Code of Alabama - Title 12: Courts - Chapter 12 - District Courts

• Article 1 General Provisions.
• Section 12-12-1 Establishment, designation, etc.; location of sessions of district courts; abolition of courts not authorized by Constitution
  (a) The district court of Alabama, a trial court of limited jurisdiction, is created and established, effective January 16, 1977, and shall be subdivided according...
• Section 12-12-2 District court a court of record; preparation, maintenance, etc., of records of proceedings generally; employment of reporters or provision for transcripts of proceedings by parties
  (a) The district court shall be a court of record. (b) Records of proceedings shall be made, maintained and preserved according to rules promulgated by...
• Section 12-12-3 Trial of cases
  All cases in the district court shall be tried by the judge, who shall determine all issues of law and fact without a jury.
• Section 12-12-4 Powers of court as to disposition of criminal cases generally
  In disposing of cases within its criminal jurisdiction, the district court may impose and suspend sentences, place criminal defendants on probation, remit fines and court...
• Section 12-12-5 Continuation of cases to permit payment of fines and costs
  The district court may, on conviction of a defendant, upon a showing of inability to make immediate payment of fine and costs, continue the case...
• Section 12-12-6 Powers as to punishment for contempt
  In all matters before the district court, the district court shall have and possess power to punish for contempts as heretofore or hereafter granted to...
• Section 12-12-7 Issuance of writs
  The district court may issue all writs necessary to preserve and enforce its jurisdiction and authority.
• Section 12-12-8 District attorney of circuit charged with responsibility for district court prosecutions
  The district attorney of the circuit in which a district court is located shall have responsibility for prosecutions in the district court.
• Section 12-12-9 Abolition of office of county solicitor and performance of functions thereof by assistant district attorneys; election by county solicitors serving terms to which elected prior to January 16, 1977, to become assistant district attorneys for duration of terms
  On January 16, 1977, the functions of the position of county solicitor shall be performed by assistant district attorneys, and the office of county solicitor...
• Section 12-12-10 Supervision of district courts by presiding circuit judges
  The presiding judge of each circuit shall have general supervision of the administrative operation of the district courts within the circuit, subject to rules of...
• Section 12-12-11 Applicability of Alabama Rules of Civil Procedure
  The Alabama Rules of Civil Procedure shall be applicable to all civil actions brought in the district court, except as they are inconsistent with this...
• Article 2 Jurisdiction Generally; Venue.
• Section 12-12-30 Civil jurisdiction generally
  The original civil jurisdiction of the district court of Alabama shall be uniform throughout the state, concurrent with the circuit court, except as otherwise provided,...
• Section 12-12-31 Small claims actions; attorney representation; when; attorney fees; prosecution of assigned claims; license required
  (a) The district court shall exercise exclusive jurisdiction over all civil actions in which the matter in controversy, exclusive of interest and costs, does not...
• Section 12-12-32 Criminal jurisdiction generally
  (a) Misdemeanors. The district court shall have exclusive original trial jurisdiction over prosecutions of all offenses defined by law or ordinance as misdemeanors, except: (1)...
• Section 12-12-33 Extradition proceedings
  The district court may exercise jurisdiction over proceedings relating to demands for extradition made by another jurisdiction pursuant to the laws of Alabama governing extradition.
• Section 12-12-34 Juvenile jurisdiction
  Juvenile jurisdiction shall be exercised concurrently by the district court and the circuit court as provided by law.
• Section 12-12-35 Transfer of adoption proceedings to district court from probate court; maintenance of records of adoption proceedings
  (a) Adoption proceedings, primarily cognizable before the probate court, may be transferred to the district court on motion of a party to the proceeding in...
• Section 12-12-36 Venue generally; transfer of actions improperly located; designation of additional locations for court sites
  (a) Venue in the district court lies in the county where venue would lie for civil or criminal actions brought in the circuit court, except...
• Section 12-12-37 Removal of action from district court to circuit court where concurrent jurisdiction
  Any civil action brought in district court of which the circuit court has concurrent jurisdiction may be removed by a defendant or defendants to the...
• Article 3 Traffic Offenses.
• Section 12-12-50 "Traffic infraction" defined
  A "traffic infraction" is any violation of a statute, ordinance or regulation relating to the operation or use of motor or other vehicles or the...
• Section 12-12-51 District court jurisdiction of misdemeanor prosecutions for traffic infractions
  The district court shall have exclusive original jurisdiction of misdemeanor prosecutions for traffic infractions, except ordinance infractions prosecuted in municipal courts.
• Section 12-12-52 Receipt of guilty pleas in traffic infraction prosecutions by magistrates
  Pursuant to the provisions of Section 12-17-251, magistrates may receive pleas of guilty in traffic infraction prosecutions, but may not receive pleas in matters involving:...
• Section 12-12-53 Requirement of use of uniform traffic ticket and complaint
  (a) Every law enforcement agency in the state shall use traffic citations of the form known as the uniform traffic ticket and complaint, which shall...
• Section 12-12-54 Accounting for uniform traffic tickets and complaints; disposition of forms; records and reports
  The judge or judges and the clerk of the district court shall designate personnel to be responsible for accounting for all uniform traffic tickets and...
• Section 12-12-55 Establishment of schedules of fines for traffic infractions; provision for manner of payment and accounting for of fines and costs
  Schedules of fines to be imposed for traffic infractions shall be established by law or rule. The manner in which fines and costs shall be...
• Section 12-12-56 Law enforcement officers, etc., not to dispose of uniform traffic tickets or complaints, etc., in unauthorized manner; persons soliciting, etc., unauthorized disposition, etc., of uniform traffic ticket and complaint subject to punishment for criminal contempt
  (a) No law enforcement officer or other officer or public employee shall dispose of a uniform traffic ticket and complaint or any portion thereof or...
• Article 3A Nontraffic Offenses.
• Section 12-12-60 Electronic uniform non-traffic citation and complaint
  (a)(1) Whenever any person is arrested for a violation of any non-traffic offense enumerated in Rule 20, Appendix B of the Alabama Rules of Judicial...
• Article 4 Appeals.
• Section 12-12-70 Right of appeal and procedure for appeals generally; dismissal for failure to appear
  (a) Civil cases. Any party may appeal from a final judgment of the district court in a civil case by filing notice of appeal in...
• Section 12-12-71 When appeals taken to circuit courts; nature of proceedings and right to jury trial upon appeals to circuit courts
  Except as provided in Section 12-12-72 and in subsection (e) of Section 12-15-120, all appeals from final judgments of the district court shall be to...
• Section 12-12-72 When appeals may be taken directly to appellate courts
  Appeals shall be directly to the appropriate appellate court if: (1) An adequate record or stipulation of facts is available and the right to a...
• Section 12-12-73 Bonds on appeals
  A supersedeas bond in twice the amount of the judgment shall be required of the appellant in any civil appeal to the circuit court. Upon...

Last modified: May 3, 2021