Data You Give Us Directly
Search Queries
A name or case number entered in a search tool is sent directly to the outside provider operating that tool. The provider processes the request and supplies any response. Winston County Court Docket does not keep or log those search terms on its own systems.
Messages and Contact Submissions
An email may be retained as needed to answer it. Messages remain within the operating team unless disclosure is required by a valid legal obligation.
Data We Gather Automatically
Loading a page can cause the servers to receive routine technical details about the visit:
- The IP address assigned to your device
- Which browser you are using and its version
- Your device type and operating system
- The pages you visited and how long you stayed on each
- The site that sent you here, if any
- Timestamps for each page view
Cookies and Analytics
Cookies are small files stored on a device. They and analytics services help combine traffic data, such as which pages are viewed most and where visits end. Browser controls can block cookies, although doing so may cause some functions to behave differently.
What We Do With This Data
- Keeping the site up, running, and loading quickly
- Sending your search requests to the right partner service
- Figuring out which pages people find useful and which need work
- Tracking down and fixing technical issues
- Showing ads that may line up with your interests
No Court-Record Data on File
Winston County Court Docket does not host, maintain, compile, or sell a database of dockets or personal case records. It publishes general directions to the Winston County Circuit Clerk, the courts that hold original files, municipal and probate custodians, and Alabama's official case-search channels. Visitor information is not assembled into a consumer report or a profile about another person. This site is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Third-Party Search Partners
Outside companies power the search boxes. Information submitted there is handled under the provider's privacy policy rather than this one. Each provider determines its own retention and sharing practices. Review those terms before sending a query.
Links to Other Websites
Links may lead to clerk pages, trial-court portals, statewide search systems, legal-aid sources, or private search services. The destination's privacy policy controls after a visitor leaves this site. Read it before supplying personal information.
Some advertising partners may use their own systems to track activity across websites and select ads.
Who Might See Your Data
Personal data is not sold. Limited information may be received by:
- Search partners that handle queries you run on our site
- Analytics services we use to track traffic and performance
- Ad networks that place ads on our pages
- Law enforcement or government bodies when a valid legal order requires it
How We Protect Your Data
Standard safeguards are used for collected data. No internet service can guarantee perfect security, so those measures cannot promise that a breach will never occur.
Users Under 18
The site is intended for adults and does not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. A verified report that a minor supplied such data will be addressed by deleting it.
Your Data Rights
Applicable privacy and consumer-protection law may provide more rights. Ala. Code ยง36-12-40 concerns access to qualifying public writings, while the Alabama Rules of Court-Record Privacy and Confidentiality control judicial records. Those access rules do not turn this private site's analytics or messages into court records. At a minimum, you can:
- Ask for a copy of what we have on file about you
- Have us fix information that is wrong
- Request that we erase your data
- Opt out of certain kinds of data processing
Updates to This Policy
This policy may be revised. A new version will appear here with its updated effective date, so visitors should review it periodically.
Effective date: August 13, 2026