Marshall County Detention Center Inmate Bail & Bonds

A cash bond here takes two stops, and the order matters. The money goes to the court first, and the paperwork goes to the jail second.

1. Call the jail at 256-582-2034 and get the full bond amount for every charge.
2. Pay that amount at the Circuit Clerk’s office in Guntersville or Albertville, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
3. Get a receipt from the clerk and check that the name and case number are right.
4. Carry the receipt to the Sheriff’s Department at 423 Blount Avenue, Guntersville, AL 35976.
5. Pay the $35 bond transmittal fee there in exact cash. Checks are not taken.
6. Wait while staff check for holds and finish the release.

Keep every receipt until the case is over.

The Circuit Clerk keeps two offices, one in each county courthouse, and both take bond payments during the same hours, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Guntersville: Marshall County Courthouse, 424 Blount Avenue, Suite 201, Guntersville, AL 35976, 256-571-7785. This office sits right beside the jail.
• Albertville: 133 South Emmett Street, Albertville, AL 35950, 256-878-4521.

Cases are filed in one building or the other, so phone before you drive and ask which office holds this file. Give the clerk the full legal name plus whatever case number the jail read to you. The clerk’s county court website also lists both offices.

The sheriff charges a $35 bond transmittal fee on top of the bond itself. The sheriff’s corrections page says it has to be paid in cash, in the exact amount, and that checks are refused. Staff at the window do not make change, so a $50 or $100 bill can stop the release until someone brings the right bills.

Put the fee in its own envelope, apart from the bond money you take to the clerk. Count it before you leave home. This fee is paid at the Sheriff’s Department, 423 Blount Avenue, Guntersville, AL 35976, not at the clerk’s counter. If you are not sure the fee applies to your bond, ask the jail at 256-582-2034.

Alabama’s Rule 7.2 gives judges a starting chart. These are ranges, not fixed prices, and a judge can set a figure above or below them after looking at the charge, the record, safety and the person’s money and family ties.

• 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

Read the full Rule 7.2 bail schedule, and ask the clerk at 256-571-7785 for the written order on each charge.

Yes. Besides the bond and the sheriff’s $35 fee, the state tacks on a 3.5% charge figured from the bond. The floor for that charge is $100 on a misdemeanor and $150 on a felony. That money is a cost of using the bond, so plan for it when you add up what you need.

Here is a simple way to keep track of it all:

• The bond amount from the judge’s order
• The 3.5% court charge on that bond
• The $35 transmittal fee, in exact cash, for the sheriff
• Any bail agent’s premium, if you use one

Ask the Albertville clerk at 256-878-4521 or the Guntersville office to explain the total before you pay.

Yes, a property bond uses land instead of cash. The sheriff decides who may sign, and the rules are strict:

• Most felony cases need two property owners, unless the sheriff allows otherwise.
• Every owner listed on the deed must come in person with photo ID.
• Only the owner’s equity counts, not the full value of the land.
• Alabama law, Code section 15-13-152, asks that the signer own real estate in Alabama.
• Land outside the county also needs the sheriff’s approval.
• A person who is out on bond cannot sign for someone else until that case ends.

Call the detention center at 256-582-2034, or visit 423 Blount Avenue, Guntersville, AL 35976, to learn what papers the sheriff wants for this case.

A bondsman, also called a bail agent, signs a pledge to the court that the defendant will show up at each Guntersville or Albertville setting. For that promise the family hands over a fee, often a share of the bond. That fee is the agent’s pay, so you never get it back, even when the case is dropped. Many agents also want something held as security, maybe a pickup’s title, or a second relative’s signature.

Before signing anything, ask for a written page showing the fee, what is held as security, and the cost if the defendant misses court. The agent’s papers still pass through the clerk and the sheriff. The Alabama Professional Bail Bonding Board keeps the licensing records, so check an agent there first. To learn which agents work the Blount Avenue jail, call 256-582-2034.

The clerk’s windows close at 4:30 p.m. and stay shut on weekends and holidays. A cash bond cannot start until the clerk takes the money, so families usually have two choices after hours.

