Houston County, Alabama Arrest Records Search

When you have a specific name to look up in Houston County, the records live in two distinct systems: the Houston County Circuit Clerk’s Office, run by Circuit Clerk Carla Woodall at 114 North Oates Street in Dothan, and the Houston County Sheriff’s Office at 411 N Foster Street. The Twentieth Circuit Court’s county portal is the court-side entry point for criminal case filings. The Sheriff’s jail register — legally open to public inspection under Alabama law — covers booking-level records. The courthouse opens at 8:00 AM on weekdays; plan to arrive well before the doors close, which reportedly happens closer to 4:00 PM than the posted 4:30 PM.

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

If you need records outside Houston County

A nationwide search may surface records that pre-date the Houston County portal’s online window — cases filed before the court’s digital index begins, records from other Alabama counties, or charges in federal court that local portals never index. Run a preliminary scan below to see what comes back before committing to a full report.

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How to look up arrest records in Houston County

Processing time varies by pathway — online court records are available immediately, while a written records request to the Clerk’s Office may take several business days depending on volume. The Houston County Courthouse at 114 North Oates Street, Dothan, AL 36303 opens at 8:00 AM on weekdays; phone lines reportedly shut down near closing, so call earlier in the day.

Alacourt — Houston County’s court portal. The Twentieth Circuit Court maintains its own county-level portal at Circuit Clerk Carla Woodall, where Circuit Clerk Carla Woodall’s office handles criminal case filings. This is the county-first resource for felony and misdemeanor case records. Note that Alabama’s statewide trial-court index is a paid service charging a per-name fee — it is not a free search. The free state appellate portal covers appeals only and will not show a Houston County criminal case. For traffic-related records, the Twentieth Circuit also maintains a dedicated Traffic Court section, and the statewide Alabama traffic court portal can supplement that search.

Sheriff’s Office — booking records and jail register. The Houston County Sheriff’s Office at 411 N Foster Street, Dothan, maintains an online inmate listing that reflects current and recent bookings. Alabama law requires the sheriff’s jail register to be open to public inspection — this is a genuine right, not a courtesy. Call the Houston County Jail at (334) 677-4808 to confirm records-request procedures and any applicable fee before visiting. The jail is open Monday through Friday starting at 8:00 AM.

Clerk’s Office records request. For certified copies of court records or older case files, submit a written request directly to Circuit Clerk Carla Woodall at the Houston County Courthouse, 114 North Oates Street, Dothan, AL 36303. Call the Clerk to confirm the current records-request fee before submitting — the fee is not published online. Parking near the courthouse can be limited; plan extra time and check lot rates before arrival. The security checkpoint at the entrance is staffed by Sheriff’s personnel and is reported to move quickly.

Alabama Department of Corrections — state prison sentences. Someone serving a state prison sentence is no longer in the county jail. Use the Alabama Department of Corrections inmate search for anyone transferred to state custody. The ADOC portal is separate from the county Sheriff’s system and covers a different population entirely.

Municipal charges. Some municipal courts in Houston County — including Dothan’s city court — may sit outside the statewide Alacourt index. A charge originating in a city court may need to be confirmed directly with that municipality’s court clerk.

Are Houston County arrest records public?

Know the default rule before you request anything: court filings and booking records in Houston County are presumptively public under Alabama law. The controlling framework is Ala. Code §§ 36-12-40 to 36-12-46 (the Alabama Open Records Act), which establishes a general right of access to government records and places the burden on the agency to justify any withholding.

Booking records held by the Houston County Sheriff’s Office are presumptively public under that same framework. Alabama law specifically requires the sheriff’s jail register to be open to inspection — there is no statute restricting publication of booking records. A booking photo may appear in the official record; the Sheriff’s Office is the correct contact for questions about its release policy.

Exceptions are narrow. Sealed or expunged records are removed from public view after a court order — law enforcement retains access, but the public does not. Juvenile records are generally confidential under Alabama law and do not appear in the public court index. Victim-identifying information may be redacted from certain case documents under victim-protection provisions. Active investigative records may also be withheld while an investigation is open.

A charge that ended in dismissal or acquittal is still a public record unless the person has obtained a sealing order under Ala. Code § 15-27-1. Many people are surprised to find that dismissed charges remain visible in the Alacourt index — the public record reflects the arrest and the dismissal, not just the outcome. Sealing is the mechanism to remove that visibility, and it is a routine legal procedure available to eligible petitioners.

What’s in a Houston County arrest record?

A Houston County arrest record typically spans two distinct document sets — the booking entry generated by the Sheriff’s Office and the docket entries generated by the Twentieth Circuit Court — and the fields visible in each differ meaningfully.

