Etowah County Circuit Clerk Office
Cassandra "Sam" Johnson is the Etowah County Circuit Clerk. The official Circuit Clerk profile describes the office as the courts' official record keeper and business manager for District and Circuit Court proceedings. The office maintains court records, collects and disburses court funds, prepares subpoenas, issues court notices for trials and hearings, collects fines and fees, manages jury functions, and interacts with the public each day.
The office also reports that the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit receives about 20,000 new District and Circuit Court filings each year. Court records are electronically imaged in all divisions, which supports access for judges, clerks, attorneys, and the public. That does not make every file free online. It means the Circuit Clerk's records system is the official local path for trial court file work.
The Circuit Clerk biography page is one of the manifest sources for this page.
The profile confirms the Circuit Clerk's record-keeper role for Etowah County court records and explains why the office is central to copy requests.
Etowah County Circuit Clerk
Clerk: Cassandra "Sam" Johnson
801 Forrest Avenue, Suite 202
Gadsden, AL 35901
256-549-2150
Circuit Clerk direct line: 256-549-2181
Etowah County Clerk Divisions
The Etowah Circuit Clerk office page lists direct numbers by division. Use those lines when the record type is known. A District Civil eviction question should not be routed the same way as a Circuit Criminal indictment, a Domestic Relations divorce decree, or a Traffic Division citation copy. The division list also shows how local court records are organized inside the clerk's office.
| Division or Contact | Phone | Record Types |
|---|---|---|
| Phone menu | 256-549-2150 | Main routing line for the Circuit Clerk's Office. |
| Circuit Civil / Domestic Relations | 256-549-5431 or 256-549-5439 | Larger civil cases, appeals, divorce, and domestic records. |
| District Civil / Small Claims | 256-549-5432, 256-549-5433, or 256-549-5445 | Lower-value civil cases, small claims, and eviction filings. |
| Circuit Criminal / Magistrate | 256-549-5437, 256-439-6033, 256-549-5444, or 256-549-5438 | Felony cases, magistrate matters, warrants, and criminal records. |
| District Criminal | 256-549-5441, 256-549-5491, or 256-549-5434 | Misdemeanor arrests, preliminary hearings, bond fees, costs, and fines. |
| Traffic | 256-439-6045 | Etowah sheriff and Alabama State Trooper citations handled by the county Traffic Division. |
The office directory is also assigned as a manifest image source.
The directory supports a practical record-request strategy: call the division that owns the file rather than relying on one general number for every Etowah County record.
Request Etowah County Clerk Copies
The Circuit Clerk's record request page gives three access paths. First, a public access computer terminal inside the Circuit Clerk's Office may be used for public record name searches during regular Judicial Building business hours. Second, after locating the needed record information, copies are requested at the counter. Third, additional copies of circuit or district filings, pleadings, or orders require a written request and fee payment.
- Identify the court division and gather the case number, party names, case style, and document names if known.
- Use Alacourt ACCESS for online trial court information when account access and fees are acceptable.
- Visit the public terminal for a local name search if the online path does not show enough detail.
- Submit a written request for copies, certification, older records, archived records, pleadings, or orders.
- For mailed copies, include a money order and self-addressed stamped envelope when records must be returned by mail.
Etowah's local page says copy requests may take up to 30 days because of minimal staffing. Mail requests go to Etowah County Circuit Clerk, 801 Forrest Ave., Suite 202, Gadsden, AL 35901. Personal checks are not accepted for mail requests according to the research file.
Etowah County Record Request Fields
A written request should be specific. The clerk needs enough information to identify the file, the exact documents wanted, and whether certification is needed. Criminal and charge-record searches may need dates of birth, aliases, or charge names to distinguish people with similar names.
| Field / Item | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Requester's name, address, and phone | Yes | Needed for contact and pickup or mail return. |
| Documents needed | Yes | Identify pleadings, filings, orders, decrees, or other records. |
| Certification needed | Conditional | State whether certified copies are required for legal use. |
| Case number and party names | Recommended | Improves accuracy and reduces wrong-file risk. |
| Dates of birth, aliases, charges, case type | Recommended | Useful for criminal, charge, and common-name searches. |
| Envelope and money order | Conditional | Required when copies are mailed back. |
Etowah County Clerk Fees
Fees come from the local record request and copy instructions. Ask the clerk to confirm the total before mailing payment, especially for archived records, microfilmed records, certified copies, or large copy requests. Alacourt ACCESS is separate and may charge its own access fees.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Archived / microfilmed records search | $25.00 |
| Copies up to 20 pages | $5.00 |
| Each additional page after first 20-page copy bundle | $0.50 |
| Certification of document by Clerk | $5.00 |
Note: Certified copies come from the Circuit Clerk, not from screenshots or third-party search results.
Etowah County Filing Channels
Etowah County court users may also need forms or filing access. The court site links to Alabama E-Forms for official court forms, including criminal, civil, small claims, domestic, protection, and expungement forms. The AlaFile e-filing portal is used by attorneys and may be available to registered pro se litigants in circuit civil filings. Forms and e-filing are not the same as a public records search, but they are part of how a record is created and updated.
The Probate Judge remains separate. Probate records, marriage certificate recording, recorded instruments, deeds, mortgages, liens, plats, elections, passports, and involuntary commitment records are handled through the Probate Judge and record room, not the Circuit Clerk. The full probate access route is covered on the Probate Court page.