Lauderdale County Jail Inmate Bail & Bonds
Lauderdale County bail and bond: Florence detention center, courthouse clerk, and city court
Grown-ups booked anywhere in Lauderdale go to the Lauderdale County Detention Center in Florence. It sits at 563 South Seminary Street, and the phone is 256-760-5771. Bond paperwork and court records are at the circuit clerk's office in the Lauderdale County Courthouse, 200 South Court Street, phone 256-760-5728, open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Arrests inside Florence can also lead to a city charge and a visit to Florence Municipal Court. Seminary Street inmates show up in Lauderdale County Inmate Search. Learn how the bond process works for this jail.
Which building holds people arrested in Lauderdale County?
The Lauderdale County Detention Center on South Seminary Street in Florence. The street address is 563 South Seminary Street. Call 256-760-5771 to ask about a booking. A second jail line, 256-760-5773, is listed by the City of Florence; either line can help.
Is my person still on Seminary Street?
Look up the name with Lauderdale County Inmate Search, then call the detention center. Ask if the person has been released, moved, or placed on a hold. Have a full name and birth date ready.
Who picks the bond figure?
A judge or a court magistrate makes that call. For a city charge in Florence, the municipal court magistrates work from the court office at 256-760-6625. On a county case, Seminary Street jailers can read the booked amount, and the circuit clerk at 256-760-5728has the signed order.
What hours does Lauderdale take cash bonds?
For a county charge, pay the circuit clerk in the courthouse at 200 South Court Street, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The main clerk line is 256-760-5728; the 4th-floor clerk line is 256-768-7598 and the 5th-floor line is 256-760-5713. For a Florence city charge, the municipal court office takes payments from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays. Call the detention center about nights and weekends.
What do Florence Municipal Court and the clerk accept?
Florence Municipal Court takes cash, cashier's checks, and money orders in its office, and cards with a processing fee. At the Court Street clerk's window, a money order or cashier's check is the safe bet; call to see if cash or cards are taken that day.
Can a bail bond agent handle it?
Yes, as long as the judge allows a surety bond. Lauderdale jailers keep a roster of licensed bonding firms but never pick one for you. Get the Florence agent's premium, collateral terms and no-show charges on paper, then verify the license.
Will Lauderdale accept real estate as bond?
Only a Lauderdale judge can approve a property bond. All deed holders sign, and the court asks for the deed plus a fresh tax-assessor or appraisal figure. Ask the circuit clerk at 256-760-5728 whether the court takes land in another county, and expect a slower process than cash.
What do bonds cost by charge?
State rules suggest ranges, not set prices. A DUI falls between $1,000 and $7,500. A Class D felony is $1,000 to $10,000. Other traffic violations run $300 to $500. Your judge can go above or below, so rely on the order for your person.
What keeps a Lauderdale inmate from any bond?
A capital charge can mean no bond. For violent charges listed in Aniah's Law, a Florence judge can rule out bond after a hearing. Amendment 1 (May 19, 2026) brought attempted murder and gunfire at an occupied Lauderdale home, building or car under that rule. Any warrant from another place can also stop a release.
What happens with a city arrest in Florence?
The Florence Municipal Court is connected to the detention center. Its magistrates are at 256-760-6625, and the court meets Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8:00 a.m. The Florence police non-emergency line is 256-760-6500. Smaller towns in the county may use their own courts, so ask the arresting department which one applies.
Can a bond be reduced?
A Lauderdale judge alone can cut the amount, most often when defense counsel files for it. The sheriff, Joe Hamilton, and jail staff cannot change it. The district attorney's office is at either 256-760-5740 or 256-764-6351, but it is not the place to ask for a lower bond.
How fast is release after payment?
Not instant. The court has to accept the payment, then jail staff finish the release steps. A second charge or hold will delay it. Call 256-760-5771 after paying.
What follows a skipped Florence court date?
A missed Florence hearing can put a Lauderdale warrant out and cost you the bond. Get a lawyer, then phone the clerk at 256-760-5728 the same day. Case dates appear on the Lauderdale County court site, and the criminal court process guide walks through each step.
Will any of the payment come back?
Cash held by the Lauderdale court usually returns when the case closes, after any court costs, fines or restitution. A bonding company's premium is kept. Hold on to each receipt.
Who handles juvenile cases?
Juvenile Probation is at 256-760-5850. The Florence police list a juvenile detention number, 256-381-3520, for the Tennessee Valley Juvenile Detention Center at 2216 Missouri Street in Tuscumbia. Juvenile files are sealed, so a Lauderdale child won't appear on the adult list. Parents should call both numbers.
How can I spot a Florence bond scam?
Gift-card demands are a scam sign in Lauderdale. Ignore any text asking for release money. Call the detention center yourself at 256-760-5771.
Which Florence numbers help with a Lauderdale bond?
