Reviewed and updated October 7, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site on September 24, 2026.
Madison County, Alabama, has about 423,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Madison County Circuit Court and the District Court, and the file of each case, kept by the Circuit Clerk, is the public record of it. This guide says which court hears what, where to look a case up and who keeps the files.
This guide covers the courts, the records page, criminal cases, kinds of files, directory links, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Madison County public records, Alabama arrest records and Alabama inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Madison County
Court cases from Madison County are filed in the Madison County Circuit Court, which hears felonies, civil cases over $20,000, divorces and appeals from the district court.
The District Court takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, small claims and preliminary hearings in felony cases.
A city with a municipal court of its own tries the tickets written under its ordinances.
Divorces go to the Circuit Court, and the file stays with the Circuit Clerk.
The Circuit Clerk keeps the files, and a copy of anything in a file comes from that office, under the court's own rules rather than the Alabama Public Records Law.
Looking Up a Case from Madison County
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at madison.alacourt.gov (page title: Madison County | Twenty-Third Circuit Court of Alabama), phone (256) 532-3300, 100 North Side Sq, Rm 217, Huntsville, AL 35801, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Statewide, Alacourt is the statewide online index of Alabama trial court cases, sold by subscription.
The appellate courts' case search is at publicportal.alappeals.gov/portal/search/case.
What Reaches the Court from Madison County
Together, the five agencies in Madison County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 11,178 arrests to the FBI that year; the District Attorney decides which of those arrests become cases in the Madison County Circuit Court or the District Court.
The Kinds of Court Files
The court file is one record with several readers: a criminal case from the arrest to the sentence, a divorce from the petition to the judgment, a traffic ticket from the citation to the conviction the court reports to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, and an eviction or a lien on land.
More Official Court Pages for Madison County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Madison County and Alabama. These court pages from its Madison County listing were opened again on October 2, 2026 and each one still answers:
- 23rd Judicial Circuit (23judicialcircuit.org)
- Alabama Administrative Office of Courts (alacourt.gov)
- Alacourt.com (v2.alacourt.com)
Cities in Madison County
Wherever in the county a case arises, it is filed in the Madison County Circuit Court or the District Court; tickets under a city's own ordinances go to its municipal court where it has one.
SearchSystems has a guide to the offices of these cities in Madison County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population:
- Huntsville (230,402)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Madison County?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at madison.alacourt.gov, phone (256) 532-3300. Statewide, Alacourt is the statewide online index of Alabama trial court cases, sold by subscription.
Which court hears felonies in Madison County?
The Madison County Circuit Court, which hears felonies, civil cases over $20,000, divorces and appeals from the district court. The District Court takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, small claims and preliminary hearings in felony cases.
Who keeps the court records in Madison County?
The Circuit Clerk. Copies come from that office under the court's own rules.
Is there a statewide court case search in Alabama?
Yes: Alacourt, the statewide online index of Alabama trial court cases, sold by subscription.
Is this the official Madison County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.