Run a Free Alabama Warrant Search (Streamlined Resource)

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Free Alabama Warrant Search

Find out if you or someone else has a warrant out for their arrest in Alabama, free of charge.

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Perform a free Alabama warrant search on any resident to find this type of criminal information.

Looking up these details can be useful in learning more about someone in your life, whether for safety or curiosity. You may also want to perform a search on yourself to make sure there are no warrants out for your arrest.

Whatever your reason, warrant information can be accessed because of Alabama’s Open Records Law. However, various agencies host warrants through different mediums, and searchers don’t always know how to track them down; rest assured, this article will assist you in learning where to search for warrant information and how you can access it at no cost.

This resource was written by Attorney Robert Bailey Jr, who holds a Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law.

The Accessibility of Public Warrant Records in Alabama

The Alabama Open Records Law allows for the search and inspection of various types of warrants.¹ Some agencies have online search tools for these warrants, while others provide a form you can submit to request records. You may have to call or go in person to access warrant information for other Alabama government agencies.

While warrant records are public information, access is not absolute. Exceptions exist to protect certain types of sensitive information.

One notable exception is releasing information that may interfere with an ongoing law enforcement investigation. For instance, if a search or arrest warrant contains information that, if made public, could taint the process, law enforcement is authorized to withhold this information until the matter has been resolved.

Another exception for warrant information is if it is concerning a juvenile. This information is also considered confidential. Beyond these exceptions, warrant information is generally available; you just need to know how and where to look.

Necessary Information & Insights To Search for Warrants in Alabama

If you are looking to perform an Alabama warrant check, you will need certain basic information. Regardless of how you perform your warrant search, you will want to have the name of the person you want to look up.

It is also helpful to have a general idea both where the person lives and where the warrant was issued from. This is especially important if you are performing a search at the county or municipal level.

Any additional information such as date of birth and other descriptive details will help you to perform your search more efficiently.

There are several different agencies that may contain warrant information. This includes state-level agencies such as the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.²

At the county level, the two best options for accessing information are the Sheriff’s Office and available criminal case records from the County Circuit Court. At the city level, warrant information is primarily maintained by police departments and municipal courts. There are several types of warrants (e.g., arrest warrants, bench warrants, etc.), and each agency may provide a different way to access them.

How To Execute an Online Alabama Warrant Search for Free

If a record seeker is looking to check for warrants in Alabama online, there are limited free options.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Community Information Center provides a Fugitive Search Tool.³ For additional information on fugitives, you can contact the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

This state search tool allows you to search for fugitives potentially located in Alabama from throughout the county. To use this search tool, make sure the “Type” is set to fugitive.

To perform a search, you can enter the person’s last name and city. You can also provide a state if that is known. Once you perform a search, you can view the following information:

• Name
• Descriptive information (race, ethnicity, gender)
• Category (e.g., felony)
• Status (whether a warrant is active or not)
• The date the warrant was issued
• The date the absconder was last seen
• Where the person was last seen

You can then click on the magnifying glass to get additional information about the individual, including their mugshot. Under the Comments section, you can see why a person is considered a wanted fugitive.

Another option for accessing warrant information is through data found in criminal records. Often, the state judiciary will provide these criminal records throughout the state through a unified case search tool.

The Alabama Court System has its own online public access search tool for trial records, including warrant information through criminal records.⁵ Unfortunately, this is a paid service with various fees depending on the type and number of searches you want to perform.

Note: For online search tools and other ways to access criminal case records for warrant information, you will have to search at the county and municipal level or by using the fugitive search tool provided by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Community Information Center.

More information on conducting a warrant search through these agencies is provided below.

Find Warrants Issued at the County Level in Alabama

A great way to perform a free arrest warrant check is at the county level. Of course, the biggest impediment to performing this type of search is you have to know which county the warrant was issued from.

Many counties have online search tools to access warrant information. Some will require you to go in person or make a formal request, but you may be able to access more information this way as opposed to using alternative online options.

Below are tools and resources for conducting an Alabama warrant search in the state’s three largest counties.

Jefferson County has the largest population in the state of Alabama. If a citizen wants to search for warrant information, they can contact the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office provides a regularly updated list of outstanding warrants.⁶

The warrant listing provides the name, address and age of the person. You can also view their warrant number and type along with bond information.

