There is one county jail, at 100 18th Street North, Pell City, AL 35125, and its 18th Street lobby has staff on duty around the clock. Pretrial detainees and sentenced inmates from every town in the county sleep under that one roof.

Ashville, the other county seat, has its own courthouse plus a sheriff's office at 48 6th Street, Suite 300, Ashville, AL 35953, 205-594-2140, where bonds can be made. Nobody is housed there, though, so visits, mail and pickups all happen in Pell City. Phone the jail at 205-814-3525 before you go. County dispatch, 205-884-3333, can also connect you.

Start on the sheriff's online roster and key in a surname. Everyone currently held on 18th Street appears, and each entry carries enough detail, like age, to rule out look-alike names. Jot the booking number on paper; staff want it for bonds, deposits and envelopes.

Deputies also publish a phone app, with an iPhone download and an Android download. Coming up empty, or seeing two people with one name? Ring the jail at 205-814-3525 and spell out who you need.

They are online. Each person listed on the sheriff's inmate roster has a mugshot beside the entry, which helps families be sure they clicked the correct name.

For a booking photo that is no longer shown, news outlets can send a request to the sheriff's office at 205-884-6840. Federal and immigration mugshots play by other rules. ICE shares its photos only after a Freedom of Information request that the agency approves. The U.S. Marshals put out federal booking photos only for a wanted fugitive, for public safety, or when doing so would help catch someone.

Intake on 18th Street is not instant. Fingerprinting, photographs, health questions and a records search for warrants come first, and only then does the entry go live. Other explanations include:

• Bond got posted quickly and they already left.
• Officers drove them to a hospital before the jail.
• A town officer wrote a ticket instead of making an arrest.
• Another county, such as Jefferson, Etowah or Calhoun, has them on a hold.

Phone the Pell City desk at 205-814-3525 and go through that list with staff. Nearby county lockups appear further down, under the arresting-agency question.

Officers roll fingerprints, snap a photograph, ask health and safety questions, inventory property and look for warrants before the record goes public. Whichever agency made the arrest supplies the charges. A few minor offenses end with a citation and release rather than full intake.

When you call 205-814-3525, have the person's legal first and last name plus birthday in front of you. Ask whether intake is finished, what charges appear, if bond has been set, and who arrested them. That booking number matters most, so write it where you won't lose it.

On minor offenses, police in Pell City, Moody or Springville sometimes issue a citation on the spot and release the person with a written appearance date. Nobody lands on the roster then. The paper itself names which court and when.

Skipping that appearance is serious, since the judge can then sign a warrant. Call the court printed on the citation to confirm. Pell City Municipal Court, City Hall, 1905 1st Avenue North, Pell City, AL 35125, answers at 205-338-2244 and meets Tuesdays at 2 p.m. Moody Municipal Court, 670 Park Avenue, Moody, AL 35004, is at 205-640-0313. Other town courts are on our court page.

Alabama Rule 4.3 sets the timing. After a warrantless arrest, a Pell City or Ashville judge should decide probable cause inside 48 hours, otherwise the starting bond kicks in. People picked up on a warrant who stay jailed should get to court by the third day.

Domestic violence bookings can stall a day, because a judge or magistrate must set conditions before release. If the clock seems to have run out, have a lawyer call the court. Release is never automatic just because time passed. For the case, call the Pell City clerk at 205-338-2511.

Judges set bail, usually leaning on Alabama's schedule. Seeing "no bond" on the roster means a judge must still weigh in, sometimes after the prosecutor files an Aniah's Law request. Amendment 1 took effect May 19, 2026, letting judges also deny bail for attempted murder or for shooting at an occupied home, car or building.

Relatives may put up cash, go through a licensed bonding company, offer land, or ask that the judge allow release on a signature. A $35 transmittal fee, cash only, rides along with each bond. Ask the jail at 205-814-3525 what is set. Our bail and bond guide has the full rundown.

Two sheriff's offices take bonds, weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.:

• Pell City: 1610 Cogswell Avenue, Suite 206, Pell City, AL 35125, 205-884-6840
• Ashville: 48 6th Street, Suite 300, Ashville, AL 35953, 205-594-2140

Because the jail lobby never closes, phone 205-814-3525 after hours and ask what the night shift can handle. The $35 transmittal fee is paid to the Circuit Clerk, in cash only. Land bonds need one owner for a misdemeanor and two for a felony, each carrying photo ID. Property outside Alabama gets turned away.

