Arrest Records for Baldwin County, Alabama

Baldwin County arrest records live in two separate systems: the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office maintains the booking register and an online arrest search at Sheriff, while court case records for the 28th Judicial Circuit sit at Circuit Clerk. The Circuit Clerk’s office is located at 312 Courthouse Square, Suite 10, Bay Minette, Alabama 36507. If you’re driving to the Baldwin County Courthouse, plan for parking to be tight and leave your phone in the car — security requires it before entry.

If someone you know was just booked tonight, our Baldwin County inmate-search page has phone-first contact info.

Searching for records beyond Alabama

A nationwide criminal records search may help surface records that Baldwin County’s local portals can’t reach on their own. If the person you’re researching has lived in other states, had cases in federal court, or used a different name in prior jurisdictions, a multi-state search can help fill gaps that local portals often leave. The preliminary scan is free; a full report requires creating an account.

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How to look up arrest records in Baldwin County

“Public records shall be open for inspection” — that’s the operative principle under Alabama law, and Baldwin County gives you several distinct channels to act on it. Each channel covers different data, so knowing which system holds the record you need saves time.

Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office arrest search. The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office runs a searchable arrest log at Sheriff under the arrest-search section. This is the booking-side record — it reflects what the Sheriff’s jail register captured at intake. Alabama law requires the Sheriff’s jail register to be open to public inspection, so this is a genuinely public resource. A new booking can take time to appear online after processing, so if a name isn’t showing yet, call the Sheriff’s Office to confirm. The Sheriff’s Office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Baldwin County Circuit Court records. The Twenty-Eighth Circuit Court of Alabama maintains its own records portal at Circuit Clerk. This is the court-side record — it shows case numbers, charges filed, hearing dates, dispositions, and attorney of record once a case moves through the system. The Circuit Clerk’s office at 312 Courthouse Square, Suite 10, Bay Minette, operates Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Phone lines at the Clerk’s office can be slow to answer; if your matter is time-sensitive, an in-person visit is more reliable. Verify holiday closures before driving out.

Alacourt statewide paid search. Alabama’s statewide trial-court index, Alacourt, covers all 67 counties including Baldwin and charges a fee per name search. This is a paid service — there is no free statewide trial-court search. The free public portal at the state level covers appellate courts only and will not show a Baldwin County criminal case. If you need to check whether a person has cases in multiple Alabama counties, Alacourt’s paid index is the tool for that. Note that some municipal court cases in Baldwin County’s cities may sit outside the statewide index; confirm directly with the relevant city court if you’re looking for a municipal charge.

Traffic court records. Baldwin County traffic cases have a dedicated portal at Traffic, separate from the main Circuit Clerk search. Use this for traffic violations and related charges rather than the general criminal index.

Alabama Department of Corrections inmate lookup. If the person you’re researching is serving a state prison sentence rather than being held at the county jail, the Alabama Department of Corrections maintains an inmate search. Someone arrested recently and awaiting trial is held at the Baldwin County jail under the Sheriff’s custody, not ADOC. The distinction matters: the Sheriff’s arrest search covers the county jail population; ADOC covers people already sentenced to state prison.

Court costs reference. If you need to understand what fees attach to a case, the Baldwin County circuit clerk’s site publishes separate cost schedules for circuit criminal cases and district criminal cases — useful context when reviewing a case record.

Are Baldwin County arrest records public?

67 counties in Alabama operate under the same open-records baseline, and Baldwin County is no exception. Court filings and booking records are public records under Ala. Code §§ 36-12-40 to 36-12-46 — sealed cases, juvenile records, and victim-protection redactions are the narrow exceptions.

Booking records and the jail register are presumptively public in Baldwin County. Alabama law requires the Sheriff’s jail register to be open to public inspection, and there is no statute restricting publication of booking records. A booking photo may appear in the official record as part of the intake documentation.

Sealed and expunged records are the primary exception to default-public status. Once a court grants a petition to seal under Alabama’s expungement statute, the record is removed from public view. Law enforcement agencies retain access, but a member of the public searching the Sheriff’s arrest log or the Circuit Clerk’s portal will not see it. The person whose record was sealed may lawfully deny the arrest in most contexts.

Juvenile records carry their own confidentiality protections. Alabama’s juvenile-confidentiality provisions exclude most juvenile court proceedings from public access. A person arrested as a juvenile will generally not have that record visible in the public-facing systems described here. Juvenile records are handled through a separate court process, and access is tightly restricted compared to adult criminal records.

Victim-related information is also subject to redaction. Witness names, victim contact details, and certain identifying information are routinely removed from publicly accessible versions of court documents. What you see in the public portal is the redacted version; the unredacted record is held by the court and law enforcement.

Municipal court cases in Baldwin County’s cities — Bay Minette, Daphne, Fairhope, Foley, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and others — may not appear in the statewide Alacourt index. Those records may need to be confirmed directly with the relevant city court.

What’s in a Baldwin County arrest record?

“Arrest record” actually refers to two different documents depending on which system you’re looking at — and understanding the difference tells you where to look for what you need.