For additional warrant information, you can contact the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office by email at info@jeffcosheriffal.com or by phone at 205-325-5700. You can also talk to someone at their headquarters office:

Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office
2200 Rev Abraham Woods, Jr. Blvd.
Birmingham, Alabama 35203

A record seeker can also contact the Jefferson County Circuit Clerk for information on criminal case records containing warrant information. You can call the Clerk to ask for information at 205-325-5355, or you can talk to someone at their office located at the address below:

Jefferson County Circuit Clerk
716 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. 
Birmingham, Alabama 35203

The second largest county in Alabama is Mobile. To find warrant information in Mobile County, you can use the Sheriff’s Office Online Warrant Search Tool.⁷

You can use this tool to search by name, driver’s license number, social security number and date of birth. Once you perform a search, the results will show relevant party names along with their warrant number.

You can click on the “details” button on the left-hand side to get additional data, such as other identifying information and the charge that led to the arrest warrant. In addition, you can submit a formal request for information or call them at 251-574-2423.⁸

The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office is located at the following address:

Mobile County Sheriff’s Office
510 South Royal St. 
Mobile, Alabama 36603

You can also inquire about warrant information with the Mobile County Circuit Clerk. You can call them at 251-574-8806. You can also make an in-person inquiry at:

Mobile County Circuit Clerk
205 Government St., Rm. C-913
Mobile, Alabama 36644

Madison is the third-largest county in Alabama by population. For record seekers looking for warrant information in Madison County, you can start by contacting the County Circuit Court’s Warrant Magistrate’s Office. They are available for public inquiries Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM (closed between 12:00 – 1:00 PM).

You can call the Warrant Magistrate’s Office at 256-532-3611 or go to the address below:

Twenty-Third Judicial Circuit Court of Alabama
Warrant Magistrate’s Office
100 NorthSide Square, 2nd Floor, Rm. 217
Huntsville, Alabama 35801

You can also contact the Madison County Circuit Clerk of the Criminal Division to ask them for information on searching criminal records for warrant information. You can call them at 256-532-3386 or go to the address above.

A record seeker may also want to contact the Madison County Sheriff’s Office for additional warrant information. Their administrative office is available from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday. You can call them at 256-532-3413 or go in person to the following location:

Madison County Sheriff’s Office
100 Northside Square, Rm. 206
Huntsville, Alabama 35801

Get Ahold of Municipal Agencies & Courts in Alabama for Warrant Information

One last option for conducting an Alabama warrant roundup is to search for this information at the municipal level. While this is a narrow search, you may get more personable service when dealing with a local agency. It also may be that the warrant information they have is not available at the county or state level.

The most populated city in Alabama is Huntsville. For information on active warrants, you can call the Huntsville Police Department at 256-427-7088.⁹

You can also request information from the Huntsville Police Department Records Division. The Records Division is available to the public from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Monday through Friday. You can call them at 256-427-7020 or go to the address below:

Huntsville Police Department
Records Division
815 Wheeler Ave. 
Huntsville, Alabama 35801

You can also contact the Huntsville Municipal Court, as they are responsible for issuing misdemeanor warrants. The Municipal Court is open from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday. You can call them at 256-427-7810 or go to:

Huntsville Municipal Court
Municipal Justice & Public Safety Complex
815 Wheeler Ave. 
Huntsville, Alabama 35801

Montgomery is the second largest city in Alabama. When looking for warrant information, you can contact the Montgomery Police Department. You can call them at 334-625-2532 to ask them how to access any available warrant information.

You can also talk to someone at the below address:

Montgomery Police Department
320 N. Ripley St. 
Montgomery, Alabama 36104

In addition, you can also contact the Montgomery Municipal Court Magistrate’s Office for warrant information. You can call them at 334-625-2776 or go to the following office building:

Montgomery Municipal Court Magistrate Office
1001 Madison Ave.
Montgomery, Alabama 36104

The third largest city in Alabama is Birmingham. To access warrant information in Birmingham, you can start by contacting the Birmingham Municipal Courts Magistrate Office. They are available for inquiries from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Monday through Friday.

To talk to someone in person, you can go to the address below:

Birmingham Municipal Court Magistrate Office
808 18th St. North
Birmingham, Alabama 35203

Another option is to see what warrant information is available with the Birmingham Police Department.¹⁰ They provide an online wanted suspect list with detailed criminal and warrant information. For other warrant information, you can call the Records Department at 205-254-6308.

