Two things steer a local case: the charge level and the agency behind it.

• District Court hears state misdemeanors and traffic matters, and it also handles felony first steps. Greenville city cases are heard by a district judge too.
• Circuit Court hears felony trials and jury trials, plus appeals from the lower courts.
• Georgiana Municipal Court hears charges filed by Georgiana police under city law.

A misdemeanor written by a deputy, a state trooper on Interstate 65 or a Greenville officer usually lands in District Court. Both state courts are in the courthouse at 700 Court Square, Greenville, AL 36037, and the circuit clerk answers at 334-382-3521. McKenzie and the rural areas use District Court in Greenville.

The courthouse is at 700 Court Square, Greenville, AL 36037, on the square in downtown Greenville. Circuit Court, District Court and Probate Court all work out of this building.

• Circuit and District clerk: 334-382-3521, open 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays
• Probate Court: 334-382-3512
• District Attorney, 2nd Judicial Circuit: 334-382-7444

Bring the case number and any court notice when you go. The hearing notice tells you which courtroom to use. The clerk can help with records, court dates and bond papers, but cannot give legal advice. Questions about the jail go through the sheriff's office at 801 Walnut Street, Greenville, AL 36037, 334-382-6521.

Georgiana keeps its own city court. Georgiana Municipal Court can be reached at P.O. Box 310, Georgiana, AL 36033, phone 334-376-0205. If Georgiana police wrote the ticket or charge under city law, it may be heard there instead of at the county courthouse.

Greenville city traffic tickets are handled through the circuit clerk's office at 700 Court Square, Greenville, AL 36037, 334-382-3521, and city charges are usually heard by a district judge. Greenville police answer at 334-382-7461. Anyone held at the county jail on a Georgiana charge must deal with that city's bond or fines before release. Read the ticket or complaint closely, because the court named there is the one that controls the case. Felonies from either town always move to the county courts.

At this opening hearing, a judge reads out each accusation, covers silence and counsel as rights the accused holds, then sets or reviews release terms. Nobody is found guilty at this hearing.

Alabama sets time limits under Rule 4.3:

• Warrantless arrest: probable cause gets a judge's review inside 48 hours.
• Warrant arrest: a person still unable to post bond appears in court within 72 hours.
• A domestic violence arrest is held for a judge or magistrate for up to 24 hours before any bond.

A person charged with a felony is also told how to ask for a preliminary hearing. To check the timing, call the circuit clerk at 334-382-3521.

Common misdemeanors here include second-degree criminal trespass, DUI, harassment and fourth-degree theft. Most follow these steps:

1. Arraignment in District Court or Georgiana's court, where a defendant short on money may request appointed counsel.
2. A plea, a dismissal, diversion or a bench trial before a district judge, usually within a few months.

Top penalties:

• Class A: up to one year and $6,000
• Class B: six months and $3,000
• Class C: three months and $500
• Violation: 30 days and $200
• First DUI: up to a year, a $600 to $2,100 fine and a 90-day license suspension that an ignition interlock can stay

Court costs can be added. For a date, call the clerk at 334-382-3521.

Felony defendants wait at the county jail unless they make bond. The usual path:

1. A preliminary hearing in District Court, if asked for within 30 days and before an indictment.
2. The county grand jury weighs an indictment, though the accused may waive that step for speed.
3. Arraignment, sharing of evidence and motions in Circuit Court in Greenville.
4. A plea or jury trial, often six months to a year or more after arrest.

Some ranges: meth possession is a Class D felony, one year and a day to five years. Second-degree theft of a gun is a Class C felony, up to 10 years. Many nonviolent C and D cases lean toward probation or a split sentence, but repeat offenders face longer ranges. Defendants not yet 21 on the offense date may ask the judge for youthful offender handling. Approval seals the file, and punishment tops out at three years.

Release gets harder and sentences get longer. Under Aniah's Law, the prosecutor can ask for a hearing, so bail can be refused in Greenville for murder, first-degree burglary, first-degree domestic violence, first-degree robbery and similar charges. Since the May 19, 2026 vote, attempted murder and shooting into an occupied home or car qualify too. See our Alabama bail laws page for the release rules.

• Class A covers murder, plus first-degree burglary or robbery. The range runs 10 to 99 years or life, rising to a 20-year minimum once a deadly weapon is involved.
• First-degree domestic violence is Class A. Second-degree is Class B, 2 to 20 years.
• Capital murder: execution, or life behind bars without any parole.

These cases often take a year or longer. The circuit judge appoints a qualified lawyer, paid by the state, when the accused cannot afford one.

The District Attorney for the 2nd Judicial Circuit prosecutes state cases in Butler, Crenshaw and Lowndes counties. Its office is in the courthouse at 700 Court Square, Greenville, AL 36037, phone 334-382-7444. The prosecutor works for the state, not for the accused.

For free counsel, the accused speaks up during the first hearing, explains the money problem and signs a sworn financial affidavit. Judges in Greenville appoint private or contract lawyers, and the state pays them. Under Rule 6.3, the judge looks at income, bills and family, and can look again if money changes. A family paying bond does not end the right to ask. Statewide, appointed counsel is funded through the Office of Indigent Defense Services, 100 North Union Street, Suite 680, Montgomery, AL 36104, 334-242-7059. The circuit clerk at 334-382-3521 can explain local steps.