The Lauderdale jail is on South Seminary Street, and the clerk and sheriff are a few blocks away at the Court Street courthouse:
- Lauderdale County Detention Center: 563 South Seminary Street, Florence, AL 35630, either 256-760-5771 or 256-760-5773
- Sheriff's Office: 200 South Court Street, Florence, 256-760-5757; Sheriff Joe Hamilton
- Circuit Clerk: Lauderdale County Courthouse, 200 South Court Street, 256-760-5728; weekdays 8 to 5
- Florence Municipal Court: 110 West College Street, 256-760-6625
- Other town courts: Killen 256-757-1246, Rogersville 256-247-5446, Lexington 256-229-5221
- District Attorney, 11th Circuit: either 256-760-5740 or 256-764-6351
Charges filed by Florence or town officers are bonded through that city's court.
What bond figures can a Lauderdale judge use?
The statewide chart gives these spans, but a Florence judge is free to set something else:
- Class C misdemeanor: $300 to $1,000
- Class B misdemeanor: $300 to $3,000
- Class A misdemeanor: $300 to $6,000
- 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
- Amendment 1 (May 19, 2026): the 11th Circuit DA may now press for a Lauderdale no-bond ruling on attempted murder or shots fired at an occupied house or car
Each span is listed in the Alabama Rule 7.2 bail schedule (https://judicial.alabama.gov/docs/library/rules/cr7_2.pdf).
How is a Lauderdale County federal case handled?
Alabama's bond chart drops out. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama hears it at the federal building in Florence, 210 North Seminary Street, Room 202, Florence, AL 35630 (unstaffed office), 256-760-8415. As a rule:
- Federal agents collect the Lauderdale defendant, now and then from the Seminary Street jail.
- A U.S. magistrate judge opens the case at a first hearing.
- A pretrial officer gathers facts on employment, residence and criminal history.
- The prosecution can push for the Florence-area defendant to stay behind bars.
- Anyone let go agrees to written conditions without posting money.
Before sentencing, federal defendants are held by the U.S. Marshals: U.S. Marshals Service, 1729 5th Avenue North, Room 240, Birmingham, AL 35203, 205-829-6611.
Where do Lauderdale families search prison records?
You pay nothing for these:
- BOP: the Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator (https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/) after a federal sentence starts; until then, 205-829-6611.
- ADOC: the Alabama Department of Corrections Inmate Search (https://www.doc.alabama.gov/inmate/inmate-search/) by name or AIS number.
- County: Lauderdale County Inmate Search shows who is in the Seminary Street jail.
More is on our Lauderdale inmate search page.
Can ICE hold someone in the Lauderdale jail?
Just for a few days. With a detainer, ICE asks Seminary Street staff to keep a person in custody for up to two business days once local charges allow release. State or city bonds are still owed.
The ICE New Orleans Field Office, 181 James Drive W, St. Rose, LA 70087, 504-318-2360 covers Lauderdale. Alabama short-stay jails for ICE:
- Baldwin County Correctional Center, Bay Minette, Alabama
- Etowah County Jail, Gadsden, Alabama
- Pickens County Detention Center, Carrollton, Alabama
If ICE keeps a Lauderdale detainee longer, a move to another center is likely. The ICE Online Detainee Locator System (https://locator.ice.gov/odls/) needs the A-number and native country.
How do Lauderdale families sign up for VINE?
VINE gives custody updates for free:
- Load VINELink (https://vinelink.vineapps.com/) and select Alabama.
- Put in a name or a Lauderdale booking number.
- Click the record that fits.
- Choose phone, text or email notice of a Florence release or move.
How do I search Lauderdale warrants and case files?
These official tools cover Lauderdale cases:
- Alacourt: Alacourt Access public search (https://pa.alacourt.com/). Choose Lauderdale; one case costs $9.99 by name search.
- Clerk site: lauderdale.alacourt.gov shows Court Street hours and the clerk's number.
- Sheriff: 256-760-5757 regarding Lauderdale warrants.
Coming in with an attorney is normally less painful than an arrest at a Florence or Killen home or workplace.
Who confirms a Lauderdale County bond amount?
Rules shift, so check first:
- Florence Municipal Court, 256-760-6625, or the Killen, Rogersville or Lexington court for those town cases.
- The Circuit Clerk, 256-760-5728, for Lauderdale state charges and dates.
- The detention center, 256-760-5771, for holds and the bond on record.
Key contacts for Lauderdale County bond questions
- County jail: Lauderdale County Detention Center, 563 South Seminary Street, Florence, AL 35630; phone 256-760-5771
- Circuit clerk: Lauderdale County Courthouse, 200 South Court Street, Florence, AL 35630; phone 256-760-5728; weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Sheriff's office: Courthouse, 200 South Court Street; phone 256-760-5757; Lauderdale County Sheriff
- Florence Municipal Court: P.O. Box 1327, Florence, AL 35630; phone 256-760-6625
- Florence police: Non-emergency 256-760-6500
- Juvenile: Juvenile Probation 256-760-5850; Tennessee Valley Juvenile Detention Center, 2216 Missouri Street, Tuscumbia, AL 35674, 256-381-3520
- Custody lookup: Lauderdale County Inmate Search
Florence bond rules, office hours and phone lines get revised now and then, so ring Seminary Street or the Court Street clerk before sending money. Use this page as background, not legal advice.
Lauderdale County Jail
Address:
700 South Seminary
Florence, AL 35631
Phone:
256-760-5771