Morgan County Jail Inmate Bail & Bonds

1. Is my relative on the Lee Street jail roster?

Open Morgan County Inmate Search first. Sheriff Ron Puckett's office posts each Decatur inmate with the charge and any bond already set. No listing yet? Ring the Lee Street desk at 256-351-4825.

A brand-new Morgan booking may not be listed right away. Decatur city prisoners sit in the same Lee Street building, so the city has no second lockup to call.

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2. Where does a Morgan cash bond get paid?

Phone the Lee Street jail at 256-351-4825 first and ask which window takes money for this prisoner. Decatur's county jail occupies 119 Lee Street NE, Decatur, AL 35601, a block from the courthouse. For a Decatur city charge, the city takes cash, a certified check or a money order at the magistrate's office in business hours, or at the police front desk after hours. Decatur City Hall answers at 256-341-4500.

Never hand money to the arresting officer. Carry photo ID, the prisoner's full name, the Morgan booking number and the exact sum, and make sure the Morgan case number is printed on the receipt.

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3. Will the Decatur jail read the bond amount by phone?

For most prisoners, yes. Share the inmate's full name and birth date with 256-351-4825, and staff will read the figure from the Morgan booking. A newer charge or another agency's hold may not be entered yet, so ask staff to list each charge, then ring the clerk at 256-351-4790 to match the written order.

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4. Who sets the dollar figure on a Morgan bond?

A judge, or an officer using the low end of the state chart. The Morgan sheriff's bond page spells this out. Morgan officers may book a person at the lowest listed bond with no judge involved, or ask a judge for a higher one.

A Morgan judge weighs local ties, a job, earlier convictions and any weapon or violence in the case. A prisoner still held after 90 days who cannot pay the lowest amount may ask a judge to look again.

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5. What price range does the Morgan bond chart use?

It turns on the charge. The sheriff's page puts every misdemeanor at $300 or more, with a Class A misdemeanor capped at $6,000. Murder begins at $15,000 and may carry no bond, and drug trafficking begins at $5,000. A Decatur judge is free to set a number off the chart.

Get the figure for your relative from the jail, not from a website or a neighbor.

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6. Do Morgan families use licensed bail agents?

Many do. A licensed agent keeps a fee that does not come back and may want collateral too. Have the deal written down, ask what the agent does if the defendant skips a Decatur court date, and check the license before signing. Our bond steps page walks through the basics.

Deputies are not allowed to steer you to an agent. Be careful with anyone who reaches out to you uninvited.

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7. Will a house or land work for a Morgan property bond?

Often, within limits. The sheriff says the land must lie in Alabama and every owner must sign, so a lot outside Morgan County can still count. Bring a certified deed copy and photo ID for each owner; Decatur's city rules also want the owner there in person.

Land bonds move slower than cash. Ask the Lee Street clerk what value and papers the judge will expect before you drive in.

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8. Can a Morgan defendant be released with no money down?

At times. Morgan judges sometimes let a defendant out on a written promise to return. The sheriff says that carries no fee, but the person must check in with pretrial supervision and pass any ordered screens. Morgan County Community Corrections runs that program from the courthouse first floor, 256-351-4739.

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9. Does the Morgan jail take card payments for bonds?

The sheriff's deposit page lists JailATM for money put on an inmate's account. That account money buys commissary and jail services and is not a bond. The account side refuses cash, money orders and other certified funds, so keep the two separate.

For the bond itself, ask the clerk at 256-351-4790 whether a card works on this case.

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10. What slows a release at the Lee Street jail?

Release waits on court paperwork, warrant checks and other bookings at the Lee Street jail. Phone 256-351-4825 before driving over to pick someone up.

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11. Why might a Morgan record list no bond?

Aniah's Law allows a Morgan judge to refuse bail on capital charges and certain violent Class A felonies, and voters widened it with Amendment 1 on May 19, 2026, to reach attempted murder and firing a gun into an occupied home or car. A Morgan prisoner can also stay locked up on an outside county's hold, a probation breach or a federal detainer. The clerk at 256-351-4790 can point you to the written order behind the hold.

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12. Who can cut a Morgan bond?

A judge alone. The sheriff says a person arrested without a warrant may ask for a preliminary hearing or a lower bond within 30 days of arrest. A defense lawyer files that request, and a person who cannot hire one should ask the Lee Street clerk at 256-351-4790 about appointed counsel.

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13. What follows a missed Morgan court date?

Expect a Morgan warrant and a forfeited bond. Get a lawyer the same day. Check the next setting on the Morgan County court site or with the clerk, and read our criminal court process overview for each stage after a Decatur arrest.

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14. Does Morgan County return cash bond money?

Morgan cash bonds get settled once the case closes; the court can return the money, apply it to fines and costs, or keep it after a skipped date. Fees paid to an agent are lost. Save every Morgan receipt and ask the Lee Street clerk how this deposit will be handled.

