminary felony hearings, and some non-capital felony guilty pleas before indictment can all touch District Court.
The county District Court page names Hon. Julie S. Moody as the Covington County District Judge. Official sources list courthouse phone numbers for the District Judge at 334-428-2570 and 334-428-2571. Case records are maintained through the Circuit Clerk's trial court record functions, not a separate county-built District Court database.
The county District Court page identifies the local District Court and judge contact point.
That county page is brief, so users usually need the Circuit Clerk or Alabama trial court access systems for case record details.
Covington County District Court List
Covington County does not have multiple numbered district courts in the way some larger states do. The relevant local court is the Covington County District Court within Alabama's unified court system. Circuit Court, Probate Court, and municipal courts sit beside it as different court levels with different records and access paths.
| Court | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Covington County District Court | Limited trial court | Covington County Courthouse, 1 North Court Square, Andalusia, AL 36420 | 334-428-2570 / 334-428-2571 |
| Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit, Circuit Court | General trial court | Covington County Courthouse, 1 North Court Square, Andalusia, AL 36420 | 334-428-2610 listed in county footer |
| Covington County Circuit Clerk | Trial court records office | 1-K North Court Square, Andalusia, AL 36420 | 334-428-2520 |
Covington County District Court Cases
District Court handles the lower state trial court work that many residents first encounter. Its criminal jurisdiction includes misdemeanors and preliminary felony hearings. The research also states that Alabama District Court can accept guilty pleas in non-capital felony cases before indictment. State traffic matters also run through District Court when they are not municipal citations handled by city courts.
On the civil side, District Court handles smaller civil cases and shares some civil jurisdiction with Circuit Court. The researched Alabama rule for Covington County states that Circuit Court and District Court have concurrent civil jurisdiction when the amount in controversy is more than $3,000 but not more than $10,000, excluding interest and costs. Circuit Court handles civil matters above $10,000.
- Misdemeanor criminal cases that belong in state District Court.
- State traffic citations and related payment or appearance issues.
- Preliminary felony hearings before a felony case moves forward.
- Non-capital felony guilty pleas before indictment when allowed.
- Smaller civil disputes and shared civil matters in the $3,000 to $10,000 range.
District Court vs Other Courts
Covington County court records are easiest to understand by court level. District Court is not the same as Circuit Court, Probate Court, or a city municipal court. Each level can create a record, but the custodian and search path differ. A state misdemeanor may be in District Court, while a city ordinance ticket may be in Andalusia, Opp, or Florala Municipal Court.
| Point | District Court | Circuit Court | Probate / Municipal Courts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main role | Limited state trial court | General jurisdiction trial court | Specialized probate records or city-level ordinance and traffic cases |
| Civil cases | Smaller civil matters and concurrent $3,000 to $10,000 matters | Civil matters over $10,000 and concurrent $3,000 to $10,000 matters | Probate handles estates and recording; municipal civil jurisdiction is not the trial court route described here |
| Criminal cases | Misdemeanors, state traffic, preliminary felony hearings | Felonies and appeals from lower courts | Municipal courts handle city misdemeanor, ordinance, and municipal traffic matters |
| Records office | Circuit Clerk and Alabama trial court systems | Circuit Clerk and Alabama trial court systems | Probate Office or the city municipal court |
| Appeal route | Appeals may move to Circuit Court | Appeals move to Alabama appellate courts when allowed | Appeals from Probate and municipal courts can route to Circuit Court depending on case type |
Covington County Case Flow
District Court case flow depends on whether the matter is civil, traffic, misdemeanor, or felony related. A misdemeanor may start with a complaint, warrant, citation, or arrest, then move to first appearance, plea, hearings, trial, disposition, sentence, or appeal. A felony matter may appear in District Court for probable cause or early plea purposes, then move toward Circuit Court if indicted or otherwise transferred.
Criminal flow: Arrest or citation › District Court or municipal first setting › preliminary hearing or plea › transfer, disposition, or sentence › appeal if allowed.
Civil flow: Claim filed › service through clerk process › answer or default stage › hearing or trial › judgment › collection, post-judgment filing, or appeal.
Traffic flow: Citation issued › eligible payment, online resolution, defensive-driving request, or court appearance › disposition › fine, cost, compliance, dismissal, or further court action.