The booking entry (Sheriff-side) is what the jail register captures at the time of arrest. It includes the arrested person’s 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. Alabama uses money bail with judicial discretion; a judge may release someone on recognizance or, for a defined list of violent offenses under a 2022 constitutional amendment, deny bail entirely after a hearing. The booking entry does not reflect what happens in court afterward — it is a snapshot of the arrest moment. The Houston County Sheriff’s Office inmate listing reflects current bookings; call (334) 677-4808 to ask about older booking records.

The docket entries (court-side) live in the Twentieth Circuit Court’s system, accessible through Circuit Clerk Carla Woodall’s office portal at the Houston County Courthouse. These entries show the case number, the formal charge as filed by the prosecutor (which may differ from the booking charge), all court dates, motions filed, attorney of record, and the disposition — guilty plea, acquittal, dismissal, or conviction with sentence. Disposition data is the most valuable field for a records-checker: it tells you what actually happened, not just what was alleged.

Paper records and digital records coexist in Houston County. Older cases — particularly those predating the court’s online index — exist only as paper files in the Clerk’s Office. For those, a written records request to Circuit Clerk Woodall at 114 North Oates Street is the correct path. Digital records accessible through the Houston County Courthouse portal cover more recent filings and are searchable by name. If you are checking a name with a long history in the county, assume you may need both the online portal and a paper request to get a complete picture.

Traffic violations handled through the Twentieth Circuit’s Traffic Court have their own docket entries, separate from criminal felony and misdemeanor filings. Traffic fines can be paid by card through the state’s Alapay system or by calling the court directly.

How to expunge an arrest record in Houston County

If the charge you are looking at ended in dismissal or acquittal, the path to sealing it is generally more direct than for a conviction — and it is worth knowing that Alabama’s expungement law now reaches convictions as well, a significant change since 2021 that much published guidance still gets wrong.

The controlling statute is Ala. Code § 15-27-1, which governs expungement of misdemeanors, violations, traffic offenses, and municipal offenses. Petitions are filed in the circuit court for the county where the charge was brought — for a Houston County charge, that means the Twentieth Circuit Court at the Houston County Courthouse, 114 North Oates Street, Dothan, AL 36303. The district attorney and the arresting agency are both entitled to object to the petition, and the court holds a hearing if an objection is filed.

Non-conviction cases (dismissed charges, not-guilty verdicts, no-billed grand jury cases) often qualify for sealing without a waiting period, though the specific eligibility conditions depend on the charge type and case history. These cases tend to move through the petition process more smoothly because the state’s interest in maintaining the public record is weaker when no conviction resulted.

Conviction cases require satisfying a waiting period and maintaining a clean record after the conviction. The statute sets the timing requirements; call the Clerk to confirm the current filing fee and ask about the specific waiting period applicable to the charge type you are dealing with. Do not rely on older guidance — pre-2021 materials from the state bar and other sources commonly state that convictions cannot be expunged, which is no longer accurate.

To petition, you file a Petition to Seal with the Circuit Clerk’s Office. Call the Clerk to confirm the current filing fee before submitting. If the fee creates a financial hardship, ask about the indigency waiver path — Alabama courts have a procedure for waiving filing fees for petitioners who qualify. The Clerk’s staff can tell you what documentation the court requires for a fee waiver.

You can file the petition yourself without an attorney. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) and the arresting agency receive notice of the petition and have the opportunity to respond. If the petition is granted, the record is sealed from public view — background checks run by members of the public will not show it. Law enforcement retains access to sealed records. The Alabama State Bar lawyer referral service can connect you with an attorney if you want professional help with the petition; the Alabama indigent defense locator is the resource if you cannot afford private counsel.

Quick-reference contacts

Frequently asked questions about Houston County arrest records

How long does it take to get a Houston County arrest record, and what happens at the first court hearing?

Online records through the Twentieth Circuit Court portal are available immediately for cases already in the digital index. A written records request submitted to Circuit Clerk Carla Woodall at 114 North Oates Street may take several business days to fulfill; call the Clerk’s Office to ask about current turnaround before submitting. At the first court appearance after arrest, a judge sets bail (or denies it for certain violent charges under Alabama’s 2022 constitutional amendment), reviews the charges, and schedules the next hearing. Alabama uses money bail with judicial discretion — there is no fixed schedule of amounts by offense type.

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

File a Petition to Seal in the Twentieth Circuit Court at the Houston County Courthouse, 114 North Oates Street, Dothan. The governing statute is Ala. Code § 15-27-1. Dismissed charges and acquittals often qualify without a waiting period. Convictions became eligible under a 2021 amendment to the law — a waiting period applies, and the specific duration depends on the charge type; call the Clerk to confirm current requirements. The district attorney and arresting agency receive notice and may object. If the petition is granted, the record is removed from public view, though law enforcement retains access. Call the Clerk to confirm the current filing fee; an indigency waiver is available for those who qualify. The Alabama State Bar lawyer referral service can connect you with an attorney if you want assistance with the petition.