Baldwin County, AL

There is no central warrants database in Alabama — each county sheriff and city police department keeps its own. For Baldwin County, here's the verified picture: **Baldwin County Sheriff's Warrant Office:** - 112 E. 3rd Street, Bay Minette, AL · 251-580-2519 - Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM - They process roughly 18,000 warrants a year through Civil Affairs Command **The catch:** the Warrant Office **does not release warrant information to the public** — not by phone, not in person. That's their stated privacy policy. **What you CAN do:** 1. **Online arrest search** at sheriff.baldwincountyal.gov — recent bookings often reveal active warrants that were served. Free, fast, no login. 2. **Court clerk for the issuing court** — if you know which case you're worried about, the clerk can tell you whether the warrant is still active. That's a per-case lookup, not a general search. 3. **Statewide fugitive search** at app.alea.gov/community/wfSearch.aspx — this is for Alabama fugitives generally, not all outstanding warrants. **City-level warrants (Baldwin County cities):** - Foley PD: 251-943-4431 - Gulf Shores PD: 220 Clubhouse Drive, Gulf Shores, AL 36542 · 251-968-9434 - Robertsdale PD: 251-947-2222 - Bay Minette PD: handled via the county sheriff **If the warrant is on you:** go to the Baldwin County Sheriff's Correction Center booking office in Bay Minette, or take a photo ID to any local police agency. Talk to a defense attorney first.

Warrants in Alabama are handled at the county and city level, not the state level. For someone in Foley, here's the actual process — verified today against official sources: **The Baldwin County Sheriff's Warrant Office does not release warrant information to the public** by phone or in person — it's a privacy policy. They process about 18,000 warrants a year, but won't tell a third party what's on file. What they will do: if you believe you have a warrant on yourself, you can come to the Baldwin County Sheriff's Correction Center booking office in Bay Minette, or take a photo ID to any local law enforcement agency to clear it up. **Where it lives:** - Baldwin County Sheriff's Office Warrant Division — 112 E. 3rd Street, Bay Minette, AL · 251-580-2519 · open Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM - Foley Police Department — 200 East Section Avenue, Foley, AL 36535 · 251-943-4431 (for warrants issued by Foley PD specifically) **For a public-record style check:** look at the Baldwin County Sheriff's online arrest search — that lists recent bookings, which often correlate with served warrants. The court clerk for the issuing court can also confirm whether a warrant is still outstanding on a specific case. **One honest piece of advice:** if you think a warrant is for you, talk to a defense attorney in Baldwin County before walking into a sheriff's office. The cost of a 30-minute consult is far smaller than the cost of being booked.

There are three real paths in Alabama, depending on what you actually need. **Path 1 — Official state criminal history (ALEA / SBI):** - Cost: **$25.00** for the first copy, **$5.00** for each additional copy - Process: fingerprint-based. Submit the SBI Application to Review Alabama CHRI along with a photo ID and money order or cashier's check - Where: in person at 301 S. Ripley Street, Montgomery, AL 36104 (Adams Ave side) or by mail to PO Box 1511, Montgomery, AL 36102-1511 - Phone: 1-866-740-4762 or 334-676-7897 (Monday–Friday, 8 AM – 5 PM CST) - This is what you can legally see about *yourself*. Third-party checks for employment go through a different ALEA program. **Path 2 — Court-level criminal case search (Alabama Unified Judicial System):** - Free. Name-based search at alacourt.gov - Good for personal "did this person have any cases in Alabama?" lookups - Not certified, not FCRA-compliant, but useful **Path 3 — Robertsdale-specific local records:** - Robertsdale Police Department — 23335 E. Chicago Street, PO Box 429, Robertsdale, AL 36567 · 251-947-2222 - All public records requests in Robertsdale go through the City Clerk under Alabama's Open Records Act **For employment screening:** none of the above is FCRA-compliant on its own. You'd need to use a licensed Consumer Reporting Agency. If you're cleaning up *your own* record, expungement in Alabama is a separate court process — start with the circuit court in the county where the case originated.

