Mobile County Metro Jail Facility Inmate Bail & Bonds

Many county warrants reach Metro with a dollar figure already written on them, drawn from Alabama's statewide schedule. A judge or magistrate can push that figure up, bring it down or attach conditions. Rule 4.3 sets the clock for warrantless arrests. A judge then gets 48 hours to rule on whether probable cause supports the jailing. With a warrant, a person unable to meet the bond terms reaches a courtroom, or a video screen, within 72 hours.

Domestic violence arrests carry a waiting period, because state law holds the arrested person at Metro for no less than 24 hours. Phone the inmate line at 251-574-6412 to learn the charge, whether a warrant was involved, and the bond. Metro sits at 450 St. Emanuel Street, Mobile, AL 36603.

Alabama gives judges four tools for pretrial release:

• Cash bond: the whole figure is handed to the court, and you get it back when the case closes, minus anything owed.
• Surety bond: a bondsman with an Alabama license backs the full figure, and the family pays a fee it never sees again.
• Property bond: an owner pledges Alabama real estate with enough equity to cover it.
• Own recognizance: nothing is paid, and the signature itself is the security.

The judge's written order spells out which of these are on the table. Bond money doesn't erase other conditions, like staying away from a witness. For the broader state picture, see our Alabama bail laws page.

Judges at Government Plaza start from the Rule 7.2 chart, then adjust for danger, criminal history and how rooted the person is locally:

• 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 manufacturing or trafficking: $5,000 to $1,500,000

Each charge gets its own figure on the order, so add them together. For the gravest accusations, a judge may set no bail at all. The complete chart sits in the Rule 7.2 bail schedule.

State-charge bonds go to Government Plaza, not to Metro. Which desk you use depends on the court holding the case:

• District Criminal Division: 205 Government Street, Room 338, North Tower, Mobile, AL 36644, 251-574-8511. It is open weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., straight through lunch. Its Atrium payment window takes money 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Circuit Clerk: 205 Government Street, Suite 913, Mobile, AL 36644, 251-574-8806, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. This office keeps court records and bond orders.
• Circuit criminal desk: 251-574-8430, for felonies that have reached Circuit Court.

Before heading downtown, phone with the case number. Ask which window handles your bond and the exact sum to bring.

For district criminal cases, the court lists these payment rules:

• Cash has to be the exact amount.
• Personal checks are turned away.
• Cashier's checks and money orders are taken by mail.
• Visa and MasterCard go through AlaPay, the state's online payment service.

Those rules were written for court payments, so ask whether they also cover your bond. Plan for two add-ons: a 3.5% state court fee and a $35 sheriff's fee. To get the full total, call the district criminal office at 205 Government Street, Room 338, North Tower, Mobile, AL 36644, 251-574-8511. Never put cash in the mail.

The courthouse windows close in the afternoon, but arrests happen around the clock. The sheriff runs an online bonding portal, but it only works for approved bond users who already have an account. For most families, a licensed bail agent is the after-hours route.

Call Metro Jail at 251-574-6412 and ask which agents work at the jail and what papers they need. If you cannot get through, the Sheriff's Office front desk at 510 South Royal Street, Mobile, AL 36603, 251-574-2423, can point you to the right desk. Have the booking number, the full legal name and the bond amount ready before you phone an agent.

Hiring a bail agent, or bondsman, means the agent's company guarantees Government Plaza the entire bond. The family's payment is the price of that guarantee, and it stays with the agent even after perfect attendance at every hearing. Alabama rules put a ceiling on agent charges.

Steps worth taking before any signature:

• Type the agent's name into the Alabama Professional Bail Bonding Board lookup.
• Demand the premium, collateral terms and no-show charges on paper.
• Find out what a co-signer owes if the person skips court.
• Hold on to the contract and each receipt.

Treat any agent who reaches out to you unprompted with suspicion. An honest one won't object if you confirm the bond with Metro at 251-574-6412 first.