The Records Department is open Monday through Friday, from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. They are located at:

Birmingham Police Department
1710 1st Ave. North
Birmingham, Alabama 35203

Retrieve Federal Warrant Information for Alabama & All Other States

In addition to conducting an Alabama warrant search, you may want to find information from federal law enforcement agencies.

However, if you want to search for warrants issued by federal agencies, you will likely have to pay a fee. An often-used paid service for federal warrant information is PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records).

To use PACER to locate warrant information, you can perform a name-based search. Once you search a person’s name you can then select the case number you want to view.

When you get to the case record, look at either the history or docket section. This will provide you with a chronological listing of every order from a judge that was issued in a federal criminal case, including any warrants.

Another option for searching individuals with a warrant in the federal system is to look through the Most Wanted Lists of various federal agencies. The Department of Justice’s Most Wanted Fugitives List contains a detailed description of their fifteen most wanted individuals.¹¹ In addition, you can view the criminal basis that put them on this list.

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has its own specialized DEA fugitive list, focusing on people who have committed federal criminal violations involving drugs. Lastly, you can check out the Federal Bureau of Investigations’ (FBI) Most Wanted List.¹² Here, you can view the offender’s criminal offenses and a description of why they are a wanted fugitive.

If you are still looking for warrant information that you cannot find, consider filing a FOIA request with the U.S. Marshall’s Office. The U.S. Marshall executes most warrants in federal cases. Before submitting your FOIA request, consider contacting a criminal defense attorney knowledgeable in federal criminal procedure.

Warrant Types in Alabama & Their Meanings

There are various types of warrants that can be issued in Alabama. The different types of warrants are based on the reason why it was issued and the purpose they serve.

The arrest warrant is the most common type and one that is highly searched by people.¹³ An arrest warrant signed by an Alabama judge gives law enforcement the right to take someone into custody because of the commission of a criminal offense. To obtain an arrest warrant, law enforcement must present evidence to the judge that shows there is probable cause that a person committed a criminal act.

Note: Arrest warrants can be issued for misdemeanors, felonies and wanted fugitives.

Another type of warrant in Alabama is the bench warrant. A bench warrant is issued when a person fails to show up for a court proceeding, whether as a defendant or witness. A bench warrant can also be issued by a judge if a person fails to follow a court order.

Examples of non-compliance when a bench warrant may be issued include failing to pay fines, child support or other payments (sometimes referred to as a Capias warrant). A bench warrant may also be issued if a person fails to comply with the terms of their probation or parole.

A search warrant is different in that it allows law enforcement to search and seize property that is believed to be involved in the commission of a criminal offense.¹⁴ As with an arrest warrant, probable cause of specific personal property used in a criminal offense must be provided to the judge.

What To Do if You Discover That You or Someone Else Has a Warrant in Alabama

When searching for this information, you may find active arrest warrants in Alabama for yourself or someone you know. Warrant information is not something you should ignore, especially if it is for a serious matter.

If someone you know has an active warrant, take into consideration the seriousness of the information contained within it. Your next steps should depend on how serious the warrant is and how well you know the person. If it’s a minor offense or you know the person well, you might just want to tell them directly.

However, in certain situations, you may just want to pass this information along to a friend or family member. If it may be a serious situation, such as the person having a felony warrant, you should consider contacting the law enforcement agency responsible for executing the warrant.

You may also consider providing this information through the Crime Hotline provided by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. You can call them at +1-800-392-8011.

If you find out that you have an active warrant, it is time to take action. Delaying action to resolve your warrant is likely to further exacerbate the situation. Consider taking the following action for any warrants you may have.

Resolve: Many warrants can be resolved by taking care of something you failed to do, such as paying a fine. Or, if you missed a court date, you can contact the Clerk of Court to see if you can reschedule your hearing.¹⁵

Seek Legal Advice: Depending on the seriousness of the warrant, you may want to talk to a licensed defense attorney in Alabama. They can answer your questions and advise you on the next steps to take.

Turn Yourself In: If you have an arrest warrant, you should turn yourself in with the appropriate law enforcement agency. Before you do so, in addition to talking to an attorney, you may also want to contact a bail bondsman and update your family and friends about your situation.

You should now have a better understanding of how warrants are used in Alabama and what to do with this information.

Use this article for any tools or resources you need to perform an Alabama warrant search, or extend your search to find all Alabama arrest and criminal records or access free public information on anyone in AL (marriages, divorces, court records, background checks, and more).