State cases are heard at one of two courthouses, depending on where the offense happened. The north end goes to Ashville, at 100 6th Avenue North, Suite 400, Ashville, AL 35953, 205-594-2184. The south end goes to Pell City, at 1815 Cogswell Avenue, Pell City, AL 35125, 205-338-2511.

The 30th Circuit District Attorney prosecutes from 1815 Cogswell Avenue, Suite 221, Pell City, AL 35125, 205-338-9429. Town charges go to that town's own court instead. A clerk can tell you which building has the file if you give the name and arrest date. Our criminal court guide explains each step after that.

Jail staff can read off the booking charges when you call 205-814-3525. For the case number and the charge as filed, try a clerk: Ashville at 205-594-2184 or Pell City at 205-338-2511. The prosecutor may rewrite charges after reviewing police reports, so double-check before each hearing.

A felony can mean state prison, while a misdemeanor tops out at twelve months served on 18th Street. Courthouse computers in both towns are free to use, and Alacourt Access charges for each online search.

Judges in Pell City and Ashville assign defense counsel to people who have no money to hire one. The ask usually happens at the first hearing, on a sworn form about income and family. Town court judges assign lawyers whenever jail time is on the table.

Every jail call gets recorded, so the accused should hold every word about the charges until meeting counsel face to face. Families can ask the clerk who was appointed: Ashville at 205-594-2184 or Pell City at 205-338-2511. Alabama's Office of Indigent Defense Services sits in Montgomery at 100 North Union Street, Suite 680, Montgomery, AL 36104, 334-242-7059.

Visits here are by video. Appointments are booked through the online scheduling service listed on the sheriff's corrections page. Open slots shift often, so look over the current calendar before you plan a trip to Pell City.

Ask the jail at 205-814-3525 whether you can join from home or need to use the screens in the Pell City lobby. Our visitation guide covers the rules, and the video visit guide walks through remote sessions from a phone or computer.

Cash and money orders are refused for accounts. Instead, use the lobby kiosk at 100 18th Street North, Pell City, AL 35125 or the online deposit company that the sheriff's corrections page names. That company also handles video calls and gift packs.

Debts owed to the jail can be taken from deposits. Any balance goes home with the person at release on a debit card or a check. Deposit questions go to the jail office at 205-814-3508. Account money never pays a bond. Deposit how-tos sit in our money guide, and snack or hygiene orders in the commissary guide.

Calls from the Pell City jail go through CPC, the phone company the jail uses. Families set up and fund calling accounts with CPC at 877-998-5678. Phone money is separate from the commissary account. Every call can be heard later by investigators, so leave the case out of phone talk.

Messages and tablets may also be available. Our phone guide, messaging guide and tablet guide explain each option. Questions about accounts go to the jail at 205-814-3525.

Personal mail must be a 3 by 5 inch postcard. Legal mail and photos are also allowed, and an envelope of photos must be marked "photos." Staff search all mail except legal mail before handing it over. Never send cash. Address it this way:

• Inmate's full name and booking number
• St. Clair County Jail
• 100 18th Street North, Pell City, AL 35125

Release money from another agency goes to the sheriff's office at 1610 Cogswell Avenue, Suite 206, Pell City, AL 35125 instead. Our jail mail guide has more tips, or call 205-814-3525 with questions.

Clothes, wallets and phones logged during intake are handed back at discharge. Any account balance leaves with the person as a debit card or check. Items police kept as evidence are a separate matter, handled through the arresting agency or the court.

When a relative plans to collect belongings, ask the jail at 205-814-3525 whether a signed permission slip is needed and which ID to carry. Release usually happens a while after bond and the $35 fee are in, because paperwork takes time. Call before driving to 18th Street.

Call 205-814-3525 and request the supervisor on duty, then list the names of medicines, any illnesses, the doctor and the pharmacy. Jail medical staff decide care, and serious problems go to a hospital.

If self-harm or suicide is a fear, put that at the very top of the conversation so the supervisor acts on it first. Do not wait for a visit. Keep a written list of medicines and doses to read over the phone. A lawyer can also raise urgent health issues with the judge. For an emergency happening right now, dial 911.

