The Municipal Court Section is located in the Court Services/IT division of the AOC. The Municipal Court Section’s primary goal is to provide educational training to municipal court magistrates who are required by law to successfully complete 116 hours of educational credits to become fully certified officers of the court. This educational training consists of an overview of criminal law and administrative procedures. The Municipal Court Section offers four orientation sessions offered twice annually for new municipal magistrates, assists in creating the educational programs for municipal magistrates as well as municipal judges and municipal law enforcement at AOC-sponsored regional training seminars conducted three times annually, and also assists the University of Alabama’s College of Continuing Education in providing educational programs conducted four times annually which municipal magistrates are required to attend additionally. Municipal courts also receive site-visits per request from the Municipal Court Section to ensure that legal and administrative procedures are properly and efficiently followed.

The Municipal Court Section not only provides these services to municipal courts, but has recently extended its educational programs to district court magistrates who are required by law to become certified as well, and assists the SJIS Help Desk with technical and legal issues to the state court system. In addition to processing and maintaining municipal court official appointments, rescindments and oaths of offices, the Section also processes and maintains this information for district court magistrates and warrant clerks.