Marshall County District Court Overview
Marshall County is Alabama's Twenty-Seventh Judicial Circuit. District Court is the limited-jurisdiction trial court within that local system. It hears District Civil matters, small claims, evictions and unlawful detainers, state and county traffic citations, misdemeanors outside city limits, conservation and revenue tickets, ABC violations, worthless checks, and felony matters before grand-jury disposition. The official District Criminal page describes that criminal starting point.
District Court operates in the county's two courthouse cities. Judge Mitchell S. Floyd is listed at Guntersville, while Judge Zachary A. Ross is listed at Albertville. Circuit Clerk Angie Johnson maintains District Court case files and routes calls by division. Guntersville has the public access computer used to search court-record information.
Marshall County District Court Judges
The official Marshall County District Judges list names two District Judges rather than numbered courts. Each works from a different county courthouse. The court also publishes a separate Circuit Judges list for the general-jurisdiction bench. District Civil, District Criminal, traffic, small claims, and eviction records should be routed through the Circuit Clerk division, even when a judge's chambers has a separate phone.
| Court / Judge | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hon. Mitchell S. Floyd | District Court | 424 Blount Avenue, Suite 227, Guntersville, AL 35976 | (256) 571-7800 |
| Hon. Zachary A. Ross | District Court | 133 South Emmett Street, Albertville, AL 35950 | (256) 878-2007 |
| Circuit Clerk, Guntersville | District case records and divisions | 424 Blount Avenue, Suite 201, Guntersville, AL 35976 | (256) 571-7785 |
| Circuit Clerk, Albertville | Divorce, child support/PFA, juvenile routes | 133 South Emmett Street, Albertville, AL 35950 | (256) 878-4515 or (256) 878-4521 |
The Guntersville court is inside the Marshall County Courthouse. Both courthouse sites publish hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The sources do not publish a courthouse parking fee or security-screening list. Call before arriving if access, parking, or entry details may affect a hearing or filing.
Marshall County District Court Types
Alabama does not use a county court or justice-of-the-peace court as the local comparison in Marshall County. The practical split is District Court, Circuit Court, Municipal Court, and Probate Court. Geography and subject matter matter as much as the severity of a charge.
| Point | District Court | Circuit Court | Municipal Court | Probate Court |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civil role | Lower claims, small claims, evictions | Higher-value claims, appeals, domestic relations | No general civil docket described | Estates, guardianships, name changes |
| Criminal role | County misdemeanors and early felony stages | Indicted felonies and general jurisdiction | City misdemeanors and ordinances | Not a criminal trial court |
| Traffic role | State and county citations | Not the normal first traffic venue | City police citations | None described |
| Record custodian | Circuit Clerk | Circuit Clerk | Municipal court clerk | Probate Judge's Office |
The Albertville Municipal Court is a clear example of the city boundary. The official city source says it handles Albertville ordinance violations, Albertville Police traffic violations, and city criminal misdemeanors within the city and its police jurisdiction. Its source image comes from the Albertville Municipal Court page.
That city court is separate from District Court even though both serve people in Marshall County.
Marshall County District Case Flow
A felony begins in District Court and remains there through the preliminary or pre-grand-jury stage. After indictment or another grand-jury disposition moves the case forward, the felony becomes a Circuit Court criminal case. County misdemeanors can remain in District Court. A city misdemeanor generally stays with the correct municipal court unless a felony is involved in the same incident or another stated exception applies.
Felony flow: District Court start › Initial proceedings › Grand jury › Circuit Court after indictment › Plea or trial › Sentence › Criminal appeal.
District civil flow: Complaint or claim › Service › Answer › Hearing or trial › Judgment › Circuit Court appeal when timely.
A District Civil appeal normally must be filed within 14 calendar days after judgment. Eviction-related appeal periods can be shorter, so the deadline in the specific case controls. The Clerk can provide a schedule and filed information but cannot decide a deadline for a party.
Marshall County District Case Types
District Civil includes lower-level civil claims, small claims, and unlawful detainers. The local fee chart identifies a District Civil bracket from $6,000.01 to $20,000. A person age 19 or older may file a small claim without an attorney. Partnerships may file through a partner or employee, while corporations must have an attorney. A plaintiff needs the defendant's correct address or place of employment.
