Mobile County Metro Jail Facility

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.

The 13th Judicial Circuit serves this one county, so state cases from Citronelle down to Dauphin Island all land at Government Plaza, 205 Government Street, Mobile, AL 36644. Cases split up like this:

• City court: a misdemeanor written by a city officer inside that city's police jurisdiction.
• District Court: deputy and trooper misdemeanors, traffic tickets, plus felony preliminary hearings.
• Circuit Court: felony trials, jury trials and rehearings of city or district convictions on appeal.
• Juvenile Court: anyone under 18, unless state law sends the case up to adult court.

Spots with no city government, like Theodore, Grand Bay, Wilmer and Eight Mile, feed their cases to District Court. The Circuit Clerk at 251-574-8806 can say which court has a file.

The state court offices cluster downtown. Phone first, case number in hand:

• Circuit Clerk: 205 Government Street, Suite 913, Mobile, AL 36644, 251-574-8806, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Circuit criminal desk: 251-574-8430, in the same building, for felonies.
• District Criminal Division: 205 Government Street, Room 338, North Tower, Mobile, AL 36644, 251-574-8511, for misdemeanors, traffic and preliminary hearings.
• District Attorney, 13th Judicial Circuit: 205 Government Street, Mobile, AL 36644, 251-574-8400.
• Public Defender: 151 Government Street, 4th Floor, Mobile, AL 36602, 251-319-6100.

The county court website covers every clerk division that works out of Government Plaza.

Besides Government Plaza, eleven cities in the county keep a court for their own ordinance and misdemeanor charges. Use the one printed on the ticket or complaint:

• Mobile Municipal Court: 205 Government Street, 2nd Floor, North Tower, Mobile, AL 36644, 251-208-7055
• 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

City judges name a lawyer when jail time is possible. A city conviction can be appealed to Circuit Court, where the case starts fresh.

Time limits come first. Someone held on a warrant goes before a judge or magistrate within 72 hours. For warrantless arrests, probable cause needs a judge's approval within 48 hours. Many Metro Jail prisoners, held at 450 St. Emanuel Street, Mobile, AL 36603, see the judge on a screen instead of riding to Government Plaza.

This first appearance is short. The judge reads the charge, looks at bond, and asks if the person can hire counsel. It is not a trial, so the person should not tell the story of the arrest. Asking for a lawyer is enough. Family can phone the clerk at 251-574-8806 to learn the next date.

Plenty of misdemeanors begin with a street ticket instead of a booking. After an arrest, release usually comes from the state bond chart, a bondsman, cash, a property pledge or a signed promise. A domestic violence arrest keeps the person at Metro for 24 hours or more first.

• Arraignment: the accusation is read to the defendant, who then pleads. Ask for counsel here.
• Penalties: Class A up to 1 year and $6,000; Class B up to 6 months and $3,000; Class C up to 3 months and $500.
• First DUI: up to 1 year, a $600 to $2,100 fine and a license suspension.
• Class A examples: fourth-degree theft under $500 and second-degree marijuana possession.
• Outcomes: dismissal, DA pretrial diversion, probation, fines, jail or a bench trial.

No jury sits below Circuit Court. An appeal filed within 14 days earns a brand-new trial there.

After booking, a judge sets bond terms and, when needed, appoints counsel. Most felonies then move through four stages:

1. A District Court preliminary hearing, if requested, to test probable cause.
2. The DA presents the evidence to grand jurors, who decide on an indictment. A defendant may skip that and plead to a written information.
3. Circuit Court arraignment, then discovery and motions.
4. Either a negotiated plea or a jury trial at Government Plaza.

Sentence ranges: 366 days up to 5 years for Class D, 366 days up to 10 years for Class C, and 2 to 20 years for Class B. Theft of $500 to $1,499 and most simple drug possession count as Class D. Under Alabama's sentencing standards, community corrections or probation is the usual result for a lot of nonviolent Class C and D cases. A record of earlier felonies, though, can trigger the Habitual Felony Offender Act. The felony desk answers at 251-574-8430.

Defendants under 21 when the crime happened can request youthful offender treatment. When the judge grants it, the court file is sealed from public view, and any sentence is capped at three years.

Timing matters. The lawyer should raise the request early, before any plea is entered. The judge has the final word and can say no. Youthful offender records stay off the state prison search. To start the conversation, the defense lawyer or the family can reach the Public Defender's Office at 151 Government Street, 4th Floor, Mobile, AL 36602, 251-319-6100.

Aniah's Law gives the DA a way to ask for no bail at all. After a hearing, a judge may keep someone locked up for murder, first-degree robbery or another crime on the statute's list. The May 19, 2026 amendment widened it to attempted murder and to gunshots fired into a building or car where people are. Anyone who loses the hearing stays at Metro Jail until trial.

• Class A sentences run from 10 years to 99 years or life, with gun minimums on top.
• Capital murder convictions bring death or life without parole.
• Homicides often skip ahead to the grand jury.
• Violent convictions shut out most probation and limit parole.

Capital defendants need death-penalty-qualified counsel, from the Public Defender's Office or appointed lawyers. Prosecution runs through the 13th Judicial Circuit District Attorney, 205 Government Street, Mobile, AL 36644, 251-574-8400.

