Dekalb County Detention Center Inmate Bail & Bonds

Find out which agency put on the handcuffs. Deputies, state troopers and officers from towns like Fort Payne and Rainsville all patrol here, and that agency often decides which court controls the bond. Almost every adult still rides to Jordan Road for booking.

Phone the detention center at 2801 Jordan Road SW, Fort Payne, AL 35968, 256-845-8565. Have the person's legal name ready, along with the birthday. Then ask if booking has wrapped up, the bond attached to each count, and which window accepts payment. Jot the replies on paper along with the time of your call. Should the jail line ring busy late at night, try the sheriff's round-the-clock number, 256-845-3801; a dispatcher there can transfer you.

The sheriff's FAQ spells out four routes out of the Jordan Road jail on a bond. The judge's written order says which of them fit a particular charge.

• Bonding company: a licensed agent posts it, and your family pays that agent for the service.
• Property bond: Alabama land backs up the pledge to return for every hearing.
• Cash bond: someone hands the whole sum to the court, and it may be refunded later.
• Own recognizance: the accused promises in writing to return, with nothing paid at the start.

Before paying a cent, have detention staff at 2801 Jordan Road SW, Fort Payne, AL 35968, 256-845-8565, confirm which route the order permits. Our Alabama bail laws page digs further into each type statewide.

Alabama Rule 7.2 gives judges a recommended dollar window, sorted by how serious the offense class is. Think of it as a starting point. A judge in Fort Payne may set more or less once they weigh public safety, past convictions and how rooted the accused is in the community. Main rows of that chart:

• City ordinance case: $300 to $1,000
• Class C misdemeanor: $300 to $1,000
• Class B misdemeanor: $300 to $3,000
• Class A misdemeanor: $300 to $6,000
• DUI: $1,000 to $7,500
• Class D felony: $1,000 to $10,000
• Class C felony: $2,500 to $15,000
• Class B felony: $5,000 to $30,000
• Class A felony: $10,000 to $60,000
• Drug trafficking or manufacturing: $5,000 to $1,500,000

Open the full Rule 7.2 bail schedule for every row. Whatever figure the signed order lists for a count is the one that matters.

That varies from case to case, so phone the jail before getting in the car. Staff at 2801 Jordan Road SW, Fort Payne, AL 35968, 256-845-8565, can tell you if this bond gets handled at the detention center or over at the courthouse.

For state cases the circuit clerk holds the court paperwork at the DeKalb County Courthouse, 300 Grand Avenue South, Suite 200, Fort Payne, AL 35967, 256-845-8525. That counter opens 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The sheriff's front office out on Jordan Road keeps matching weekday hours. Nights and weekends, the jail is where to ask what it can accept, so dial the detention line before leaving home. Carry a photo ID plus the booking and case numbers when you have them.

Ask jail staff at 256-845-8565 which kinds of payment they take on bonds before heading over, since that can shift from one case to the next. Get the full total from them as well. Alabama tacks a state fee of 3.5% plus $35 onto a bond, so what you owe can run slightly above the bond figure.

That kiosk standing in the jail lobby loads spending money onto an inmate account, and it adds a fee. Money put there will never post a bond. When paying by card, ask outright whether the charge goes to the court bond or just the inmate account. Save each receipt, and log the clerk's or jailer's name beside the date. Any bondsman's fee comes on top of all these amounts.

Licensed bonding companies write bonds for people locked up on Jordan Road. The agent guarantees the defendant's return to court, and your family buys that promise with a premium. Because that premium is the agent's pay, it stays gone even after the case ends. Some agents want collateral too, maybe a vehicle title, or a relative who co-signs.

Insist on a paper contract before signing anything. It ought to list the premium, any collateral, and the consequences if a hearing gets skipped. The Alabama Professional Bail Bonding Board can confirm whether an agent holds a valid license. Never wire money to a stranger who texts or phones out of nowhere, even one who knows the defendant's name. A legitimate agent meets you face to face or hands over a written receipt.

Yes. Among the sheriff's four release routes is a property bond. State law says whoever pledges it has to be an Alabama resident holding Alabama land. Their equity, meaning what the land is worth minus any mortgage, must equal or top the bond amount.

Since a judge must sign off, a property bond can move slower than cash or a bondsman. Take the deed and a current tax valuation to the circuit clerk at 300 Grand Avenue South, Suite 200, Fort Payne, AL 35967, 256-845-8525. Ask the criminal desk, which is option 2 on the phone menu, what else the judge needs to see. Pledged land can be lost if the defendant skips court, so weigh that risk carefully before signing over your acreage.

