Arrest Records for Bullock County, Alabama

Pull up Circuit Clerk Rashawn Harris’s records portal on the Bullock County Third Circuit Court website — that’s the county’s own court index, covering felony and misdemeanor filings in Union Springs. For a recent booking, the Bullock County Sheriff’s Office at 217 N Prairie St, Union Springs, AL 36089 maintains the jail register, which Alabama law requires to be open for public inspection. The Sheriff’s office is open Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. For someone serving a state sentence at Bullock Correctional Facility, the Alabama Department of Corrections inmate search is the right tool.

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

If you need records outside Bullock County

Bullock County’s court portal covers only filings within the Third Circuit — it won’t surface federal cases, records from neighboring counties like Pike or Macon, or charges that predate the portal’s online window. A nationwide third-party search may help fill gaps that local portals often leave, including records under prior names or from other states where someone has lived. The preliminary scan is free; a full report requires creating an account.

Sponsored: Nationwide Criminal Background Check (we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you).

This tool is not a consumer reporting agency under the FCRA and may not be used to screen anyone for employment, housing, credit, or any other purpose covered by that law.

How to look up arrest records in Bullock County

Does the record you need live at the courthouse or at the jail — and does that distinction matter? It does, because the court-side docket and the Sheriff’s booking register are separate systems with different fields, different update schedules, and different access procedures.

Circuit Clerk’s court records. Circuit Clerk Rashawn Harris maintains the official docket for the Bullock County Third Circuit Court. The clerk’s office is your source for case numbers, charge descriptions, hearing dates, dispositions, and attorney-of-record information on felony and misdemeanor matters. The clerk’s office is located at the Bullock County Courthouse in Union Springs. Confirm current hours and any records-request fee by calling the clerk directly before making the trip — hours and fees are not posted online.

Alacourt statewide paid index. Alabama’s statewide trial-court index, Alacourt, covers all sixty-seven counties in a single name search — useful when you’re not certain which county a charge was filed in. This is a paid service; there is no free statewide trial-court search. Do not confuse it with Alabama’s free appellate-court portal, which covers only appeals and will not show a Bullock County criminal case. Some municipal court charges may sit outside the Alacourt index entirely, so a city-level charge may need to be confirmed with Union Springs Municipal Court directly.

Sheriff’s jail register. For a recent arrest — someone booked into the Bullock County Jail at 104 Bullock Dr or 114 Hardaway Ave W, Union Springs, AL 36089 — the Sheriff’s booking register is the right source. Alabama law requires the sheriff’s jail register to be open to public inspection. The Sheriff’s office is open Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. The main jail facility number is (334) 738-5625 and the Sheriff’s office number is (334) 738-2670. Confirm numbers before calling.

ADOC inmate lookup. If the person you’re researching is serving a state prison sentence rather than awaiting trial, they are in the custody of the Alabama Department of Corrections, not the county sheriff. The ADOC inmate search covers people housed at state facilities, including Bullock Correctional Facility in Union Springs. ADOC also publishes public records requests through ADOC Form 23-A, governed by ADOC Administrative Regulation No. 23, Public Records.

Traffic court records. Traffic violations in Bullock County are handled through a separate docket. The Bullock County Traffic Court portal and the statewide Alabama Traffic Court records system both cover traffic matters. If the charge you’re researching is a traffic offense, check those portals before pulling a full court record from the clerk.

A practical note: the Bullock County Courthouse Historic District can see wait times during busy court days. Plan accordingly if you’re visiting in person to request records.

Are Bullock County arrest records public?

Court filings and booking records are public records in Alabama — sealed cases, juvenile records, and victim-protection redactions are the narrow exceptions, not the rule.

The governing framework is Ala. Code §§ 36-12-40 to 36-12-46, the Alabama Open Records Act. Under that statute, any person may inspect and copy public records of any governmental body. Arrest records, booking entries, and court dockets fall squarely within that default-open status. The Bullock County Sheriff’s jail register is specifically required by Alabama law to be open to public inspection — that’s a genuine and enforceable right, not just a general principle.

The exceptions are real but narrow. A record that has been expunged under Ala. Code § 15-27-1 is no longer accessible to the public — it is treated as though the arrest never occurred for most purposes, though law enforcement agencies retain access. Juvenile records carry separate protections and are generally not open to the public; a minor’s arrest record is handled through the juvenile court system, which operates under confidentiality rules distinct from the adult criminal system. Certain victim-identifying information — addresses, contact details — may be redacted from records before release to protect victims of domestic violence or sexual offenses.

Municipal court records present a wrinkle specific to Alabama. Some city-level charges in Union Springs may be handled through municipal court rather than the circuit or district court, and municipal courts sometimes sit outside the Alacourt statewide index. If you’re looking for a city ordinance violation or a charge prosecuted at the municipal level, confirm directly with Union Springs Municipal Court whether that record is indexed online or requires an in-person request.

Booking photos are part of the official arrest record in Alabama. There is no statute restricting their publication. If a booking photo is part of the record you’re requesting, the official record may contain one — ask the clerk or the Sheriff’s office whether it is included in the responsive documents.

What’s in a Bullock County arrest record?

At the moment of booking into the Bullock County Jail, a set of standard fields is captured and entered into the jail register — the Sheriff-side record — which is separate from anything the Circuit Clerk maintains.

