Covington County District Court Traffic Cases
State-issued traffic citations in Covington County are handled through the District Court traffic process unless the ticket or court notice says otherwise. The county traffic instructions say the citation orders the defendant to appear before Covington County District Court. If the defendant fails to pay or otherwise dispose of the case before the court date and then fails to appear, a warrant may be issued, the driver's license may be suspended by ALEA, the fine may be increased, and any bond may be forfeited.
Eligible citations in the posted chart can be paid by guilty plea without a court appearance. The defendant may sign the guilty plea on the back of the ticket and mail it with a money order or cashier's check for the correct fine and costs to Covington County Traffic Court / Circuit Clerk's Office, 1-K North Court Square, Andalusia, AL 36420. The payment must include the name and ticket number. Personal checks are not accepted and are returned, which can delay processing.
AlaPay Citation Lookup and Payment Fields
AlaPay is the Alabama Judicial System's online payment site for eligible traffic tickets and certain criminal fines. It is a payment and receipt path, not a full replacement for the court file. If the ticket requires a court appearance, if defensive driving is being requested, or if the charge is not listed as payable, the defendant should follow the court instructions instead of assuming online payment is available.
The AlaPay payment site provides official Alabama ticket and case payment paths and discloses the card service fee for online payments.
AlaPay can confirm payable status for many citations, but the court record remains the source for hearings, pleas, dispositions, and failure-to-appear consequences.
| AlaPay Path | Required Information | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Pay Ticket by Ticket Number | UTC number and date of birth | Pay an eligible citation by ticket number. |
| Pay Ticket by Case Number | Case number, Social Security Number, and date of birth | Pay when the court case number is known. |
| Pay Fine | Case number and SSN or date of birth | Pay a disposed criminal or traffic fine when available. |
| Print Receipt | Receipt lookup details | Retrieve proof of payment. |
| Just One Look | Separate court-record access path | Move from payment to trial-court record lookup. |
Traffic Service Center and OTR
The Alabama Traffic Service Center handles citation questions, online resolution, payment, defensive-driving requests, and call-center support. The center can be reached at traffic.alacourt.gov or toll-free at 866-954-9399. Automated credit/debit phone payment is listed at 877-252-7294. Representatives can assist in English and Spanish, and the information to provide includes the defendant's name, UTC ticket number, and ticketed county.
| Service Center Path | Contact or Field | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Resolve citation online | resolve.alacourt.gov | Use before court date when eligible; do not pay if requesting defensive driving school. |
| Pay citation online | AlaPay | Card payments carry a 4% processing fee. |
| Automated phone payment | 877-252-7294 | Credit or debit payment option. |
| AOC Traffic Call Center | 866-954-9399; traffic@alacourt.gov | Questions about citation, county, payment, and resolution options. |
Pay or Contest a Traffic Ticket
A payable Covington County traffic ticket can usually be resolved by guilty plea and payment before the court date. The court accepts cashier's check, money order, debit card, or credit card, with a 4% processing fee on card transactions. Mail payments require a signed guilty plea on the back of the ticket, the correct fine/cost amount, and identifying information. If the defendant wants to contest the charge, ask for defensive driving, or handle a charge that is not listed as payable, the case should be addressed through court appearance or written request as instructed by the court.
- Read the ticket to confirm the court, court date, UTC number, and whether appearance is required.
- Check whether the offense appears in the payable chart and whether the amount is current.
- Pay online, by phone, or by mail only if the ticket is eligible and no defensive-driving request is pending.
- For a not-guilty plea or disputed citation, appear as directed or contact the court before the deadline.
- After payment or disposition, keep the receipt and confirm whether any ALEA license issue remains.
Covington Payable Traffic Fine Examples
The county traffic chart gives examples of fines and costs for tickets that can be paid without a court appearance when eligible. Amounts may be greater if not paid before court date, and violations not listed cannot be paid without appearing. Act 98-671 adds $50 to certain license offenses as reflected in totals, and Act 99-397 means no court costs apply to listed seat belt and open-container items.
| Offense | Fine and Costs |
|---|---|
| Failure to wear safety belt | $46 |
| Open container | $25 |
| Failure to dim headlights or stop at railroad crossing | $174 |
| Cracked windshield, expired tag, failure to yield, following too closely, running red light | $184 |
| Child restraint or no helmet | $189 |
| Running stop sign or reckless driving | $214 |
| No driver's license | $239 |
| Littering or oversize/overweight | $264 |
| No annual inspection | $267 |
| Driving revoked, suspended, or cancelled | $314 |
No-Insurance and Fix-It Processing
For no-insurance tickets, the defendant does not have to appear if proof of insurance is provided by the court date for the vehicle driven at the time of the ticket. Month-to-month policies are not accepted. Proof provided in person or by mail before the court date can result in dismissal. Proof provided within 30 days after the court date can result in dismissal upon payment of court cost. Proof cannot be provided after six months of the court date, and the ticket must be paid in full.
The same processing applies to no driver's license, expired driver's license, driver's license not in possession, improper tint, expired tag, equipment repairs, and no medical card. Defensive driving may be allowed at the judge's discretion, but the defendant must appear in court or write a letter to the judge before the court date. The county material lists Blackmon Driving School with cell 334-300-1009 and office 334-376-2400.
