Reviewed and updated October 9, 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 between September 24, 2026 and October 9, 2026.
Birmingham, Alabama, in Jefferson County, has about 196,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A traffic ticket written in Birmingham is a court case in the District Court; a city with a municipal court tries its own, and the conviction it ends in goes on the driving record kept by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. This guide says which court takes the ticket, who writes them and where the driving record lives.
This guide covers where tickets go, who writes them, the driving record and common questions.
Related guides: Birmingham public records, Jefferson County traffic tickets, Birmingham arrest records, Birmingham warrants, Birmingham inmate search, Birmingham criminal records, Alabama arrest records and Alabama inmate search.
Where a Ticket Written in Birmingham Goes
A ticket written by a deputy or a state trooper in Birmingham goes to the District Court; one written by city police goes to that city's municipal court where it has one. Either way the ticket is a court case, and the court's index is the record of it.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at jefferson.alacourt.gov, phone (205) 325-5355.
Statewide, Alacourt is the statewide online index of Alabama trial court cases, sold by subscription.
Who Writes the Tickets in Birmingham
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Birmingham (filed by the FBI as Birmingham Police Department) write the traffic tickets in and around Birmingham.
The FBI's agency list also places five campus police departments, one state agency and two other agencies in Jefferson County (the arrest records guide names each one).
The Helena Police Department, the Sumiton Police Department, the Argo Police Department and one more are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Jefferson County, so their arrests are not broken out for Jefferson County here.
The Driving Record and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency
Convictions are reported by the court to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, which keeps the driving record and decides on points and suspensions. Order the driving record from that agency, not from the court.
Paying a ticket is a conviction, reported to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency like any other; contesting it means a plea of not guilty entered with the court by the date on the ticket.
A DUI is a criminal charge rather than a ticket, with its own license case before ALEA (see Birmingham DUI).
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I pay a traffic ticket from Birmingham?
With the District Court; a ticket from city police goes to the city's municipal court where it has one.
Who keeps my driving record in Alabama?
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. The court reports each conviction to it, and paying a ticket counts as one.
Which court handles traffic tickets in Birmingham?
The District Court, which takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, small claims and preliminary hearings in felony cases. A city with a municipal court of its own tries the tickets under its ordinances.
Is this the official Birmingham website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.