Deputies at the Ashville sheriff's office, 48 6th Street, Suite 300, Ashville, AL 35953, 205-594-2140, can confirm whether a county warrant is active. The sheriff's wanted gallery is open to the public, and ALEA's statewide fugitive list adds another check. Case details are on Alacourt Access for $9.99 a search. Turn-ins are booked at the jail, 100 18th Street North, Pell City, AL 35125, 205-814-3525, ideally with a lawyer who has bail lined up. A town warrant goes through that town's court.

VINE, Alabama's free victim and family notice system, can ring your phone, text you or send an email when jail records show a release or move. Setting it up takes a few minutes:

1. Open VINELink, then pick Alabama from the state menu.
2. Look the person up using a name or the Pell City booking number.
3. Choose the matching record from the Pell City jail.
4. Select phone, text or email for the notice.

Notices sometimes trail what has actually happened, so ring the jail at 205-814-3525 before driving over for a pickup.

Federal cases from here are heard in Anniston at 1100 Gurnee Avenue, Anniston, AL 36201, 256-741-1533, in the Northern District's Eastern Division. Staff are not always there, so the Birmingham clerk at 205-278-1700 can help. The first hearing before a magistrate is usually the next court day, and a pretrial officer reports to the judge.

Check the sheriff's roster first. The U.S. Marshals, 1729 5th Avenue North, Room 240, Birmingham, AL 35203, 205-829-6611, may confirm which jail a federal defendant waits in. When the federal case ends in a prison term, search the Bureau of Prisons locator.

Prints collected during intake reach federal databases, and immigration officers might follow up with a detainer. Expect the following:

• The jail can keep them up to 48 extra hours so agents can come. Weekend days still count toward that limit.
• Posting the Ashville or Pell City bond won't lift it.
• When agents fail to show within those hours, release should follow.
• ICE alone picks the next location.

The online detainee locator works best with the alien registration number and country of birth, though a full name with birthday and country also works. For Alabama, ICE runs things from Louisiana, 181 James Drive West, St. Rose, LA 70087, 504-318-2360.

Sentences longer than twelve months usually mean an Alabama Department of Corrections prison. Many people wait in the Pell City jail until ADOC sends transport. Intake staff then check health, mental health, security and gang ties before choosing a prison.

Search the ADOC inmate lookup using either the person's name or their AIS number. Our state prison page explains prison addresses and contacts. Until transport happens, the jail at 205-814-3525 can confirm the person remains in Pell City.

A boy or girl under 18 has the case sent to juvenile court instead of being booked as adults, and their names are kept private. Any child a judge orders held is driven to Coosa Valley Regional Juvenile Detention Center, 4625 McClellan Boulevard, Anniston, AL 36204. At intake, juvenile probation decides whether the child heads home or stays.

To find the child and learn which office is working the file, contact juvenile probation through either circuit clerk: Ashville at 205-594-2184 or Pell City at 205-338-2511. Older teens charged with the gravest crimes can skip juvenile court and be held in the Pell City jail.

Be careful. County workers never collect money by gift card, wire or payment app. Bonds are posted at a sheriff's office, at the clerk, or through a bondsman you chose. A caller who rushes you, knows only a name, or asks for an odd payment is likely a scammer.

End that call. After hanging up, phone 18th Street yourself at 205-814-3525; staff can say whether any bond was set and the proper way to cover it. You can report the call to the sheriff's Pell City office at 205-884-6840.

Knowing the arresting agency helps with bonds and court. Ask that agency whether it set a separate town bond. The main agencies are:

• Pell City Police Department, 305 19th Street South, Pell City, AL 35128, 205-884-3334
• Sheriff's Office, Pell City, 1610 Cogswell Avenue, Suite 206, Pell City, AL 35125, 205-884-6840
• Sheriff's Office, Ashville, 48 6th Street, Suite 300, Ashville, AL 35953, 205-594-2140

Moody, Springville, Odenville and the other towns have their own officers and courts. If the person is not on the Pell City roster, check the jails in neighboring counties:

• Jefferson County Jail – Birmingham, 809 Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard North, Birmingham, AL 35203, 205-325-5670
• Shelby County Jail, 380 McDow Road, Columbiana, AL 35051, 205-670-6066
• Talladega County Jail, 150 East Renfroe Road, Talladega, AL 35160, 256-761-2000
• Calhoun County Jail, 400 West 8th Street, Anniston, AL 36201, 256-236-5561
• Etowah County Detention Center, 827 Forrest Avenue, Gadsden, AL 35901, 256-549-5408
• Blount County Detention Center, 225 Industrial Park Road, Oneonta, AL 35121, 205-625-4133