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 September 26, 2026.
Dothan, Alabama, in Houston County, has about 72,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Houston 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 and common questions.
Related guides: Dothan public records, Houston County court records, Dothan arrest records, Dothan warrants, Dothan criminal records, Dothan traffic tickets, Alabama arrest records and Alabama inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Dothan
In Dothan, the Houston County Circuit Court hears felonies, civil cases over $20,000, divorces and appeals from the district court.
Below it, 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 Dothan
For Houston County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at houston.alacourt.gov (page title: Houston County | Twentieth Circuit Court of Alabama), phone (334) 677-4800, Monday-Friday; 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m., 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 Dothan
Together, the five agencies in Houston County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 6,064 arrests to the FBI that year; the District Attorney decides which of those arrests become cases in the Houston 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.
The other Dothan guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Dothan criminal records, Dothan divorce records, Dothan traffic tickets and Dothan property records.
More Official Court Pages for Houston County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Houston County and Alabama. These court pages from its Houston County listing were opened again on October 2, 2026 and each one still answers:
- Alabama Administrative Office of Courts (alacourt.gov)
- Civil Cases, Alacourt.com 2.0 (v2.alacourt.com)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Dothan?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at houston.alacourt.gov, phone (334) 677-4800. Statewide, Alacourt is the statewide online index of Alabama trial court cases, sold by subscription.
Which court hears felonies in Dothan?
The Houston 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 Dothan?
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 Dothan 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.