Arrest Records for Montgomery County, Alabama

Montgomery County arrest records split across two distinct systems: the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, located at 115 S. Perry St, Montgomery, AL 36103, holds the booking-side record — the jail register that Alabama law requires to be open for public inspection. The court-side record lives at the Montgomery County Fifteenth Circuit Court, accessible online through the county’s Alacourt portal at Circuit Criminal. The Courthouse operates Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A statewide paid name-search service through Alacourt covers all 67 counties but charges a per-search fee — it is not free.

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

If your person has a history in other states

Montgomery County’s Alacourt portal covers cases filed in this county’s Circuit and District courts, but it won’t surface records from other states, federal cases, or charges filed under a different name in another jurisdiction. A nationwide third-party search may help fill gaps that local portals often leave — it can surface records from counties that don’t publish online, name variants, or prior-state history you may not know about. The preliminary scan is free; a full report requires creating an account.

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How to look up arrest records in Montgomery County

Booking records and court records are kept by different agencies — knowing which one you need saves a wasted trip. The Sheriff holds the arrest and booking data; the Circuit Court Clerk holds the case docket once charges are filed.

Sheriff’s Office — booking records. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office at 115 S. Perry St, Montgomery, AL 36103 maintains the jail register, which Alabama law requires to be open for public inspection. For a recent booking, the Sheriff’s online jail roster at Mcsojail lets you search current inmates and warrant status by name. The Sheriff also has a mobile app on Google Play for the same searches. Identification services — useful if you need to confirm a booking identity — are at 100 South Lawrence Street, Montgomery, AL 36104. Confirm current records window hours before visiting, as they can vary.

Circuit Court Clerk — felony and major misdemeanor dockets. Felony cases in Montgomery County are filed in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit. The county’s Alacourt portal gives you direct access: the Circuit Criminal records section covers felony cases, and the District Criminal section covers misdemeanors handled at the District Court level. Both are county-official resources. When you visit the Courthouse at 251 S. Lawrence St, Montgomery, AL 36104, bring photo ID — it is required at entry. Leave your cell phone in your car; electronic devices are not permitted inside the building. The Clerk’s phone lines can be slow to answer, so online access is often faster for initial lookups.

Statewide Alacourt paid search. Alabama’s statewide trial-court index covers all 67 counties in a single name search, but it charges a per-search fee. It is not a free service. The free appellate-court portal is a separate system and will not show county criminal cases. Use the paid statewide index when you need to check multiple counties at once or when you’re unsure which county a case was filed in.

Municipal Court — city ordinance charges. Montgomery has its own Municipal Court, and city ordinance violations may not appear in the Circuit or District Court systems. The Court Daily Docket on the City of Montgomery’s website lists scheduled municipal court cases. The City’s Magistrate’s Office is at 103 North Perry St, Montgomery, AL 36104. For traffic-related court records, the Fifteenth Circuit’s traffic court records portal handles those separately.

ADOC — state prison sentences. Someone serving a state prison sentence is no longer in the county jail. The Alabama Department of Corrections maintains its own inmate lookup tool for people in state custody. Note that ADOC phone lines are frequently congested and callers may be transferred multiple times; the online search is more reliable for initial confirmation.

Are Montgomery County arrest records public?

What does Alabama law actually say about who can see a Montgomery County arrest record? The answer is: almost anyone, with narrow exceptions.

Court filings are public records under Ala. Code §§ 36-12-40 to 36-12-46 — the Alabama Open Records Act. That framework establishes a default-open posture: government records are presumptively available to the public unless a specific statutory exception applies. Booking records and the jail register sit in the same default-open category. Alabama law requires the sheriff’s jail register to be open for public inspection, so a booking entry at the Montgomery County Jail is a public document from the moment it’s created.

The narrow exceptions matter, though. Sealed or expunged records are removed from public view after a court order under Ala. Code § 15-27-1 — the public sees nothing, though law enforcement retains access. Juvenile records carry their own confidentiality protections and are generally not accessible through the same channels as adult criminal records. Victim-identifying information may be redacted from records in certain cases, particularly those involving sexual offenses or domestic violence, to protect the individuals named.

A practical note on municipal charges: the City of Montgomery operates its own Municipal Court, and some city ordinance cases sit outside the Circuit and District Court systems. If you’re looking for a charge that originated with the Montgomery Police Department on a city ordinance violation, the county Alacourt portal may not show it. Check the Court Daily Docket or contact the Magistrate’s Office directly for those cases.

Online availability doesn’t equal completeness. Records from before the Alacourt system’s online window may require an in-person records request at the Courthouse. The Montgomery County Courthouse operates Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Confirm numbers and hours before visiting or calling, as closures are sometimes posted only on the building’s door rather than online.

What’s in a Montgomery County arrest record?

“Arrest record” covers two different documents that live in different systems and show different things — understanding the distinction tells you where to look and what you’ll find.

