Arrest Records Lookup: Cullman County, Alabama

Cullman County criminal records live in two separate systems that serve different purposes. Court filings — charges, dispositions, case numbers — run through the Cullman County Thirty-Second Circuit Court, accessible online at Circuit Criminal and by phone at (256) 775-7213. Booking records — the Sheriff’s jail register — sit with the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office at Cullmansheriff. Alabama law requires the jail register to be open for public inspection, so recent bookings are accessible on request. Bring a valid photo ID when requesting records in person at the Cullman County Courthouse.

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

Searching for records beyond Alabama

Cullman County’s court portals cover charges filed in the Thirty-Second Circuit and District Courts, but they won’t surface federal cases prosecuted in the Northern District of Alabama, records from other states where someone may have lived, or charges that predate the portal’s online window. A nationwide database search may help fill gaps that local portals often leave — it can surface name variants, prior-address records, and federal court activity that county systems never index.

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 Cullman County

Pull the court record and the booking record separately — they live in different systems and show different fields. The court record comes from the Cullman County Thirty-Second Circuit Court; the booking record comes from the Sheriff’s Office. Mugshot release policy for Cullman County is not published in the Sheriff’s online documentation — call the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office directly to confirm whether booking photos are released on request.

Cullman County Circuit Court criminal records (felonies): The Cullman County circuit criminal records portal on the Thirty-Second Circuit Court’s website lets you search felony case filings by name. District-level criminal cases — misdemeanors handled by the District Court — appear at District Criminal. Both portals are county-official and free to browse. Note that Alabama’s statewide Alacourt index is a paid service charging a per-name fee; the free portals at cullman.alacourt.gov are the county’s own public-access tools and are the right place to start for Cullman-specific filings.

Warrant databases: The Thirty-Second Circuit Court publishes active magistrate and misdemeanor warrant lists directly. Check the magistrates warrant database for active warrants, and the misdemeanor warrants list for lower-level outstanding warrants. These are county-official, updated by the court, and publicly accessible without a fee.

Sheriff’s Office records request: Alabama law makes the county jail register presumptively public. Visit Cullmansheriff or contact the Cullman County Detention Center through the detention center warden’s page to request booking records. The Sheriff’s facility operates Monday–Friday 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday–Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Confirm numbers and hours before visiting or calling.

Municipal Court records: Charges filed in the City of Cullman’s Municipal Court sit outside the Thirty-Second Circuit index. Download the Request Copies of Public Court Records form from the Cullman Municipal Court page. Municipal Court accepts cash, check, money order, credit card, and debit card for payments at the office. A valid photo ID is required for records requests.

ADOC inmate lookup (state prison sentences): Someone serving a state prison sentence is in the custody of the Alabama Department of Corrections, not the county jail. Use the ADOC inmate search or the Cullman County ADOC directory page to locate someone serving a sentence. For a recent arrest still in county custody, the Sheriff’s Office is the right contact — not ADOC.

Practical note: Phone lines at the Cullman County Courthouse can be congested, and different departments stop accepting visitors before the posted facility closing time. Verify department-specific hours before driving to the courthouse at (256) 775-7213.

Are Cullman County arrest records public?

Court filings in Cullman County carry a default-public status under Alabama law — the narrow exceptions are sealed cases, juvenile records, and victim-protection redactions, not the general run of criminal filings. The controlling framework is Ala. Code §§ 36-12-40 to 36-12-46, Alabama’s Open Records Act, which establishes public access to government records as the default rule and places the burden on the agency to justify withholding.

Booking records at the Cullman County jail are separately governed. Alabama law requires the sheriff’s jail register to be open to public inspection, so a recent booking is accessible on request regardless of whether charges were ultimately filed. The booking entry and the court docket are two different records — a booking can exist without a court case if charges were dropped before filing.

Juvenile records are the most significant categorical exception. Cases involving defendants under 18 are handled in juvenile court and are not publicly accessible under the same rules that govern adult criminal records. Accessing a juvenile record requires a court order.

Victim-protection redactions apply in certain domestic violence and sexual offense cases. The underlying case may be public, but specific identifying information about victims can be withheld. This doesn’t make the entire case file sealed — it means certain fields are redacted before release.

Expunged and sealed records are the other major exception. Once a Cullman County Circuit Court grants a petition to seal under Ala. Code § 15-27-1, the record is removed from public view. Law enforcement agencies retain access to sealed records; the public does not. If a name search on the court portal returns no results, the case may have been sealed — or may never have been filed in that court.

Records that predate the online portal window may not appear in a web search even though they are technically public. For older cases, a written records request to the Cullman County Courthouse at (256) 775-7213 is the reliable path.

What’s in a Cullman County arrest record?

When you pull a booking record from the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office, the fields you’ll typically see include the subject’s full legal name, date of birth, booking date and time, booking number, arresting agency, and the charges as listed at the time of arrest. The booking record may also include a physical description and, depending on the Sheriff’s release policy, a booking photograph — call the Sheriff’s Office to confirm whether photos are released on request, as this policy isn’t published online.