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15. Where do Morgan juvenile arrests go?

Morgan teen cases begin with the juvenile probation office, third floor of the Lee Street courthouse, 256-351-4715. Morgan's courthouse on 302 Lee Street NE, Decatur, AL 35601 also hosts the juvenile judge. Morgan youths kept in custody may go to the Tennessee Valley Juvenile Detention Center in Tuscumbia, 256-381-3520. Ask probation where the Morgan youth is housed and when court meets, since juvenile files stay off the adult roster.

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16. How do Morgan bond scams work?

The sheriff warns that deputies never phone people about arrests, warrants or fines, and never want gift cards, bitcoin or wire transfers. End the call and dial the Lee Street jail yourself at 256-351-4825. A caller asking you for Morgan bond cash is a red flag.

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17. Which Lee Street offices in Decatur handle a Morgan County bond?

Morgan's jail, sheriff and courthouse share Lee Street NE in downtown Decatur, and Decatur, Hartselle and Priceville run their own city courts:

• Morgan County Jail: 119 Lee Street NE, Decatur, AL 35601, jail line 256-351-4825
• Sheriff's Office: 119 Lee Street NE, 256-351-4800; Sheriff Ron Puckett
• Circuit Clerk: 302 Lee Street NE, 256-351-4790
• District Attorney, 8th Circuit: 256-351-4610
• Decatur Municipal Court: 300 Cain Street NE annex, 256-341-4676
• Hartselle Municipal Court: 611 Chestnut Street NW, 256-773-2703
• Priceville Municipal Court: 242 Marco Drive, 256-355-5476

Morgan County 911 takes non-emergency calls at 256-350-4613.

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18. What bond bands guide a Decatur judge on a Morgan County charge?

Decatur judges can depart from these state figures:

• 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

Every Morgan band traces back to the Alabama Rule 7.2 bail schedule (https://judicial.alabama.gov/docs/library/rules/cr7_2.pdf).

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19. What changes when a Morgan County arrest is federal?

The Lee Street bond chart no longer applies. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama hears the case in Huntsville, and the clerk at the federal courthouse in Huntsville, 660 Gallatin Street SW, Huntsville, AL 35801, 256-534-6495 keeps the file. The order of events:

• Federal agents, or officers working Wheeler refuge land, make the arrest.
• A Huntsville magistrate judge holds the first hearing.
• Pretrial services checks job, home and past record.
• The prosecutor can seek detention.
• A released defendant follows federal terms, not a cash bond.

Until sentencing, custody stays with the U.S. Marshals: U.S. Marshals Service, 1729 5th Avenue North, Room 240, Birmingham, AL 35203, 205-829-6611.

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20. Where can Morgan County families search for someone in custody?

None of these searches costs money:

• BOP: the Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator (https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/) once a federal sentence starts; earlier, 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: Morgan County Inmate Search for the Lee Street jail in Decatur.

See our Morgan County inmate search page for more.

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21. Can ICE keep a person in the Morgan County Jail?

Only briefly. A detainer asks the Decatur jail to hold the person for at most two more working days once Morgan charges end. Morgan bonds are still owed.

The ICE New Orleans Field Office, 181 James Drive W, St. Rose, LA 70087, 504-318-2360 serves Morgan County. Alabama jails ICE uses for short stays:

• Baldwin County Correctional Center, Bay Minette, Alabama
• Etowah County Jail, Gadsden, Alabama
• Pickens County Detention Center, Carrollton, Alabama

A longer ICE hold usually means a transfer away from Decatur. Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator System (https://locator.ice.gov/odls/) using the A-number and birth country.

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22. How do I sign up for VINE alerts on a Morgan County inmate?

VINE is free:

• Open VINELink (https://vinelink.vineapps.com/) and choose Alabama.
• Type the name or the Lee Street booking number.
• Select the right Morgan record.
• Have VINE ring, text or email you if Morgan releases or transfers the inmate.

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23. Where are Morgan County warrants and case files posted?

Start with these tools:

• Alacourt: Alacourt Access public search (https://pa.alacourt.com/). Choose Morgan; a name search is $9.99 per case.
• Clerk site: morgan.alacourt.gov for the Lee Street clerk divisions.
• City warrants: Decatur Municipal Court, 256-341-4676, Hartselle, 256-773-2703, or Priceville, 256-355-5476.

Walking into the Decatur jail with a lawyer to clear a warrant can go easier than an arrest at work.

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24. Which Decatur number should I call to confirm a Morgan bond?

One call can spare a wasted drive to Decatur:

• The city court that wrote the ticket, for a city charge.
• The circuit clerk, 256-351-4790, for a state charge.
• The jail, 256-351-4825, for holds and release.

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