Big update on this one — Alabama changed its marriage law in **August 2019**. Alabama no longer issues marriage licenses. Probate courts no longer issue them, and there is no application process. Instead, the parties complete a **Marriage Certificate form** (provided by the Alabama Department of Public Health), have it notarized, and file it with the Probate Office. **For Baldwin County specifically:** - Filing location: **Bay Minette Probate Office only** - Mailing address: Judge of Probate, Attn: Marriage Section, PO Box 459, Bay Minette, AL 36507 - Filing fee: **$73.00** (includes one certified copy) - Must be filed within 30 calendar days of the last notarized signature - Get the form at alabamapublichealth.gov/vitalrecords/marriage-certificates.html — blank forms are NOT available at the Probate Office **For an existing marriage record (certified copy):** - From Baldwin County Probate (if recorded there): **$3.00 per copy** — money order or cashier's check by mail; cash or credit card in person - From the state (Alabama Department of Public Health): **$15.00 first copy** (includes search), **$6.00 each additional**, plus optional **$15.00 expedite fee** - ADPH mailing address: Center for Health Statistics, PO Box 5625, Montgomery, AL 36103-5625 · 334-206-5418 - Online ordering through VitalChek (additional service fees apply) - In person: any Alabama county health department, usually issued while you wait **Quick lookup (no certified copy needed):** Baldwin County keeps a public marriage index at open.baldwincountyal.gov. **Important:** marriages from before August 1936 must be obtained from the probate office in the county where the license was issued — the state didn't centralize records before then.

Opelika is the Lee County seat. Warrants here come from one of two places: the Opelika Police Department (city-level) or the Lee County Sheriff (county-level and unincorporated). Verified live today. **Lee County Sheriff's Office** - Address: 1900 Frederick Rd, Opelika, AL 36801 - Mailing: PO Box 688, Opelika, AL 36803-0688 - Phone: 334-749-5651 (main), 334-737-7022 (alt) - Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM CST - Records request: leecosheriffal.gov/recordsrequest (downloadable form) **Opelika Police Department** - Address: 501 South 10th Street, Opelika, AL 36801 (mail to 36803) - Records Division: 334-705-5295 - Public records request line: 334-705-5110 - Email: rjones@opelika-al.gov - Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM **The Alabama-specific reality:** the Lee County Sheriff's Office takes a slightly different approach than most Alabama agencies. Per the Sheriff's policy and the county magistrate office: **if someone suspects a warrant has been issued against them, they must appear in person at the Lee County Sheriff's Department.** They will not confirm warrants by phone for privacy and operational reasons. **For a court-level confirmation:** the Lee County Circuit Clerk can verify whether a specific warrant tied to a known case is still active. Statewide docket: alacourt.gov **Watch out for scams:** Lee County has actively warned about scammers calling residents claiming to be deputies and saying there's a warrant for missing jury duty. **Real deputies do not collect fines or warrant payments by phone.** If you get such a call, hang up and contact the Sheriff's office directly. **If the warrant is on you:** consult a Lee County defense attorney before walking into the Sheriff's department. The 30-minute consult is cheaper than getting booked without representation.

In Alabama, deeds and recorded property documents are filed at the **county Probate Office** (the office that doubles as the recorder), and assessment/tax data is at the **county Revenue Commissioner** or Tax Assessor (in Mobile, Jefferson, and a few others, separate Tax Assessor and Tax Collector offices). Most counties have free online search portals: Jefferson (jeffcoprobatecourt.com — fees $84.50 first copy, $28 standard recording), Mobile (probate.mobilecountyal.gov — deed tax $0.50 per $500 value), Baldwin (baldwincountyal.gov/government/probate-office/recording — $5 archive fee, $1 per name after two), Madison, Montgomery, Tuscaloosa (tuscco.com — $5 minimum filing). Statewide deed tax is $1.00 per $1,000 of value, rounded up. Bring an Alabama Real Estate Sales Validation form when filing a new deed — recording without it is rejected. Certified copies typically run $1–$3 per page. Online deed images normally go back to the 1990s; older books (often handwritten) require an in-person visit to the courthouse. Sources: Jefferson Probate (jeffcoprobatecourt.com), Mobile Probate, Baldwin County, Tuscaloosa County, Limestone County.