About the Chambers County Circuit Clerk's Office
Chambers County's court-record custodian for Circuit and District Court is Circuit Clerk Lisa M. Burdette. The county page names the office inside the LaFayette courthouse and also lists a Lanett annex channel. The clerk serves as official record keeper and business manager for District Court and Circuit Court proceedings. The office also collects filing fees, court costs, and fines, issues warrants through clerk-appointed magistrates, manages jury-related work, serves as absentee election manager, and acts as a passport-application acceptance facility.
The clerk's court records are separate from Probate Court records. Probate Judge Paul Story's office handles estates, wills, guardianships, conservatorships, mental-health commitment petitions, adoptions, name changes, marriage-certificate recording, recording records, tags and titles, and elections. For Probate Court material, use the Probate Court page. For Circuit and District Court case material, the Circuit Clerk is the local office to contact when Alacourt access, certified copies, or division-specific guidance is needed.
Chambers County Circuit Clerk
Clerk: Lisa M. Burdette
2 LaFayette St. S., Suite B-114
LaFayette, AL 36862
(334) 864-4348
Fax: (334) 864-4368
8:00 AM-Noon and 1:00 PM-4:30 PM, Monday-Friday
Lanett Annex Front Counter
610 South Gilmer Avenue
Lanett, AL 36863
(334) 644-7067
8:00 AM-5:00 PM Eastern, closed 12:30 PM-1:30 PM Eastern
What the Clerk Does in Chambers County
The Circuit Clerk maintains court divisions that include Circuit Civil, Circuit Criminal, Domestic Relations, Juvenile, District Civil, Small Claims, District Criminal, traffic, and cases initiated by the Sheriff's Department and the cities of Valley, Lanett, and LaFayette. The office does not decide cases or give legal advice. It keeps records, accepts filings when the rules allow, collects fees and costs, routes case work to the correct division, and provides copies through the local copy process.
- Maintains Circuit Court and District Court case files, including civil, criminal, domestic relations, juvenile, small claims, district criminal, and traffic records.
- Collects filing fees, fines, court costs, and other court-related payments when local rules route payment through the clerk.
- Supports magistrate warrant processing after an incident or offense report is entered by the Sheriff's Department or LaFayette, Lanett, or Valley police.
- Serves as absentee election manager and accepts passport applications as listed on the official county Circuit Clerk page.
Direct division numbers are useful in Chambers County. Lisa M. Burdette is listed at (334) 864-2487. Juvenile, Domestic Relations, Child Support, and Protection from Abuse questions go to Kinsley Gregory at (334) 864-4367. Circuit Criminal goes to Kierra Jones at (334) 864-4350. Small Claims, District Civil, and Circuit Civil go to Joyce Adams at (334) 864-4318. District Criminal and Traffic go to Sandi Langley at (334) 864-4349. The LaFayette front counter is Jan Still and Monica McDonald at (334) 864-4348, and the Lanett front counter is Debbie Powers at (334) 644-7067.
How to Request a Certified Copy
Certified copies are official copies issued by the court office that holds the record. Chambers research provides a specific certified-copy process for divorce decrees: a certified decree is $25, and a mail request must include a $25 money order and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Money orders are payable to Lisa M. Burdette, Circuit Clerk. In-person requests can be made at the clerk's office with money order or cash, correct change only. Other case types should be confirmed with the correct division before sending payment.
- Identify the court division and case type, such as Circuit Civil, Circuit Criminal, Domestic Relations, District Civil, Small Claims, District Criminal, Traffic, or Juvenile.
- Find the case number through existing paperwork, Alacourt / Just One Look, or a clerk division call if the case is public and locatable.
- Prepare party names, approximate filing date, document name, number of copies, and whether a plain or certified copy is needed.
- For a certified divorce decree by mail, send the request, $25 money order, and self-addressed stamped envelope to Chambers County Circuit Clerk, Lisa M. Burdette, 2 LaFayette St. S., Suite B-114, LaFayette, AL 36862.
- For other certified copies, call the division first to confirm the fee, acceptable payment method, and whether the record is restricted, sealed, juvenile, expunged, or otherwise unavailable to the public.