• Hire a licensed bail agent, who can work with the jail outside clerk hours.
• Wait for the clerk to reopen on the next business day and pay then.

Deputies keep the Blount Avenue desk open all night. Call 256-582-2034 and ask whether the bond is already set, which agents post bonds there, and what the agent will need. If no bond has been set yet, find out when the first court appearance is planned. For the Guntersville clerk the next morning, call 256-571-7785.

Plan on cash. The sheriff’s page describes cash bonds paid at the clerk, and the $35 fee must be exact cash. If you hope to use plastic, call ahead, 256-571-7785 for Guntersville or 256-878-4521 for Albertville, and check whether a card works for this particular bond.

AlaPay is the state’s service for traffic tickets and criminal fines, so use it only when the court tells you to. Money sent to the jail’s deposit services lands in the person’s spending account for snacks and calls; it never counts toward bond. Our inmate deposit page covers those accounts. Our Alabama bail laws page adds the statewide picture.

Most people in Alabama have a right to bail, but not all. Capital murder is one exception. Aniah’s Law is another: it lets the state ask a Guntersville or Albertville judge to keep someone locked up on grave violent counts, like murder, kidnapping, or first-degree burglary and robbery, after a hearing. Voters widened that law on May 19, 2026, with Amendment 1, which now reaches attempted murder plus shots fired at an occupied home or vehicle.

Release can also stall because of a parole hold, a probation violation, or paperwork sent over from DeKalb, Etowah or another county. The 27th Judicial Circuit District Attorney, 424 Blount Avenue, Suite 208, Guntersville, AL 35976, 256-582-8113, handles state cases here. A lawyer can read the order and argue for release terms.

Time limits protect people who are still locked up. When officers arrest without a warrant, a Guntersville or Albertville judge must check their reason within 48 hours. On a warrant arrest with bail nobody can afford yet, the person goes before the court within 72 hours. Under Rule 4.3, some people can also be released on set terms without a full hearing.

Domestic violence cases work differently. Alabama makes the person wait 24 hours before bail is set, and a judge sets that bond. So release can take at least a day even when the family has money ready. Call the jail at 256-582-2034 to ask when the first hearing is planned.

Lowering a bond is a judge’s call alone. Deputies and jail staff cannot lower it, no matter how much the family pleads. Defense counsel puts a motion in writing, and Rule 7.4 lets the judge change the amount or the terms for a good reason after both sides can respond.

Help the lawyer with facts: where the person works and lives, children or parents relying on them, medical needs, and the ride plan for every hearing. After 90 days in jail without a trial, the circuit court has to take another look at those terms. That review may or may not bring the number down. To find the case file, call the Guntersville clerk at 256-571-7785.

At the first hearing, a defendant with little income should say so out loud and request appointed counsel. The court asks for a sworn form about income, property, bills and children. Once the judge approves, a local attorney takes the case at state expense. Under Rule 6.3, the question can be looked at again if money situations change, and relatives covering the bond does not take away that option.

To start, call the Albertville clerk at 256-878-4521 or the Guntersville office and ask how to request appointed counsel. Appointed lawyers across Alabama are overseen by a Montgomery agency, the Office of Indigent Defense Services, 100 North Union Street, Suite 680, Montgomery, AL 36104, 334-242-7059. Talk with a lawyer before saying yes to any plea offer.

When a city officer writes the charge inside town limits, that city’s court sets the bond and holds the hearing. Read the paper the person was given to see which court is named.

• Albertville Municipal Court, 116 Sand Mountain Drive SW, Albertville, AL 35950, 256-891-8291
• Arab Municipal Court, City Hall, 740 North Main Street, Arab, AL 35016, 256-586-3540
• Boaz Municipal Court, 101 Line Avenue, Boaz, AL 35957, 256-593-6476
• Guntersville Municipal Court, office at 325 Gunter Avenue, Guntersville, AL 35976, with Wednesday court at Town Hall, 340 Blount Avenue, Guntersville, AL 35976, 256-571-7579
• Grant Municipal Court, 4766 Main Street, Grant, AL 35747, 256-728-2007

A ticket or arrest by a sheriff’s deputy or an Alabama trooper is a county case, heard in District Court. Still unsure which courtroom owns the charge? The jail at 256-582-2034 can read the booking record to you.