Often, yes. Under Ala. Code § 15-13-152, each person signing a property bond must own real estate in Alabama. Only the equity counts, which means the value left after mortgages and the homestead exemption are taken out. Expect each co-owner on the deed to sign.

Property bond rules come from the court, so call the Circuit Clerk at 205 Government Street, Suite 913, Mobile, AL 36644, 251-574-8806. Ask whether the judge wants the land to be inside the county and which papers to bring. Lining up a property bond is slower than paying cash or hiring an agent, so begin right away and carry the deed and the case number to the clerk.

A city charge, usually a misdemeanor, belongs to the court of the city where the arrest happened. For City of Mobile cases, that is the Mobile Municipal Court at 205 Government Street, 2nd Floor, North Tower, Mobile, AL 36644, 251-208-7055. Call and ask whether bail can be set or paid there, and which forms of payment the court will take.

A felony is different. Even when city officers make the arrest, felony charges go to the county courts at Government Plaza, and the bond runs through the district criminal office at 251-574-8511. Some people face a city charge and a state charge at the same time. That means two bonds, two offices and two receipts to keep.

Each city below runs its own court for its own charges. Call the one named on the ticket or the warrant:

• Prichard Municipal Court: 216 E. Prichard Avenue, Prichard, AL 36610, 251-452-7800, reached through City Hall
• Chickasaw Municipal Court: 224 N. Craft Highway, Chickasaw, AL 36611, 251-452-6453
• Saraland Municipal Court: 727 Saraland Boulevard South, Saraland, AL 36571, 251-675-5393
• Satsuma Municipal Court: 5464 Old Highway 43, Satsuma, AL 36572, 251-662-5305
• Creola Municipal Court: 9615 Old Highway 43, Creola, AL 36525, 251-675-8148
• Citronelle Municipal Court: 19135 S. Main Street, Citronelle, AL 36522, 251-866-0221
• Mount Vernon Municipal Court: Town Hall, 1565 Boyles Avenue, Mount Vernon, AL 36560, 251-829-6633
• Semmes Municipal Court: City Hall, One Main Street, Semmes, AL 36575, 251-649-8811
• Bayou La Batre Municipal Court: 13785 S. Wintzell Avenue, Bayou La Batre, AL 36509, 251-824-1825
• Dauphin Island Municipal Court: 1011 Bienville Boulevard, Dauphin Island, AL 36528, 251-861-5525

An arrest in a place with no city government, such as Theodore, Grand Bay, Wilmer or Eight Mile, goes to the county District Court instead.

When Metro's record has an empty bond field or reads "no bond," a judge has to act first. Typical causes:

• A capital charge, such as capital murder.
• A hold from probation or parole.
• Paperwork from another county or state that wants the person.
• A request under Aniah's Law to deny bail.

Under Aniah's Law, prosecutors can seek a hearing to keep someone jailed without bail on certain violent Class A felonies. An amendment in force since May 19, 2026, added attempted murder to that list, along with shooting at a car or home with people inside. The 13th Judicial Circuit District Attorney, 205 Government Street, Mobile, AL 36644, 251-574-8400, brings these requests. Call Metro at 251-574-6412 to learn which hold applies.

Bond cuts come only from the bench. Defense counsel puts the request in writing. Rule 7.4 lets a judge rework the conditions for good cause, once the DA has answered the motion. Separately, Circuit Court reviews the conditions of anyone still jailed 90 days into the wait for trial.

Arm the lawyer with details: steady work, a stable address, kids or relatives depending on the paycheck, medical issues, and transportation to every court setting. A review is a chance, not a promise of a cut. If no lawyer has been named yet, ask the Circuit Clerk at 205 Government Street, Suite 913, Mobile, AL 36644, 251-574-8806, how the court appoints one.

Start by telling the judge that hiring counsel isn't possible. The Mobile County Public Defender's Office, 151 Government Street, 4th Floor, Mobile, AL 36602, 251-319-6100, takes a case only after a judge appoints it. The office lists an income limit of 125 percent of the federal poverty guideline. A sworn financial statement lists earnings, debts and dependents. Rule 6.3 allows a fresh look if money gets tighter or looser, and posting bond isn't automatic proof of having money.