You have a few ways to find the next hearing:

• Call the clerk: the circuit clerk answers at 334-382-3521, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The office is in the courthouse at 700 Court Square, Greenville, AL 36037.
• Docket search: the county docket search lists cases set for court.
• Alacourt Access: a paid case search costs $9.99 for one name with one case, and $9.99 for each extra case. Choose Butler.
• Court website: the county courts site has the court directory.

Searches go faster when you already have a birth date plus the legal name. Booking charges sometimes shift after the 2nd Circuit prosecutor files, which makes the court file more reliable than the roster.

For warrant status, call the sheriff's office at 334-382-6521 on weekdays, or visit it at 801 Walnut Street, Greenville, AL 36037. Warrant questions at the circuit clerk are answered face to face; carry photo ID to 700 Court Square, Greenville, AL 36037, phone 334-382-3521.

The Alacourt case search can show a related case, and the county courts site has court information. Neither one clears a warrant. Talk to a lawyer about a planned surrender so a bond can be ready. Our bond guide explains the payment steps.

Yes. District Court and city courts do not use juries. After a conviction in one of them, the defendant has 14 days to appeal to Circuit Court and can ask for a jury trial there. The case then starts fresh in front of a circuit judge.

Missing that 14-day window can end the chance to appeal, so talk to the lawyer the same day as the ruling. File the notice of appeal at the circuit clerk's counter, 700 Court Square, Greenville, AL 36037, phone 334-382-3521. For a Georgiana city case, ask the Georgiana court at P.O. Box 310, Georgiana, AL 36033, 334-376-0205, for its appeal papers. Appeals from felony trials in Circuit Court go to higher state courts and follow different rules that a lawyer should handle.

When a youth is arrested, juvenile probation decides whether to file a petition. Call juvenile probation at 201 S. Conecuh Street, Greenville, AL 36037, 334-382-5443. Juvenile hearings are held by a district judge at the courthouse, 700 Court Square, Greenville, AL 36037.

A child held before a hearing usually goes to the Montgomery County Youth Facility, 1111 Air Base Blvd., Montgomery, AL 36108, 334-261-4100, depending on open beds. Youth court sets no bail, and a detention hearing takes place inside 72 hours. Outcomes include:

• Informal adjustment or diversion
• Probation with the court's juvenile officers
• Commitment to the Department of Youth Services

At 16 or 17, some serious charges go straight to adult court. From age 14 up, prosecutors may request a transfer hearing that could shift the case to adult court.

Federal charges from this county land in Montgomery, where the Middle District's Northern Division sits, at One Church Street, Montgomery, AL 36104, 334-954-3600. Many start with drug and gun cases on Interstate 65, felons with guns, or fraud in federal programs.

• U.S. Attorney: 131 Clayton Street, Montgomery, AL 36104, 334-223-7280
• Federal Defenders: 817 South Court Street, Montgomery, AL 36104, 334-834-2099
• U.S. Marshals: 1 Church Street, Suite A-100, Montgomery, AL 36104, 334-922-6960

Federal court has no bail chart. A magistrate judge decides on jail or release. An indictment is due within 30 days. Federal speedy-trial rules then target 70 days before trial, though excluded delays stretch that. There is no federal parole, and about 85% of a sentence is served. After sentencing, use the federal inmate locator.

An ICE detainer is a separate matter from the criminal case. It does not decide guilt or end the state charges. Using Form I-247A, ICE requests advance notice from the Walnut Street jail plus a short hold, no more than two days past release, letting officers collect the person.

Immigration matters for this county run through ICE's New Orleans Field Office, 181 James Drive W, Saint Rose, LA 70087, 504-318-2360. ICE uses a few Alabama jails for short stays:

• Baldwin County Corrections Center, 200 Hand Avenue, Bay Minette, AL 36507, 251-937-0361
• Etowah County Detention Center, 827 Forrest Avenue, Gadsden, AL 35901, 256-549-5408
• Pickens County Detention Facility, 188 Cemetery Street, Carrollton, AL 35447, 205-367-2000

To trace someone after ICE pickup, use the ICE detainee locator, which asks for an A-number and the person's birth country.

Prison terms longer than twelve months belong to the Alabama Department of Corrections. Until ADOC has a bed, the sentenced person normally stays on Walnut Street. Then they go to an intake prison for testing and are sent on to the prison that fits their needs.

Use the ADOC inmate search to find them. The six-digit AIS number gives the best match, but a name search also works. Youthful offender records are left out of that search. Once you know the prison, our Alabama state prison guide has details for each one. Until the move happens, ask the county jail through the sheriff's office at 801 Walnut Street, Greenville, AL 36037, 334-382-6521.

Different searches cover different kinds of custody:

• County jail: the sheriff's inmate search shows who is held in Greenville.
• State prison: the Department of Corrections search uses a name or AIS number.
• Federal prison: the Bureau of Prisons locator uses a name or register number. People still waiting for a federal trial may not appear, so call the Marshals at 334-922-6960.
• Any Alabama jail or prison: VINELink covers every Alabama jail and prison, shows custody status by name, and sends alerts.

The county jail is at 800 Walnut Street, Greenville, AL 36037, reached through the sheriff's office at 334-382-6521.