The booking entry is the Sheriff-side record. It’s created at the Montgomery County Jail when someone is processed in. A typical booking entry contains: the person’s full name and date of birth, booking date and time, the charge or charges as listed at arrest, the arresting agency (Montgomery Police Department, Sheriff’s Office, or another agency), bond amount if set, and the booking photo if one was taken. Alabama law requires this register to be open for public inspection. The Sheriff’s online roster at Currentinmates shows current inmates; historical booking data may require a direct records request to the Sheriff’s Office at 115 S. Perry St. For the Montgomery County Jail’s mugshot release policy, contact the Sheriff’s Office directly — the policy isn’t published in detail online.

The court docket is the Clerk-side record. It’s created when the District Attorney files charges in the Montgomery County Courthouse. The docket shows the case number, charges as formally filed (which may differ from the arrest charges), hearing dates, attorney of record, and — critically — disposition. Disposition is where you find out whether a case ended in conviction, dismissal, acquittal, or is still pending. An arrest record alone does not show conviction status. Conviction status appears separately in the docket, not in the booking entry. Access the Circuit Criminal docket for felonies or the District Criminal section for misdemeanors through the county’s Alacourt portal.

A charge listed on a booking record is an allegation, not a finding of guilt. The docket may show that the same charge was later dismissed or resulted in acquittal. If you’re reviewing a record for accuracy — your own, for example — comparing the booking entry against the court docket is the way to verify that the disposition is correctly reflected. When visiting the Montgomery County Courthouse in person, note that the Phelps-Price Justice Center at 251 S. Lawrence St requires you to leave cell phones in your car; security screens for weapons at entry, and the entry process is generally straightforward once you’re through screening.

How to expunge an arrest record in Montgomery County

Petitioning to seal an arrest record in Montgomery County is a routine legal procedure, and since 2021 the law reaches convictions — not only dismissed charges or acquittals. That’s a significant change from older guidance still circulating online.

The controlling statute is Ala. Code § 15-27-1. Under that provision, a person may petition to seal a misdemeanor, violation, traffic offense, or municipal offense. The petition is filed in the Circuit Court for the county where the charge was brought — for a Montgomery County charge, that means filing at the Montgomery County Courthouse, 251 S. Lawrence St, Montgomery, AL 36104. The District Attorney and the arresting agency are both entitled to receive notice and to object to the petition.

Non-conviction cases — charges that were dismissed, nolle prossed, or ended in acquittal — often have a more direct path to sealing than conviction cases. If the case never resulted in a guilty finding, the statute generally allows a petition without the waiting period that applies to convictions. This is worth knowing if you’re checking a record that shows an arrest but no conviction: that record may be sealable now.

Conviction cases require satisfying a waiting period and a clean record after the conviction before a petition can be filed. The statute sets the timing requirements; check the current text of Ala. Code § 15-27-1 or ask the Clerk of Court for the applicable window for your specific offense type, since the waiting period varies by charge category and the law has been amended.

The filing fee for a petition is set by the court; ask the Clerk of Court to confirm the current amount before filing. If the fee creates a hardship, an indigency waiver path exists — ask the Clerk about the process for fee waiver at the time of filing.

You can file the Petition to Seal yourself without an attorney. The Clerk’s office at the Montgomery County Courthouse can tell you which form to use. That said, if the District Attorney or arresting agency objects, having an attorney argue the petition at a hearing is worth considering. The Alabama State Bar Lawyer Referral Service can connect you with a local attorney. If cost is a barrier, the Alabama indigent defense locator may identify assistance options.

After a successful sealing, the record is removed from public view — background checks available to the general public will not show it. Law enforcement retains access to sealed records. The practical effect is that the arrest no longer appears in the Alacourt public portal or in standard records requests.

Quick contacts

Frequently asked questions about Montgomery County arrest records

Where do I go to check what’s on my own Montgomery County arrest record?

Your arrest record has two parts that live in different places. The booking entry — what the Sheriff recorded when you were processed into the Montgomery County Jail — is available through the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office jail roster for recent bookings, or by visiting the Sheriff’s Office at 115 S. Perry St for older records. The court-side record, which shows charges as formally filed and any disposition, is in the Circuit Criminal docket or District Criminal docket on the county’s Alacourt portal. If the charge was a city ordinance violation handled by Montgomery Municipal Court, check the Magistrate’s Office at 103 N. Perry St. When visiting the Courthouse, leave your cell phone in your car — electronic devices are not permitted inside.

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

File a Petition to Seal in the Circuit Court at the Montgomery County Courthouse, 251 S. Lawrence St, Montgomery, AL 36104. The controlling statute is Ala. Code § 15-27-1, which since 2021 covers convictions as well as dismissed or acquitted charges. Dismissed and acquitted cases often qualify without a waiting period. Conviction cases require satisfying a waiting period set by the statute — check the current statute text or ask the Clerk of Court for the applicable window for your offense type. The District Attorney and arresting agency receive notice and may object. You can file without an attorney, but if an objection is filed, legal representation at the hearing is worth considering. The Alabama State Bar Lawyer Referral Service can connect you with a local attorney, and the Alabama indigent defense locator may identify no-cost assistance if needed.