The court docket at the Cullman County Courthouse tells a different story. Docket entries show the case number assigned by the Thirty-Second Circuit or District Court, the formal charge or charges (which may differ from the arrest charges), the attorney of record once one is assigned, hearing dates, and the disposition — guilty plea, acquittal, dismissal, or conviction at trial. Disposition data is the most practically useful field for a records check, because it tells you how the case ended, not just how it started.

A key distinction: the booking record and the court docket are maintained by different offices and may show different charge descriptions. An arrest charge is what the arresting officer wrote at booking. The formal charge is what the district attorney filed with the court, which can be reduced, elevated, or dropped entirely. When you’re verifying what’s on a record, check both systems — the Sheriff’s booking entry and the circuit criminal records portal at the Cullman County Courthouse.

Municipal Court cases — city ordinance violations handled by the City of Cullman — appear in a separate system and won’t show on the Thirty-Second Circuit docket. If the charge originated with the Cullman Police Department and involved a city ordinance rather than a state statute, the record lives with the Cullman Municipal Court, not at the Cullman County Courthouse.

Traffic cases have their own sub-portal. The Cullman traffic court page links to the statewide traffic case system for traffic-related filings. These cases are indexed separately from criminal dockets.

How to expunge an arrest record in Cullman County

What happens to your record after sealing is the question most people want answered before they decide whether to petition. Once a Cullman County Circuit Court grants a sealing order under Ala. Code § 15-27-1, the record disappears from public databases — court portals, background check services, and the jail register will no longer show it. Law enforcement agencies, however, retain full access. Prosecutors and police can still see a sealed record; a private employer or landlord running a standard check cannot.

Alabama’s expungement law was significantly expanded in 2021. The statute now reaches convictions, not only charges that were dismissed or ended in acquittal. A great deal of older guidance — including some published before 2021 — still says expungement applies only to non-convictions. That is no longer accurate. Petitioning to seal a conviction is now a recognized path under the same statute.

Dismissed charges and acquittals often have a more direct path. When a charge was dismissed, nolle prossed, or resulted in a not-guilty verdict, the case may qualify for sealing without the waiting period that applies to convictions. The statute sets the timing requirements for conviction-based petitions; check the current text of Ala. Code § 15-27-1 or ask the Cullman County Clerk for the applicable waiting period before filing, as the exact duration is not reproduced here.

Petitions are filed in the Circuit Court for the county where the charge was brought — for a Cullman County charge, that means the Thirty-Second Circuit Court at the Cullman County Courthouse, reachable at (256) 775-7213. The district attorney and the arresting agency are both entitled to object to the petition. The court schedules a hearing if an objection is filed.

You can petition without an attorney. The Alabama court system provides self-help resources, and the Cullman County Clerk’s office can direct you to the correct petition form. If the case is complex — multiple charges, a conviction, or a prior objection — attorney-assisted petitions tend to move more smoothly. The Alabama State Bar Lawyer Referral Service can connect you with a licensed attorney. If cost is a barrier, the Alabama indigent defense locator may identify free or reduced-cost representation.

An indigency waiver is available for the filing fee if you qualify financially. Ask the Clerk about the waiver process when you pick up the petition form — the current fee amount is not published here, so confirm it directly with the Cullman County Courthouse before filing.

After sealing, the practical effect is that the record no longer appears in public searches. You are generally not required to disclose a sealed arrest in most civilian contexts. Law enforcement background checks for certain licensed professions may still surface the record — confirm with the relevant licensing board if that applies to your situation.

Quick-contacts for Cullman County records

Frequently asked questions about Cullman County arrest records

What charges will show up on a Cullman County arrest record, and what happens next?

A Cullman County arrest record shows the charges as listed by the arresting officer at the time of booking — these are the initial charges, not necessarily the final ones. The district attorney may later file different charges, reduce them, or decline to prosecute. To see how a case resolved, check the Cullman County circuit criminal records portal for the disposition field on the court docket. If the case was filed in Municipal Court rather than the Thirty-Second Circuit, the disposition lives with the Cullman Municipal Court instead. Sealed cases will not appear in either portal — if a search returns no results, the record may have been sealed under Ala. Code § 15-27-1.

How do I get a Cullman County arrest record sealed or expunged?

Petitions to seal a Cullman County arrest record are filed with the Thirty-Second Circuit Court at the Cullman County Courthouse — call (256) 775-7213 to reach the Clerk’s office. Alabama’s expungement statute covers both dismissed charges and, since 2021, certain convictions. The district attorney and the arresting agency may object. After sealing, the record is removed from public databases but remains visible to law enforcement. An indigency waiver is available for the filing fee if you qualify. For the current fee amount and the correct petition form, ask the Clerk directly — or consult the Alabama State Bar Lawyer Referral Service if you want attorney-assisted guidance.