Records Request Form Fields
The research did not locate a single universal Chambers Circuit Clerk records-request form for every case type. A practical written request should give the division enough information to identify the record and return the correct copy. Domestic-relations filings must be original documents when filed with the office, and email or faxed copies are not accepted for filing. Certified mail service in civil cases also requires the filer to prepare the envelope, green card, green and white sticker, and postage.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case Number | Helpful | Use the exact case number if known; Alacourt / Just One Look may help locate public case details. |
| Party Names | Yes | Include all known names and spellings, especially if the case number is unknown. |
| Case Type or Division | Yes | Examples include circuit criminal, district criminal, traffic, small claims, district civil, circuit civil, domestic relations, or juvenile. |
| Document Type | Yes | State whether the request is for a decree, order, complaint, disposition, case action summary, payment record, or another document. |
| Copy Type | Yes | Say plain or certified. Certified copies may require a specific fee and authorized access. |
| Return Contact | Yes | Provide mailing address, phone number, and email if appropriate for follow-up. |
The official research image for Alabama Code Section 12-15-133 documents the juvenile confidentiality statute used as a Chambers Clerk access limit.
That statute is why juvenile files cannot be handled like ordinary public civil or traffic records, even when the Circuit Clerk keeps the local court file.
Chambers County Clerk Fees
Use the local fee amounts that the research confirmed, and verify before filing because court fees can change. Small claims and district civil pages say personal checks are not accepted for filing fees. Small claims payment must be cash, money order, or certified cashier's check. The certified divorce decree process uses a $25 money order for mail requests, payable to Lisa M. Burdette, Circuit Clerk.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Certified divorce decree copy | $25.00 |
| Domestic relations original filing | $247.00 |
| Domestic relations modification, enforcement, or contempt | $350.00 |
| Circuit civil filing up to $50,000 | $299.00 |
| Circuit civil filing over $50,000 | $399.00 |
| Circuit civil counterclaim, cross-claim, third-party, or declaratory action | $342.00 |
| Jury demand | $100.00 |
| Subpoena | $12.00 |
| Garnishment, execution, or attachment | $30.00 |
| Small claims up to $1,500 | $102.00 |
| Small claims $1,500.01-$3,000 | $176.00 |
| Small claims $3,000.01-$6,000 | $265.00 |
| District civil $6,000.01-$20,000 | $300.00 |
Common Clerk Forms
Common court forms for Chambers Circuit and District Court are tied to the type of case. Small claims and district civil use the Alabama AOC Statement of Claim and Affidavit of Substantial Hardship. Domestic-relations divorce pleadings are not provided locally as fill-in-the-blank forms, and the local page recommends consulting an attorney. Expungement uses the AOC CR-65 Petition for Expungement, which requires charge and case information plus certified arrest, disposition, case action summary, and certified ALEA criminal-history attachments.
- Alabama AOC e-forms - statewide public court forms, including forms used with small claims, district civil, and other court filings.
- Chambers small claims instructions - local filing guidance for small claims and related hardship forms.
- Chambers expungement instructions - local explanation of expungement categories and required court-record attachments.
Mail and Online Filings
Online trial-court access in Chambers County runs through Alabama systems rather than a free county-built case search. The Circuit Clerk page routes most trial-court information to Alacourt using the Just One Look link for on-demand Alabama State Trial Court Records, with required fees. Alabama's e-filing information describes Alacourt.com as a subscription read-only application for trial court records, including case details and images, and Just One Look as case-by-case access at pa.alacourt.com. Attorneys are encouraged to use Alacourt for case status, and local Circuit Civil instructions encourage pro se litigants to file electronically using Alafile when available.
Warrants follow a different workflow. A person seeking a warrant must first file an incident or offense report with the Chambers County Sheriff's Department or, if the offense occurred in a municipality, with LaFayette, Lanett, or Valley police. The officer or deputy enters a warrant request in the warrant system. The complainant then goes to the Circuit Clerk's Office at the courthouse or annex, where a magistrate places the person under oath and decides whether probable cause exists. The local warrant process has no cost. An arrest warrant is not public record until served, so the clerk page should not be treated as an online active-warrant search.
The manifest image from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit is an appellate reminder, not a Chambers trial-court search portal.
Chambers County trial records start with the Circuit Clerk or Alacourt, while federal appeals and federal court records are separate systems outside the county clerk's office.