The booking record is the Sheriff’s side. When someone is arrested and brought to the Baldwin County jail, the Baldwin County Corrections Center — one of two accredited jail facilities in Alabama — creates an intake entry. That entry typically includes the person’s name, date of birth, booking date and time, the charges at arrest, and the arresting agency. The official record may also contain a booking photo. Social Security numbers and other sensitive identifiers are not part of the publicly accessible booking record; those fields are redacted before the record reaches the public-facing arrest search at sheriff.baldwincountyal.gov.

The court docket record is the Circuit Clerk’s side. Once the Baldwin County Courthouse processes the case, a separate record is created in the court system. That record shows the case number assigned by the 28th Judicial Circuit, the formal charges as filed by the prosecutor (which may differ from the arrest charges), hearing dates, bond conditions, continuances, and the eventual disposition — guilty plea, dismissal, acquittal, or conviction. The attorney of record appears once counsel is entered. Docket entries are visible through the Circuit Clerk’s portal at baldwin.alacourt.gov.

The two records don’t always match perfectly. A person arrested on three charges may have two charges dismissed before arraignment; the booking record still shows all three at arrest, while the court docket reflects only what was formally filed. Reading both together gives the complete picture.

Witness names are redacted from publicly accessible court documents under Alabama’s victim-protection provisions. Dates of birth may be partially masked in public-facing records. What you see in the public portal is the redacted version; the full unredacted record is held at the Baldwin County Courthouse and accessible to authorized parties.

For the Sheriff’s mugshot release policy specifically, call the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office directly — the policy isn’t posted online in the curated official documentation.

How to expunge an arrest record in Baldwin County

Since 2021, Alabama’s expungement law reaches convictions — not only dismissed charges or acquittals. A great deal of published guidance still says otherwise, so it’s worth stating plainly: Ala. Code § 15-27-1 now provides a path to seal certain conviction records, not just cases that ended without a finding of guilt.

Non-conviction cases. If a Baldwin County arrest resulted in a dismissal, a nolle prosequi, an acquittal, or a charge that was never formally filed, the path to sealing is generally more accessible. Cases that ended without a conviction often qualify without a waiting period. This is the most common scenario for people who were arrested but not convicted.

Conviction cases. For cases that ended in a conviction — including misdemeanors, violations, traffic offenses, and municipal offenses — a waiting period applies after the sentence is completed. The statute sets the timing requirements; check the current text of Ala. Code § 15-27-1 or ask the Circuit Clerk’s office for the applicable window for your specific offense type. The waiting period and eligibility criteria vary by offense class.

Juvenile records. Juvenile records have separate sealing procedures that are typically more accessible than the adult process. If the arrest occurred when the person was a juvenile, the applicable rules differ from the adult expungement statute. Confirm the current juvenile sealing procedure with the Circuit Clerk or a licensed attorney, as the process runs through a different court pathway.

Where to file. Petitions to seal are filed in the circuit court for the county where the charge was brought — for a Baldwin County arrest, that means the Twenty-Eighth Circuit Court at the Baldwin County Courthouse, 312 Courthouse Square, Bay Minette. The district attorney and the arresting agency are entitled to object to the petition, and the court holds a hearing if an objection is filed.

Filing fee and indigency waiver. A filing fee applies to expungement petitions in Alabama. The exact current amount is set by the court; call the Circuit Clerk at the Baldwin County Courthouse to confirm before filing. If you cannot afford the fee, an indigency waiver path exists — ask the Clerk about the process for requesting a fee waiver.

Self-petition vs. attorney-assisted. You can file a petition to seal without an attorney. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and the Alabama Bar’s the state bar lawyer directory can point you toward resources if you want legal help. If you qualify for a public defender, the Alabama indigent defense locator can help identify available representation.

What sealing does and doesn’t do. After a successful petition, the record is removed from public-facing databases including the Sheriff’s arrest search and the Circuit Clerk’s public portal. Law enforcement agencies retain access to sealed records. The person may lawfully deny the arrest in most contexts — job applications, housing applications, and similar situations where the question is asked. The record is not destroyed; it is restricted from public view.

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Frequently asked questions about Baldwin County arrest records

How do I find out what’s on my own Baldwin County arrest record?

Pull both systems. The Sheriff’s arrest search shows what the booking register captured — charges at arrest, booking date, and arresting agency. The Twenty-Eighth Circuit Court portal shows what happened in court — formal charges, hearing dates, and the final disposition. If you want to check whether a record appears in other Alabama counties, Alacourt’s paid statewide index at alacourt.gov searches all 67 counties by name. For a municipal charge in a Baldwin County city, contact that city’s court directly, since some municipal cases sit outside the statewide index.

How does bail work after a Baldwin County arrest, and how do I find a licensed bondsman?

Alabama uses money bail with judicial discretion. A judge sets the amount at a first appearance before a judge — there is no fixed schedule by offense type, and a 2022 constitutional amendment allows a court to deny bail entirely for certain violent charges after a hearing. Once bail is set, you can pay it directly to the jail or work with a licensed bondsman. To find a bondsman authorized to operate in Alabama, search the Alabama Professional Bail Bonding Board licensee directory. The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office can confirm current custody status and whether bail has been set.