Eviction records can include notice to the tenant, a complaint for possession or money, proof of service, an answer, default request, hearing, judgment, appeal notice, and later collection or possession entries. The local page describes a seven-day notice for failure to pay rent and a fourteen-day notice for other tenancy issues, with cure rights included in the notice.
District Criminal covers misdemeanors outside city limits, worthless checks, conservation tickets, revenue commission tickets, ABC violations, and felony beginnings. State or county traffic tickets also route to District Court. The Circuit Clerk's Guntersville menu uses option 8 for District Civil and option 3 for District Criminal.
The official District Civil fee chart lists $259.00 for one defendant when the claim is $6,000.01 through $20,000. Additional defendants cost $10.00 each, and additional plaintiffs cost $50.00 each up to a $500 cap. Civil-paper service through Sheriff Phil Sims's office is $25.00. A subpoena is $12.00, while garnishment and execution are each $30.00. These are filing and process charges, not a complete record-copy schedule.
Marshall County District Court Search
Alacourt ACCESS provides paid state trial-court searches by name or case number. A case-detail report can include basic case information, court action, case status, setting dates, parties, financial history, and a detailed case-action summary. The county docket search for LOC=58 allows a setting-date selection and optional last name. It warns that some cases may not appear electronically.
| District record control | Use | Access note |
|---|---|---|
| Name Search | Find District Court cases by a party | Paid Alacourt search |
| Case Number Search | Retrieve a known District case | Paid Alacourt search |
| Setting Date | Select a Marshall County docket date | Public county 58 docket |
| Last Name | Filter the selected setting date | Optional; blank returns the date docket |
| Document Images | Check available case documents | Separate image charge applies |
Use the public access computer at the Guntersville Circuit Clerk's Office if online access is not practical. Call (256) 571-7785 and select the correct division when a setting is uncertain or the record is not electronic. The broader Marshall County court records route also explains statewide and clerk search options. Municipal records must be requested from the city court that handled the case.
Note: A docket result shows a setting, but the Clerk should confirm any case the official screen omits or leaves unclear.
Marshall County District and Municipal Courts
Guntersville Municipal Court handles city traffic, non-traffic misdemeanors, ordinance violations, and city warrant matters. Albertville Municipal Court handles Albertville police traffic cases, city ordinances, and city misdemeanors. Boaz Municipal Court publishes its own traffic and misdemeanor docket times and an online citation-payment path. Arab Municipal Court also handles local city cases, but the research flags its captured address as inconsistent, so callers should verify the location directly.
A state trooper or county deputy citation usually routes to Marshall County District Court. A city police citation generally routes to that city's municipal court. The issuing agency and printed court name are therefore key search facts. Do not pay or file with District Court merely because the incident happened within Marshall County.
For a county or state citation, the court date printed on the ticket is the trial date. A person who wants to plead not guilty and have a trial must appear ready to proceed. Payable tickets may use the Alabama Traffic Service Center or the Clerk's mail route. Failure to pay or otherwise dispose of the case and failure to appear can lead to a warrant, license suspension, a higher fine, or bond forfeiture.
Mail payment requires the guilty plea on the back of the ticket and a money order or cashier's check sent to District Court Clerk - Traffic at the Guntersville Circuit Clerk address. Personal checks are not accepted. A charge that requires appearance cannot be resolved by treating it as a payable ticket.
Marshall County District Civil Access
The District Civil page provides local guidance for small claims, unlawful detainers, service, judgment collection, and appeals. After processing a claim, the filer receives a case number. That number is the strongest key for later docket checks, payment questions, and copy requests. A party without it can use names, but paid broad searches may cost more and can return people with similar names.
A judgment does not collect itself. District Civil records can later show garnishment, execution, certificates of judgment, or a writ of possession. Those post-judgment entries are part of the court file. When a record is missing online, use the public computer or ask the Circuit Clerk division to locate the non-electronic case.
Federal Courts Serving Marshall County
Federal district and bankruptcy cases do not belong to Marshall County District Court. The county lies within the federal Northern District of Alabama. Federal dockets use CM/ECF and public PACER access. Bankruptcy has its own federal court and case lookup.
The PACER source image comes from the Northern District of Alabama Bankruptcy Court lookup.
This federal portal should be used for a bankruptcy case rather than the Marshall County District Court clerk or Alacourt.