Birmingham, AL

Birmingham warrants come from one of two places: the City of Birmingham (Birmingham Municipal Court / Birmingham PD) or the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. **Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (Sheriff Mark Pettway)** - Headquarters: 2200 Rev Abraham Woods, Jr., Blvd, Birmingham, AL 35203 - Main phone: 205-325-5700 - Tip line: 205-325-1450 - Crime Stoppers: 205-254-7777 - Email: info@jeffcosheriffal.com **Jefferson County is unusual** — it has TWO court divisions (Birmingham and Bessemer) with separate warrant offices: - Birmingham warrants: handled out of the main HQ at 2200 Rev Abraham Woods Jr. Blvd - Bessemer warrants/civil division: 1822 2nd Avenue North, Bessemer, AL 35020 - Bessemer Court covers Bessemer Cutoff cases — geographically the western/southwestern part of the county **For Birmingham city warrants** (municipal court level): - Birmingham PD Records Division: 205-254-6308 - Public records request via City Clerk **Realistic process:** 1. Most Alabama sheriffs' offices won't release warrant info to the public over the phone — privacy policy. Jefferson County is no exception. 2. **Court-level confirmation works:** if you know which court issued it, the Circuit Clerk or Municipal Court Clerk can confirm whether the warrant is still active. 3. **Online docket search:** alacourt.gov shows case status, which often reveals whether a bench warrant has been issued in an active case. 4. **For yourself:** if you suspect a warrant on yourself, talk to a Birmingham defense attorney first. Walking into the courthouse to "check on it" without representation often ends with you in custody. **Jefferson County Jails** (where someone with a served warrant ends up): - Birmingham County Jail: 809 Richard Arrington Jr., Blvd. N, Birmingham, AL 35203 - Bessemer County Jail: 1822 2nd Avenue North, Bessemer, AL 35020

Birmingham (in Jefferson County) has more options than most Alabama cities — three legitimate paths. **Path 1 — City-level check (Birmingham only)** The Birmingham Police Department Records Division actually runs city-only background checks for $10. - Birmingham PD Records Division: 205-254-6308 - $10.00 fee, available within 1–3 business days - Picked up in person with proper ID - Covers Birmingham city only — won't catch records from other Alabama jurisdictions **Path 2 — Statewide official check (ALEA)** For an Alabama-wide criminal history through the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency: - Cost: $25.00 first copy, $5.00 each additional - Fingerprint-based — submit at 301 S. Ripley Street, Montgomery, AL 36104 (in person) or PO Box 1511, Montgomery, AL 36102-1511 (by mail) - Phone: 1-866-740-4762 or 334-676-7897 - Turnaround: a few days to a couple weeks **Path 3 — Court-level case search (free)** For a quick name-based criminal case lookup: - Alabama Unified Judicial System: alacourt.gov — free, statewide, name-based - Good enough for "did this person have any criminal cases in Alabama?" - Not certified, not FCRA-compliant, but useful for personal due diligence **Important — for employment use:** none of the above paths is FCRA-compliant on its own. Federal law requires you to use a licensed Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA) for employment, tenant screening, or credit decisions. Running a self-service check and using it to deny someone a job is a federal violation. **Birmingham PD also offers:** - Fingerprints: $10.00 - Fingerprint Cards: $10.00 - Accident reports: $10.00 - Incident/Offense reports: $10.00 - Archived reports (pre-2013 incident, pre-2015 accident): $25.00 - Payment: cash, debit, money order, company check (no personal checks)

Alabaster is a city in Shelby County, Alabama, just south of Birmingham. Arrests there usually pass through one of two agencies — verified live today. **Shelby County Sheriff's Office (the primary jail for the area):** - Shelby County Jail: 380 McDow Road, Columbiana, AL — nationally accredited, holds 500+ inmates (municipal, county, state, and federal) - Online inmate listing: inmatelisting.shelbyal.com — search by last name, view photos, charges, bond amounts - Detailed inmate info: shelbyso.com/169/Inmate-Information - Monthly inmate intake/release reports: al-shelbycountysheriff2.civicplus.com/archive.aspx **Alabaster Police Department (for city-level arrests):** - Records/booking: 205-664-7401 - Records office hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM (closed on city holidays) - Police reports request portal: cityofalabaster.com/488/Police-Reports - Direct request links: Police Report Request, Accident Report Request - Many Alabaster city arrests get transferred to the Shelby County Jail in Columbiana — so even if Alabaster PD made the arrest, the inmate may be on the Shelby County roster **For older arrests:** - Alabama Unified Judicial System: alacourt.gov — free statewide name search across trial courts - Shelby County Circuit Clerk handles full case files **For Shelby County public records generally:** - Shelby County Public Records Request: 205-670-6500 - Standard response time: 14 days - Site: shelbyal.com/501/Freedom-of-Information-Act **For your own complete background:** - ALEA fingerprint check: $25 first copy, $5 each additional - 301 S. Ripley St., Montgomery, AL 36104 (in person) or PO Box 1511 (mail) - 1-866-740-4762 or 334-676-7897 **For currently incarcerated state inmates:** - Alabama Department of Corrections: doc.alabama.gov/inmatesearch.aspx **Practical tip:** Shelby County's Jail Division is unusually transparent — they post monthly intake/release reports publicly. If you're looking for a specific time window, those PDFs are useful when the live roster doesn't show what you need.

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.

Same August 2019 rule change applies here. There are no marriage *licenses* in Alabama anymore — only marriage *certificates* filed with the Probate Office. **For a current marriage filing (post-August 2019):** Barbour County has two probate locations. The Eufaula office handles the southern half of the county: - **Eufaula Probate Office** — 405 E Barbour Street, Eufaula, AL 36027 · 334-687-1530 - Mailing address: PO Box 758, Eufaula, AL 36072 To file: complete the Alabama Marriage Certificate form, get it notarized, and file with payment within 30 days. Form available at alabamapublichealth.gov/vitalrecords/marriage-certificates.html **For a search of existing records:** - Online search through the Barbour County system: ingprobate.com/barbour_probate — has both probate case records and marriage records - For a certified copy from the state: Alabama Department of Public Health, Center for Health Statistics — $15.00 first copy (records back to August 1936) · 334-206-5418 **Pre-1936 marriages:** must come from the Barbour County Probate Office directly — the state didn't centralize records before then. **Note on what's actually in the index:** the online search returns names and dates. For legal use (name change, immigration, estate work), you need the certified copy with the seal — that comes from either Probate or ADPH, not the online index.