If hiring counsel is out of reach, say so at the first hearing. A judge makes the call after reviewing a sworn statement of income, property, debts and dependents. Once appointed, the Mobile County Public Defender's Office, 151 Government Street, 4th Floor, Mobile, AL 36602, 251-319-6100, handles District and Circuit Court cases. Its income limit is 125 percent of the federal poverty guideline, and the same defender usually stays on as the case climbs from District Court to Circuit Court.

City judges appoint counsel when jail is on the line. Under Rule 6.3, eligibility can be reconsidered if finances change. Statewide questions are answered by the Office of Indigent Defense Services, 100 North Union Street, Suite 680, Montgomery, AL 36104, 334-242-7059.

Hearing dates come from the court record, and the jail roster may lag behind. Ways to look one up:

• Phone: the Circuit Clerk at 205 Government Street, Suite 913, Mobile, AL 36644, 251-574-8806. Have the case number ready, or the name plus birth date.
• In person: public terminals at Government Plaza show county files at no charge.
• Online: Alacourt Access sells statewide records, at $9.99 for each case found by name.
• City cases: ring the city court printed on the ticket.

Settings get moved. The day before any trip downtown, check the date, time, courtroom and the purpose of the hearing with the clerk.

The sheriff's deputies carry out county warrants, based at 510 South Royal Street, Mobile, AL 36603; the front desk number is 251-574-2423. Three lookups help:

• The sheriff's warrant search, by name.
• ALEA's fugitive list, covering wanted people statewide.
• Alacourt Access, which shows filed charges for $9.99 a case.

If a warrant shows up, call a lawyer before walking in. A planned surrender at the Royal Street office, with bond money ready, tends to go far better than an arrest at work. For a fresh court date afterward, the clerk answers at 251-574-8806.

The Southern District of Alabama, Southern Division, handles them at 155 St. Joseph Street, Mobile, AL 36602, 251-690-2371. Alongside drug, gun and fraud cases, its docket picks up Port of Mobile matters brought by the Coast Guard, Customs and Homeland Security Investigations.

• The opening hearing, before a magistrate judge, typically comes the next court day.
• Release follows the Bail Reform Act, with no bail chart and no bondsmen.
• Prosecutors can push for a detention hearing.
• A defendant without money is assigned a federal defender, or a lawyer from the CJA panel.

The U.S. Marshals Service, 155 St. Joseph Street, Suite 201, Mobile, AL 36602, 251-499-6620, chooses the holding jail, often Metro. Federal detainees held there appear on the Metro roster. After sentencing, check the federal inmate locator.

A detainer leaves the state case in place. Local charges still have to be resolved, and any bond still has to be paid. The detainer itself asks Metro for a hold of no more than 48 hours once the county case is done with them, so ICE can take custody. When ICE never arrives, Metro must release on the county charges.

Anyone with a detainer should tell the defense lawyer about it early, before any plea talks. The ICE New Orleans Field Office, 181 James Drive W, St. Rose, LA 70087, 504-318-2360, covers this area. After a transfer, ICE's online locator, searched by A-number and birth country, shows where they went.

Anyone under 18 begins at juvenile intake inside the Mobile County Youth Detention Center, 2315 Costarides Street, Mobile, AL 36617, 251-574-1450. That building on Costarides Street also houses Juvenile Court and the secure detention unit.

• Intake picks release to a parent, a formal petition or detention.
• Detained children get a detention hearing within 72 hours, and a juvenile judge sets terms instead of bail.
• A judge may order informal adjustment, probation, counseling or treatment, or a DYS commitment, which puts the Alabama Department of Youth Services in charge.
• Some teens go straight to adult court. At ages 16 and 17, that happens with a capital crime, a Class A felony or drug trafficking. Adult court is also automatic for a felony involving a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument, and for one that causes a death or serious physical injury.
• Children 14 and up can be moved to Circuit Court after a hearing.

Families who cannot pay get a lawyer appointed by Juvenile Court.

ADOC, the state corrections system, takes over any sentence longer than a year. The person usually stays at Metro Jail, 450 St. Emanuel Street, Mobile, AL 36603, until ADOC transport arrives. The first state stop is a reception prison. Its staff sort out health care, mental health, custody level and gang concerns, then pick a permanent prison.

To follow along, type a name, or the AIS number with six digits, into the ADOC inmate search, and match the birth date when two names look alike. For visiting rules and mail at the assigned prison, use our state prison directory. To ask whether the person has left the county yet, call Metro at 251-574-6412.

Missing a setting can mean a new warrant and the bond money forfeited. Families can help in small, practical ways:

• Write every date, time and courtroom on a calendar at home.
• Register for VINELink custody alerts, which are free, while the person is held.
• Keep the lawyer's number saved in more than one phone.
• Plan the ride downtown with time to spare.

If a conflict comes up, the person or the lawyer should call the court before the hearing, never after. County cases go through the Circuit Clerk, 205 Government Street, Suite 913, Mobile, AL 36644, 251-574-8806. City cases go to the issuing city court, for example the Mobile Municipal Court, 205 Government Street, 2nd Floor, North Tower, Mobile, AL 36644, 251-208-7055.