A no-show can undo the whole release. The judge may issue a fresh warrant and begin forfeiture, which means the court moves to keep the bond money. Rule 7.6 requires notice and time to answer before the money is lost, so hand every court letter to defense counsel quickly.

After a missed date, phone the clerk before the day ends. The Guntersville office is at 256-571-7785, and Albertville is at 256-878-4521. Ask how to get a new date and get the person to a lawyer quickly. A bail agent may also come looking for the person, because the agent’s own money is at risk. Check upcoming dates on the county clerk’s court site.

Cash posted with the clerk comes back after the case is closed. Before that refund goes out, the judge may subtract fines, costs and restitution, so expect less than the full deposit in some cases. Under Rule 7.6(e), the court frees the bond and directs a refund once the security has done its job.

Some money never comes back. The $35 sheriff’s fee is not refunded, and neither is a bail agent’s fee. Keep the clerk’s receipt, and send the clerk a note whenever you move to a new address. For refund questions, call the Guntersville clerk at 256-571-7785 with the case number ready.

One paid bond covers one case. Another open charge, a warrant from elsewhere, a probation violation, a federal hold or an ICE detainer can each keep the jail door shut. Ask about every hold before you pay.

Even with nothing else on file, release can take a couple of hours after the clerk’s receipt and the $35 cash fee reach the jail. Staff need time to check records and finish paperwork. Call 256-582-2034 before you drive to 423 Blount Avenue, Guntersville, AL 35976. Things taken at booking normally leave with the person on release day. Our inmate money page explains what happens to account funds.

Federal court has none of the clerk-then-jail steps. Those prosecutions belong to the Northern District of Alabama’s federal court, Northeastern Division, which sits at 660 Gallatin Street SW, Huntsville, AL 35801, 256-534-6495. In Huntsville, a magistrate judge handles that first appearance.

Federal release does not use the state bond chart. Pretrial officers look at work, housing and past record, and the prosecutor may argue that the person should stay locked up. If the judge allows release, federal conditions replace a cash amount. The U.S. Marshals Service holds federal prisoners before sentencing at 1729 5th Avenue North, Room 240, Birmingham, AL 35203, 205-829-6611. After a prison sentence begins, use the federal inmate locator.

Sadly, no. The county bond and the federal hold are two separate matters. On Form I-247A, ICE tells Blount Avenue it wants release pushed back, by 48 hours at most, while federal officers drive over. Local bonds still have to be posted before that window even starts.

The field office for this area is ICE New Orleans, 181 James Drive W, St. Rose, LA 70087, 504-318-2360. People held longer are often moved to another jail. Try the ICE detainee locator; it works best with the A-number and the birth nation. Paying the county never pays an immigration bond, so have an immigration attorney read the detainer.

Children do not go through the adult bond system. A district judge sits as the juvenile judge, and Juvenile Probation at 256-891-9544 handles intake. The intake officer can let a parent take the child home, work things out informally, or file a delinquency petition. Juvenile court sets no money bail.

When a judge orders secure custody, teens from Sand Mountain and the lake towns ride east toward Coosa Valley Regional Juvenile Detention Center, 4625 McClellan Boulevard, Anniston, AL 36204. To learn where the child sleeps tonight and when court meets, phone Juvenile Probation or pick the juvenile option at the Albertville clerk, 256-878-4521. Teens aged 16 and 17 charged with the top tier of felonies move into adult court and held in the county jail.

Real bonds in this county are paid at a clerk’s window and then at the jail, in person. Anyone who calls asking for gift cards, a wire transfer or money through a cash app is not a real office. Hang up, even if the caller knows the person’s name and charge.

Then call the jail yourself at 256-582-2034 and ask what is truly owed. The only extra fee the sheriff lists is the $35 transmittal fee, paid in exact cash at 423 Blount Avenue, Guntersville, AL 35976. Bond money should never go through a link someone texted or messaged you. Licensed agents hand over a signed contract plus a receipt for every dollar.