Charges written by a city or town usually remain with that town's court, which sets bond on its own warrant. Meanwhile the person may still be sitting at the county jail.

• Fort Payne Municipal Court: 100 Alabama Avenue NW, Fort Payne, AL 35967, magistrate's office 256-845-6728
• Fort Payne Police Department: station on Gault Avenue South downtown, 256-845-1414
• Rainsville Municipal Court: City Hall, 70 McCurdy Avenue South, Rainsville, AL 35986, 256-638-6334
• Rainsville Police Department: 256-638-2157

Collinsville, Crossville, Fyffe, Geraldine, Henagar, Ider, Lakeview, Mentone, Powell, Sylvania and Valley Head each have a town court too. Reach the right one through that town hall, or through the circuit clerk at 256-845-8525. Ask the town court how it takes payment on its bonds.

One bond pays for one charge. Some other order may keep the person behind the fence anyway, for instance:

• a probation officer's or parole officer's hold
• a warrant out of another county, city or state
• a federal hold placed for the U.S. Marshals
• an ICE detainer
• a second local count carrying its own bond

Prior to paying, have detention staff at 2801 Jordan Road SW, Fort Payne, AL 35968, 256-845-8565, go through every hold and bond listed. Read them the booking number so they open the correct file. Once payment posts, release still needs time while jailers clear records and finish paperwork. Phone again before driving out for pickup, so you are not stuck idling in the parking lot half the night.

Alabama gives most defendants a right to bail, with a short list of exceptions. Capital murder may be held with no bail whenever the evidence is strong.

Under Aniah's Law, a person facing certain violent charges can be kept without bail, among them murder, robbery in the first degree and rape in the first degree, once a hearing is held at the prosecutor's request. Voters stretched that list in an amendment taking effect May 19, 2026, adding attempted murder plus gunfire into an occupied home, building or vehicle. Those hearings are requested by the 9th Judicial Circuit District Attorney, whose office covers Cherokee and DeKalb, 256-845-8550. Once a no-bail hold is ordered, neither a bondsman nor any sum of cash can free the person. Defense counsel may oppose the request during that hearing.

Yes, through a lawyer's motion. Rule 7.4 lets a judge adjust the amount or other release conditions for good cause after the prosecutor and defense each respond. Motions land best with concrete facts: a steady job, a home address, relatives nearby, medical needs, and a real plan for making each court date.

There is a backstop as well. Anyone held more than 90 days before trial is owed a fresh circuit court review of release terms. Such a look carries no promise of a smaller figure. To locate the file and see which judge has it, phone the circuit clerk at 300 Grand Avenue South, Suite 200, Fort Payne, AL 35967, 256-845-8525. Clerks can explain filing steps, but arguing for a reduction is the defense lawyer's work.

Anyone unable to hire counsel may ask the judge for an appointed one. In this county the judge assigns a private attorney to handle it. The defendant completes a sworn statement listing wages, debts and dependents, which the judge then reviews before ruling. Making bond is not proof that someone can pay for a defense, and Rule 6.3 allows a fresh look when finances shift.

To get the ball rolling, call the circuit clerk's criminal desk, option 2 at 256-845-8525, or speak up at the first court appearance. Appointed defense across Alabama falls under the Office of Indigent Defense Services, 100 North Union Street, Suite 680, Montgomery, AL 36104, 334-242-7059. Request counsel before signing any plea deal or waiving a hearing.

Skipping court carries real weight. A judge may sign a fresh arrest warrant and begin pulling back the bond, a step known as forfeiture. When a bonding company wrote it, that agent may go hunting for the defendant, and pledged collateral is in danger.

Move quickly. Reach the lawyer first if there is one. Next, call the circuit clerk at 300 Grand Avenue South, Suite 200, Fort Payne, AL 35967, 256-845-8525, and learn what the court expects. Gather proof of why the date was missed, like a hospital discharge sheet or crash report. Rule 7.6 builds in notice plus a chance to respond before forfeiture turns final, so pass any court mail to the lawyer that same day. Surrendering alongside counsel tends to go smoother than an arrest on the roadside.

Cash put up with the court generally returns after the case closes and the judge releases the bond. Rule 7.6(e) lets the court give back that deposit when it has served its purpose. Fines, court costs and other sums owed on the case often come out first, which can shrink the refund below what you put down.

A bondsman's premium works differently. That money is the agent's earnings and stays with the agent. Save your original receipt, and make sure the clerk has a good mailing address for whoever paid. Moved since then? Update it. With refund questions on a state case, phone the circuit clerk at 300 Grand Avenue South, Suite 200, Fort Payne, AL 35967, 256-845-8525, case number in hand.