Municipal Traffic Courts in Andalusia, Opp, and Florala
Not every traffic citation in Covington County is a District Court case. Andalusia Municipal Court hears misdemeanor criminal and traffic cases inside its police jurisdiction. Payable traffic citations require a citation number, full payment, and no required court appearance. The online system will not accept payments if appearance is required. Court-ordered payments require adjudicated unsupervised probation, first and last name, last four SSN digits, and a valid address. Andalusia phone payment is listed at 877-748-6252.
Opp Municipal Court handles traffic and non-traffic misdemeanors and ordinance violations. Eligible citations can be paid in person by cash, cashier's check, money order, or card with a fee; by mail with cashier's check or money order and guilty plea; online at opptickets.com; or by phone at 1-800-701-8560 or 1-877-748-6252. Opp accepts no personal checks. If the ticket is not paid or the defendant fails to appear, warrant, license suspension, and additional fines follow.
Florala Municipal Court is held every second Thursday at 1 p.m. at the Municipal Complex, 22975 7th Avenue. Court Clerk/Magistrate Shereakia Lee can be reached at 334-858-2791 or court@cityofflorala.com. Florala's online ticket portal includes a ticket-number search path and a date-of-birth search path.
Florala Ticket Search Fields
Florala's municipal payment/search portal is useful when the citation is tied to the City of Florala rather than the county District Court. The search fields are narrower than a full court-record system, but they can help identify unresolved municipal traffic cases before escalation to failure-to-appear consequences.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Format Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search By Ticket Number | Tab or section | Optional path | Uses last name plus ticket number or case number. |
| Last Name | Text | Yes | Required for both ticket-number and date-of-birth paths. |
| Ticket Number or Case Number | Text | Yes for ticket path | Accepts ticket or case number. |
| Search By Date of Birth | Tab or section | Optional path | Uses last name plus date of birth. |
| Date of Birth | Date or text | Yes for DOB path | Format was not shown in the research source. |
What Traffic Court Records Show
Traffic court records are case records. They can show the citation number, court, charge, statute, filing or citation date, defendant, hearing or setting date, plea, disposition, fine, cost, payment status, failure-to-appear entry, warrant action, bond forfeiture, and document-image availability when the case is part of a trial-court system. Municipal payment portals may show less detail than Alacourt or the clerk's file.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Citation or UTC number | Ticket identifier used for payment and court lookup. |
| Charge or statute | Traffic offense alleged on the ticket. |
| Court date | When the defendant must appear or resolve the ticket. |
| Disposition | Paid, dismissed, guilty plea, not guilty, amended, or other final outcome. |
| Fine and costs | Amount due, costs, and payment history where available. |
| FTA or warrant entry | Failure-to-appear, license suspension warning, bond forfeiture, or warrant action. |
Court Traffic Records vs ALEA Driver Records
A court traffic record is not the same as an ALEA motor vehicle record. The court file documents the ticket case and its outcome. The ALEA driver record or MVR documents driver-history and license-record information. A crash report is a third category and is governed by eligibility rules under Alabama Code 32-10-7. A person may need all three records for insurance, employment, reinstatement, or litigation, but they come from different offices.
The ALEA driver records and crash reports page lists official driver-record and crash-report purchase channels and fees.
That ALEA page is the state source for MVRs and crash reports, not the county court case file for a traffic citation.
| Record | Source | Contents | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Court traffic record | District Court, municipal court, Alacourt, city portal, or clerk | Citation, charge, court date, plea, disposition, fine, cost, warrant or FTA if any | Resolve or document the court case. |
| ALEA driver record / MVR | ALEA | Driver-history abstract and license-record information | Insurance, employment, licensing, and license history. |
| Crash report | ALEA or law enforcement | Accident report governed by eligibility rules | Not a court case file; often used for insurance or claims. |
ALEA MVR, Crash Report, and Subscription Records
A copy of an ALEA Driver Record, also called an MVR, is listed at $5.75. A copy of a crash report is listed at $15. Driver records may be purchased online or in person at an ALEA Driver License Office. Crash reports may also be purchased online or in person, subject to Alabama Code 32-10-7 eligibility rules. Those fees are state record fees and should not be confused with traffic fines, county court costs, card processing fees, or certified court-copy fees.
The ALEA driver-record subscription service page describes Alabama Motor Vehicle Driver License Abstract Search access for driver-record subscribers.
Subscription driver-record access is a state driver-license function and does not replace the District Court or municipal traffic case file.
| Item | Amount | Record Source |
|---|---|---|
| Copy of Driver Record / MVR | $5.75 | ALEA |
| Copy of Crash Report | $15 | ALEA or law enforcement |
| Card processing on county traffic payment | 4% | Traffic payment processor |
| Seat belt payable example | $46 | Covington County traffic fine chart |
Public Access and Restricted Traffic Records
Alabama public-record law supports access to public records unless a statute, rule, court order, or recognized exception restricts the record. Ordinary traffic court files are generally easier to access than juvenile, sealed, expunged, or active-investigation records. Personal identifiers such as Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, minor information, and protected addresses may be redacted even when the case itself is public. A traffic charge that has been expunged should not be treated as an ordinary public record.
For certified court copies or records that do not appear in an online payment system, contact the Circuit Clerk for District Court traffic matters or the municipal court that handled the citation. Payment portals are built for resolving eligible tickets; they are not always complete archives of court filings, notices, orders, or case-action entries.