Arrest Records for DeKalb County, Alabama

Pull DeKalb County arrest records from the DeKalb County Ninth Circuit Court of Alabama for court-filed criminal cases, or request booking records directly from the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office at Dekalbcountysheriff. The Courthouse accepts payments Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. — bring cash, personal check, or money order, as some services accept cash only. The Circuit Clerk’s office is organized by department; ask staff at the security desk which window handles criminal records requests. Phone lines can be slow to answer, so plan ahead before driving in.

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

If you need records outside DeKalb County

A nationwide search may surface records from neighboring counties, federal cases that DeKalb’s local portals never index, or charges filed under a prior name or in a state where the person previously lived. Run a preliminary scan below at no charge — a full report requires creating an account. This tool is one source among several and may help fill gaps that local portals often leave.

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 DeKalb County

Alabama’s statewide trial-court index, Alacourt, covers all sixty-seven counties — including DeKalb — under a single paid name-search service. A fee applies per search; there is no free statewide trial-court lookup. The free public portal at alacourt.gov covers appellate courts only and will not return a DeKalb County criminal case. For DeKalb specifically, the county’s own Ninth Circuit portal gives you direct access to circuit-level criminal filings, and District Criminal covers misdemeanor and District Court cases. Traffic-related matters are searchable through the Alabama Traffic Court system.

For a recent booking — someone arrested and held at the county jail — the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office maintains a live inmate roster at dekalbcountysheriff.org/inmate-roster, sortable by booking time, release time, or name. Alabama law requires the sheriff’s jail register to be open to public inspection, so this roster is a genuine public record. The roster reflects current bookings; it is not a historical archive of past arrests. Confirm numbers and hours before visiting or calling the Sheriff’s Office.

For someone serving a state prison sentence rather than held locally, the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) runs a separate inmate search. ADOC’s database covers currently incarcerated state inmates only — historical data is not available through that portal. The ADOC also maintains a DeKalb County community corrections directory for individuals in alternative supervision programs.

To request a certified copy of a court record in person, go to the DeKalb County Courthouse in Fort Payne. The Circuit Clerk’s office is divided by department — go through the security checkpoint, place personal items in the bowl at the check-in desk before the metal detector, then ask staff which window handles criminal records. The Courthouse accepts cash, personal check, and money order for fees; some services are cash only. Wait times vary, so bring something to read. The Clerk’s phone lines are often congested — persistence helps, but an in-person visit is frequently faster for certified copies.

Municipal charges — a city ordinance violation handled by Fort Payne, Rainsville, or another DeKalb municipality — may sit outside the statewide Alacourt index entirely. Confirm with the relevant city court directly if you need a municipal-level record.

Are DeKalb County arrest records public?

Sixty-seven Alabama counties operate under the same default-public framework, and DeKalb is no exception — court filings and booking records are presumptively open under Ala. Code §§ 36-12-40 to 36-12-46 (the Alabama Open Records Act). That statute establishes a right of public inspection for government records, and booking records at the county jail fall squarely within it. There is no Alabama statute restricting the publication of booking records.

Sealed and expunged records are the primary exception. Once a court grants a petition to seal under Alabama’s expungement statute, that record is removed from public view — it no longer appears in Alacourt searches or in response to public-records requests. Law enforcement agencies retain access to sealed records, but the general public does not. A record that has been expunged is not the same as a record that was never created; it simply becomes non-public.

Juvenile records carry their own separate protection. Arrests and adjudications involving minors are not part of the public record in Alabama and will not appear in Alacourt or the Sheriff’s inmate roster under normal circumstances.

Victim-protection redactions apply in certain cases. Identifying information for crime victims — particularly in sexual-assault and domestic-violence matters — may be withheld from the public version of a record even when the underlying case is otherwise accessible. What you see in Alacourt or a certified copy may have specific fields redacted for this reason.

Pending charges, dismissed charges, and charges that resulted in acquittal are all part of the public record unless a court has ordered them sealed. An arrest record does not indicate a conviction. Disposition data — whether a case was dismissed, resulted in a plea, or went to trial — appears in the Alacourt docket when it has been entered by the Clerk.

What’s in a DeKalb County arrest record?

Booking entries and court docket entries are generated by different offices and may show different fields — understanding which system you’re looking at matters before you draw conclusions from what you see.