Covington County District Judge
Hon. Julie S. Moody is the District Judge listed for Covington County. County materials give a courthouse contact for Judge Moody and a separate judge biography page. The District Judge's office is not a general records counter, so record copies and file access usually still route through the Circuit Clerk or through Alabama's paid trial court access systems.
The District Judge Julie S. Moody biography is the county source for the judge profile and direct contact listing.
The judge profile helps confirm the local court identity, while case file and certified-copy questions remain clerk functions.
Covington County District Court
Judge: Hon. Julie S. Moody
Covington County Courthouse
1 North Court Square
Andalusia, AL 36420
334-428-2570 / 334-428-2571
Find District Court Records
District Court records are searched through Alabama's trial court access systems or requested through the Circuit Clerk. Alacourt ACCESS, also called Just One Look, supports name and case-number searches for Alabama trial court records. The public page says available record categories include criminal, civil, small claims, state traffic, domestic relations, and child support. Reports can include basic case information, court action, case status, setting dates, party information, financial history, and case action summary details.
For certified copies, files that do not appear online, older records, or restricted-access questions, use the Covington County Circuit Clerk. For municipal traffic or ordinance cases, start with the city court that issued or handled the citation. For estate, marriage, guardianship, land recording, name change, and similar matters, use the Probate Office, not District Court.
| Search Field | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Name search | Alacourt ACCESS search mode | Covered categories include criminal, civil, small claims, state traffic, domestic relations, and child support. |
| Case Number search | Alacourt ACCESS search mode | Exact format is not published on the public page. |
| Document Images | Purchase option | $5 for the first 20 pages, then $0.50 per page after. |
| Case Monitoring | Purchase option | District case monitoring is listed at $19.99. |
| Email Address and Password | Account login | Required for portal account access. |
District Court users who need the broader trial court search path can also compare statewide options on the Covington County court records page.
Covington County Court Table
The court table below separates the main local forums that may hold a record. It also helps prevent a common search error: looking for Probate Court or municipal records in the District Court path. Alabama's unified court system uses several trial and appellate levels, but local record requests still depend on which court created the file.
| Court | Local Details | Record Notes |
|---|---|---|
| District Court | Hon. Julie S. Moody, Covington County Courthouse | Misdemeanors, state traffic, preliminary felony hearings, smaller civil cases, and some pre-indictment non-capital felony pleas. |
| Circuit Court | Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit, courthouse in Andalusia | Felonies, domestic relations, larger civil cases, family court matters, and appeals from lower courts. |
| Probate Court | Judge Stacy B. Brooks, 1 N Court Square | Estates, wills, adoptions, guardianships, conservatorships, name changes, marriage certificates, and recording records. |
| Andalusia Municipal Court | 102 Opp Avenue, phone 334-222-3299 | Municipal misdemeanor and traffic matters inside Andalusia police jurisdiction. |
| Opp Municipal Court | P.O. Box 610, Opp, AL 36467, phone 334-493-1831 | Traffic, non-traffic misdemeanors, ordinance violations, payment, arraignment, and trial dockets. |
| Florala Municipal Court | 22975 7th Avenue, Florala, AL 36442, phone 334-858-2791 | City court matters, second-Thursday court settings, and GovTPortal ticket search/payment. |
Alabama Appellate Courts
District Court and Circuit Court are trial courts. Appeals from trial court decisions move through Alabama appellate routes when a statute or rule permits review. The Supreme Court of Alabama is the highest state court. The Alabama Court of Civil Appeals handles many civil, domestic relations, workers' compensation, and administrative appeals, while the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals handles criminal appellate matters.
The Supreme Court of Alabama page describes the state's highest court and appellate role.
Appellate pages are useful for later case stages, but they do not replace the Circuit Clerk as the local trial court record office.
Federal Court Is Separate
Federal District Court is not the same as Covington County District Court. Covington County is in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, Northern Division, served from Montgomery. Federal civil, federal criminal, bankruptcy, and federal inmate records use federal systems such as PACER, the federal district court, the bankruptcy court, or the Bureau of Prisons.
The Middle District of Alabama locations page lists the federal courthouse information and clerk contact for federal records.
A federal case involving a Covington County person or event will not usually be found through the county District Court or Circuit Clerk record path.