The booking entry typically includes the arrested person’s full legal name, date of birth, and address; the booking date and time; the arresting agency; the charges as they were written at the time of arrest (which may differ from charges later filed by the district attorney); and a booking number assigned by the jail. The booking number is the Sheriff’s internal identifier — it is not the same as the court case number assigned by the Circuit Clerk once a case is formally filed. A booking photo may also be part of the entry; for the Bullock County Jail’s specific policy on photo release, call the Sheriff’s office directly.

The court-side docket at the Bullock County Courthouse contains a different set of fields. Once the district attorney files charges, the Circuit Clerk’s system generates a case number, tracks each hearing date and its outcome, records the names of the prosecutor and defense attorney of record, and eventually records the disposition — guilty plea, conviction at trial, dismissal, acquittal, or nolle prosequi. Disposition information is often the most important field for a background-check purpose, and it lives in the court docket, not the booking record.

The practical implication: if you pull only the booking record from the Sheriff, you may see an arrest with charges but no disposition. If you pull only the court docket from the clerk, you may see a case number and disposition but no booking date. A complete picture of a Bullock County arrest typically requires checking both systems. The Alacourt paid index aggregates court-side data across all sixty-seven Alabama counties, which can be useful when a case moved between jurisdictions or when you’re verifying that no other county has a related filing.

For records related to someone held at Bullock Correctional Facility as a state prisoner, the ADOC maintains its own records system. Public records requests to ADOC are submitted on ADOC Form 23-A per the procedures in Administrative Regulation No. 23.

How to expunge an arrest record in Bullock County

A petition filed, a hearing scheduled, a judge’s order entered — that’s the shape of the expungement process in Bullock County, and it’s more accessible than many people realize.

Alabama’s expungement statute, Ala. Code § 15-27-1, was significantly expanded in 2021. A great deal of published guidance — including older material from the state bar — still says Alabama expungement applies only to dismissed or acquitted charges. That is no longer accurate. Since 2021, the law reaches convictions as well, not only non-conviction outcomes. If you’ve read elsewhere that a conviction can’t be sealed in Alabama, check the current statute text or ask a licensed attorney, because that guidance may be out of date.

Juvenile records have separate, typically more accessible sealing procedures that operate outside the adult expungement framework. If the record you’re concerned about involves a juvenile adjudication rather than an adult arrest, the process runs through the juvenile court system. Confirm the applicable procedure with the Bullock County Circuit Clerk or a licensed attorney familiar with Alabama juvenile law.

For adult records, the petition to seal is filed in the circuit court for the county where the charge was brought — for a Bullock County arrest, that means the Bullock County Circuit Court in Union Springs. The district attorney and the arresting agency are both entitled to object to the petition, and a hearing may be scheduled. The judge weighs the petition against any objections before entering an order.

Eligibility depends on the case type and outcome. Charges that were dismissed, nolle prossed, or ended in acquittal often have a more streamlined path with no waiting period required. Conviction-based petitions involve a waiting period and a clean record requirement; the statute sets the timing requirements in Ala. Code § 15-27-1 — check the current statute text or ask the Clerk of Court for the specific waiting period applicable to your charge type, as those figures are not reproduced here.

Filing fees apply. If you cannot afford the fee, ask the clerk about an indigency waiver — Alabama courts have a process for fee waivers in civil matters, and expungement petitions qualify. You can file the petition yourself without an attorney, but the process involves serving the district attorney’s office and responding to any objection. If the DA objects, having an attorney at the hearing is worth considering. The Alabama State Bar Lawyer Referral Service can connect you with a licensed attorney, and the Alabama indigent defense locator covers those who qualify for appointed counsel.

After a successful expungement, the public record is sealed — it will not appear in a standard background check or in the Alacourt public index. Law enforcement agencies retain access to sealed records. The practical effect is that for most purposes, the arrest is treated as though it did not occur.

Quick-reference contacts

Frequently asked questions about Bullock County arrest records

How long does it take for a Bullock County arrest to appear in the court system, and when can I request the record?

A booking entry at the Bullock County Jail is typically created at the time of arrest and is immediately part of the public jail register — you can request it from the Sheriff’s Office at 217 N Prairie St, Union Springs, AL 36089 as soon as the booking is complete. The court-side docket at the Circuit Clerk’s office is a separate matter: a case number and formal charges don’t appear until the district attorney files, which may happen at or after the first appearance hearing. If you’re checking the Alacourt paid index and see no case yet, the charge may still be at the pre-filing stage — check the Sheriff’s booking register in the meantime. For someone already sentenced and transferred to Bullock Correctional Facility, the ADOC inmate search reflects current custody status.

Can a Bullock County arrest record be expunged, and what happens to it if it is?

Petitioning to seal an arrest record in Bullock County is a routine legal procedure available under Ala. Code § 15-27-1. Since 2021, the statute covers convictions as well as dismissed or acquitted charges — older guidance saying only non-convictions qualify is out of date. The petition is filed at the Bullock County Circuit Court; the district attorney and arresting agency may object, and a judge decides. Juvenile records have separate sealing procedures that are typically more accessible than the adult process. After a successful expungement, the record is removed from public access — it won’t appear in the Alacourt index or standard background checks — but law enforcement agencies retain access. For the specific waiting period and eligibility requirements that apply to your charge type, check the current statute text or ask the Circuit Clerk of Court.