A booking entry, created by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office at the time of arrest, typically contains: the arrested person’s full name and date of birth, the booking date and time, the arresting agency, the charge or charges as written at booking, and the bond amount set at first appearance. The Sheriff’s inmate roster reflects this data in near-real time. Alabama uses money bail with judicial discretion — a judge sets the amount at first appearance, and for a defined list of violent offenses, a 2022 constitutional amendment allows bail to be denied outright after a hearing.

A court docket entry, generated by the DeKalb County Circuit or District Clerk and visible through the DeKalb County Ninth Circuit Court portal, contains: the case number, the formal charge as filed by the prosecutor (which may differ from the booking charge), hearing dates, attorney of record, and disposition — guilty plea, dismissal, acquittal, or conviction — once entered. Disposition data sometimes lags the actual court event by days or weeks depending on Clerk workload, so a case that resolved recently may not yet show a final disposition online.

The booking entry lives in the Sheriff’s system. The docket entry lives in the court system. A name search in Alacourt will surface the court-side record; the Sheriff’s roster shows the jail-side record. For a complete picture of a case, you may need both.

Regarding booking photos: for the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office’s mugshot release policy, contact the Sheriff’s Office directly — the policy is not posted in detail on the official website. The official record may contain a booking photograph as part of the booking entry.

The DeKalb County Courthouse is located in Fort Payne. Certified copies of court records are available from the Circuit Clerk’s office during payment hours, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Bring a photo ID and cash or check for fees.

How to expunge an arrest record in DeKalb County

Petitioning to seal an arrest record in DeKalb County is a routine legal procedure governed by Ala. Code § 15-27-1. The statute was significantly expanded in 2021 — it now reaches certain convictions, not only charges that were dismissed or ended in acquittal. A great deal of older guidance, including some published before 2021, still describes Alabama expungement as limited to non-convictions. That is no longer accurate.

Eligibility depends on the outcome of the case. Charges that were dismissed, nolle prossed, or resulted in acquittal generally have a more direct path to sealing — in many cases without a waiting period. The statute provides this streamlined route because no conviction was entered. If you were arrested in DeKalb County and the charge was dismissed or you were found not guilty, you may be able to petition without waiting.

For cases that ended in a conviction, the statute does provide a path, but eligibility criteria apply — including the nature of the offense and the person’s subsequent record. Alabama law sets the timing requirements in Ala. Code § 15-27-1; check the current statute text or ask the DeKalb County Circuit Clerk for the specific waiting period that applies to your offense type, as those values are defined in the statute itself.

The petition is filed in the Circuit Court for the county where the charge was brought — for a DeKalb County arrest, that means the DeKalb County Circuit Court in Fort Payne. The District Attorney’s office and the arresting agency are both entitled to receive notice and to object. The court holds a hearing if an objection is filed.

A filing fee applies. If you cannot afford the fee, an indigency waiver is available — ask the Circuit Clerk about the process for requesting a fee waiver when you file. The Alabama Courts self-help resources and the Alabama indigent defense locator can help you find a public defender or low-cost legal assistance if you need representation.

You can self-petition without an attorney. The Circuit Clerk’s office can tell you which form to use and where to file it. That said, if the District Attorney or arresting agency objects, having an attorney at the hearing is worth considering. The Alabama State Bar Lawyer Referral Service connects you with attorneys who handle expungement matters.

After sealing, the record is removed from public view in Alacourt and will not appear in response to a standard public-records request. Law enforcement agencies retain access. The record is not destroyed — it is sealed from public inspection.

Frequently asked questions about DeKalb County arrest records

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

Pull your own record from the DeKalb County Ninth Circuit Court portal for court-filed cases, and check the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office inmate roster for booking-level data. If you want a certified copy — the version an attorney or court would rely on — visit the Circuit Clerk’s office at the DeKalb County Courthouse in Fort Payne during payment hours, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and bring cash or a check for fees. For records that may exist in other states or under a prior name, a nationwide search may surface additional data that local portals do not index.

Can a DeKalb County arrest record be sealed or expunged?

Yes. Alabama’s expungement statute, Ala. Code § 15-27-1, was expanded in 2021 to cover certain convictions in addition to dismissed charges and acquittals. If your DeKalb County charge was dismissed or you were acquitted, you may petition without a waiting period. For a conviction, eligibility depends on the offense type and your subsequent record — check the current statute or ask the DeKalb County Circuit Clerk which waiting period applies to your case. The petition is filed at the DeKalb County Circuit Court in Fort Payne. A filing fee applies; an indigency waiver is available if you qualify. After sealing, the record is removed from public view in Alacourt, though law enforcement retains access.