Statewide, appointed-lawyer programs answer to the Office of Indigent Defense Services, 100 North Union Street, Suite 680, Montgomery, AL 36104, 334-242-7059. For other free or low-cost help, the county court website points to SAVLP and Alabama Legal Help.

Paying is only the first step. The court has to approve the bond. Next, Metro staff run a hold check, pull stored belongings and process the discharge. The jail held about 1,500 people in 2025, more than it was built for, so release can take a while.

Call the jail at 251-574-6412 and ask when to expect the person. If they have another case, a warrant from somewhere else or an immigration hold, paying one bond will not get them out. Keep the receipt with you when you pick them up at 450 St. Emanuel Street, Mobile, AL 36603, and agree on a meeting spot in case their phone is dead.

Skipping court is a big deal. Expect the judge to sign a warrant and start forfeiting the bond, putting the cash or property at risk. Rule 7.6 guarantees notice and a hearing before forfeiture becomes final, so forward any letter to the lawyer quickly.

Don't wait until tomorrow. Phone the Circuit Clerk at 205 Government Street, Suite 913, Mobile, AL 36644, 251-574-8806, about a new setting. The file is also searchable on Alacourt. When a bail agent wrote the bond, that agent may start hunting for the person. A surrender arranged through a lawyer beats a surprise arrest at home or work.

Cash posted at Government Plaza comes back only after the judge discharges the bond at the close of the case, under Rule 7.6(e). Fines, court costs and restitution are subtracted first. Agent fees are never refunded, whatever the outcome.

To avoid delays:

• Keep every receipt with the case number on it.
• Tell the clerk if the payer moves, so the check goes to the right address.
• Ask the lawyer whether the bond is still active after each hearing.

Refund status is handled by the Circuit Clerk, 205 Government Street, Suite 913, Mobile, AL 36644, 251-574-8806.

Not on its own. ICE sends Form I-247A as a separate request. It asks Metro to keep the person as many as 48 extra hours past the moment Metro would otherwise open the door, giving agents time to collect them. Paying local bail just sets that window running. When ICE misses the window, Metro must free the person on the county case.

The ICE New Orleans Field Office, 181 James Drive W, St. Rose, LA 70087, 504-318-2360, covers this area. After a transfer, the ICE Online Detainee Locator finds people by A-number plus birth country.

Federal charges ignore state bond rules entirely. Those cases belong to the Southern District of Alabama, whose federal courthouse is at 155 St. Joseph Street, Mobile, AL 36602, 251-690-2371. A magistrate judge decides on release under 18 U.S.C. § 3142, the Bail Reform Act. There is no bail chart and no commercial bondsman. Pretrial services staff verify employment, address and record, and prosecutors may ask for a detention hearing.

The U.S. Marshals Service, 155 St. Joseph Street, Suite 201, Mobile, AL 36602, 251-499-6620, holds federal defendants before sentencing, often at Metro Jail. After sentencing, use the federal inmate locator.

Kids skip the adult bond system altogether. Officers bring them to the Mobile County Youth Detention Center, 2315 Costarides Street, Mobile, AL 36617, 251-574-1450. The county's Juvenile Court and intake office share that address and keep weekday office hours from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

An intake worker weighs two choices: home with a parent, or detention. Any child kept there sees a juvenile judge inside 72 hours, and that judge sets release terms in place of bail. Some older teens, ages 16 and 17, face adult charges for the most serious felonies; they are booked into Metro and given an adult bond.

Bond fraud often starts within hours of a booking. Red flags:

• Payment requested by gift card, cash app or wire.
• Pressure to pay immediately or "they stay in Metro."
• No name, license number or street address from the caller.

Sheriff's staff will never ask for bond money in a text message. Hang up and dial numbers you looked up yourself: Metro Jail at 251-574-6412, or the front desk at 510 South Royal Street, Mobile, AL 36603, 251-574-2423. Pay only at Government Plaza, through the sheriff's portal, or to a licensed agent you picked.