No. Money meant for snacks, phone time and canteen items lands on an inmate account and never applies to a bond. Per the sheriff's FAQ, you can add it several ways without a trip to Fort Payne:

• on the web deposit site that the sheriff's FAQ points to
• by calling the deposit line, 855-836-3364
• at the lobby kiosk inside the jail, where a fee applies
• with a money order slipped into the drop box outside the detention center doors

Inmates are not allowed to keep cash, so do not hand them bills. Each money order needs the inmate's full name plus booking number. Our inmate money page explains deposits step by step, and our commissary page shows what that balance can buy.

Fraudsters sometimes ring relatives within hours of a booking. They might already know the name and charge, then insist the bond be settled immediately with a barcode, a phone app or store gift cards. Genuine bonds never get paid like that.

When such a call comes in, end it. Search the sheriff's roster on your own, then call the jail at 2801 Jordan Road SW, Fort Payne, AL 35968, 256-845-8565, to check the real bond. Report the scam attempt to the Sheriff's Office at 256-845-3801. Never recite bank or card numbers to a caller. If money already went out, contact your bank right away and save every text, number and receipt the caller sent.

Federal cases ignore the state chart. Cases from this county go to the Eastern Division of Alabama's Northern District federal court, sitting at 1100 Gurnee Avenue, Anniston, AL 36201, 256-741-1533. Steps usually run in this order:

• Federal agents make the arrest, now and then collecting the person straight from the Jordan Road jail.
• A U.S. magistrate judge runs an early hearing.
• Pretrial services writes up work history, family ties and record.
• Prosecutors may seek detention all the way to trial.
• Any release comes with conditions from the judge rather than a dollar price.

Before trial, the U.S. Marshals Service picks where a federal prisoner is housed: 1729 5th Avenue North, Room 240, Birmingham, AL 35203, 205-829-6611.

Not by itself. An immigration detainer survives even after the state bond is covered. With Form I-247A, immigration agents can ask Jordan Road jailers to keep someone up to 48 extra hours past their usual release time so officers can collect them. That window only opens after the county bond is satisfied.

Immigration matters here run through ICE's New Orleans Field Office, 181 James Drive W, St. Rose, LA 70087, 504-318-2360. Brief stays inside Alabama often happen at the Baldwin County Corrections Center, the Etowah County Detention Center or the Pickens County Detention Facility, while longer cases may head out of state. When ICE takes over custody, try the ICE detainee locator, entering their A-number and birth country. For advice on what the detainer means for the family, talk with an immigration attorney.

Kids under 18 skip the adult bond system. Their matters go before the juvenile court at the Fort Payne courthouse, and those files are sealed, so a child never appears on the adult roster. A judge rules on release instead of setting a dollar amount.

If a judge here orders secure custody, the child goes to the Coosa Valley Regional Juvenile Detention Center, 4625 McClellan Boulevard, Anniston, AL 36204, 256-237-2881. To learn where the child is staying and when court meets, phone the circuit clerk at 300 Grand Avenue South, Suite 200, Fort Payne, AL 35967, 256-845-8525, and request the juvenile desk. A few 16- and 17-year-olds facing grave felonies get charged in adult court instead, and they may be housed at the Jordan Road jail.

Someone may leave the county jail after sentencing or on a federal order. These free lookups help you follow them:

• State prison: the Alabama Department of Corrections inmate search finds a person from their name or six-digit AIS number.
• Federal prison: after sentencing, the federal inmate locator names the prison holding them. Earlier than that, try the Birmingham Marshals at 205-829-6611.
• Status alerts: on VINELink, choose Alabama, pick the right name and sign up to get word of a transfer or release by text or email.
• County jail: the sheriff's roster lists everyone still at Jordan Road.

Sentences longer than a year belong to state prison, yet the person frequently waits in Fort Payne for weeks until a state bed opens.

Amounts and holds shift, so call ahead of any payment. These offices answer most bond questions:

• Detention center: DeKalb County Detention Center, 2801 Jordan Road SW, Fort Payne, AL 35968, 256-845-8565, for the bond on file plus holds
• Sheriff's Office: same address, 24-hour line 256-845-3801, front office 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays
• Circuit clerk: 300 Grand Avenue South, Suite 200, Fort Payne, AL 35967, 256-845-8525, for court orders and hearing dates
• Fort Payne city court: 100 Alabama Avenue NW, Fort Payne, AL 35967, 256-845-6728, for city warrants

Staff move faster when you open each call with the booking number and legal name.